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Sunday Night Notables

2 people accepted Jesus this weekend!
The music was fabulous this weekend as always but I was especially stoked about the U2 cover this morning, Aaron and the band killed it.
Stacy's growth group has been awesome so far from what I hear, it sounds like all the ladies are getting tons out of it.
I've enjoyed Built to Last a ton but I am really excited to start the Gospel of Mark next week.
Tons of guests this weekend and the energy levels seem to be at an all time high.
Receiving communion this weekend I pray is gonna be a great reminder to us that Worship is done here, there, and everywhere.
Some friends of mine and Stacy have been coming for weeks now, and every week I see them come in my heart fills with gratefulness for Origins and the difference She makes in mine and my friends and families lives.
Shaye told me she learned today that "She's suppose to worship Jesus".....I love OC Kids.....all of you workers are my heros.
Stacy and I had our first community group this week and it was awesome, we are looking so forward to the coming year of getting to know everyone.
It's Braydens birthday tomorrow and we do morning parties so I'm heading to bed.....I love Origins!

Sunday Night Notables

• This weekend was definitely a weekend that will be remembered for a long time at Origins.
• One of our Members told Brock about his friends experience this morning "they didn't even think anything of it. We'll be back and there are some people we want to bring with us next time."
• His response to Brock was "I seriously think Origins is at a point where its worst day is better than the best of other churches."
• So many responded to what God has for Origins by registering to serve at Origins for the very first time. Even some who have been coming for well over a year.
• Our setup was so jacked someone said, "What's goin on here? We gettin ready to go outta business or somethin?"
• I heard a few people passed up the school entrance because they were looking for the Origins road signs.
• This weekend was proof that God works well beyond our abilities and talents. We should always give our best, but never forget who gives the increase.
• This weekend was our worst programming to date but it was on purpose, one of our most powerful services with the worst production we have ever had.
• Can't decide if Brock is better at singing or making signs you decide.
• Today showed not only that we really need volunteers, but that we already have some amazing ones to begin with. 
• I can't wait til next Sunday, and I hope we always have tons of volunteers so we never have to do this again.
• Stacy, Holly, and Casey served this weekend all by their selves in OC Kids because they are awesome chicks.
• I almost lost it during the service this morning when the video camera fell over.
• This weekend was eye opening I'd say for all of us, allowing us to realize how much we all love Origins and how its not because of the abilities of one or even a few but rather the collective abilities of us all.
• In all seriousness I thought Brock and Joel did awesome working outside of their primary gifting like that, but I'm pretty sure all of us are hoping that we will not need them to do that again. :)
• I believe God is up to something so very big right now at Origins and He is preparing us for what He's about to do.
• I am so very grateful for all of you who have used your abilities to make Origins what She is, your investment is making a huge difference in peoples lives.

Reaching Men

People will sometimes come to Origins and say, "How did you get all these men attending and leading at Origins?"  Well, the answer isn't complicated; I've said from the inception of Origins that I had a special burden for men.  It's not because I can't relate to women...I actually feel that I can relate to women very well since I am very emotional and a bit metrosexual.  However, it has really bothered me since I was in college that in many cases women were leading when it came to being passionate about their personal walk with Jesus and moving the Gospel forward.  While the ladies were getting charged up about our great Savior and being consistent in attendance and service to His Bride - the Church - we men were leaving our softball games or deer stands and heading over to a buddy's house to play cards, draft our fantasy football team and play World of Warcraft.  

People are sometimes a bit disappointed in my directness and sometimes even brash speaking, but I truly believe that it is that very honesty and sternness that God has used to reach many men who have not only accepted Jesus as Savior, but also have started leading their families in a Godly manner and partnering with Origins Church in serving.  

I don't plan my messages around men; I just don't filter them for women or soften them for a potential soft-listener.  What I mean is that I don't try to make my messages male-friendly by being inappropriate, crude, use foul language or say things for shock value.  I mean that I pray very hard about how to challenge the men in the audience like a good coach would on the field with the game on the line. 

What got me thinking about explaining this a little is a great excerpt below that Darrin Patrick, pastor of The Journey Church in St. Louis wrote to church planters.  Darrin is a Cardinals fan, but let's set that aside since he loves Jesus and is advancing the Gospel. :)

 
"As chauvinistic as it sounds in today's egalitarian climate, you really do need a few good men to help you plant a church. God will send some godly women, whom you will love as mothers and sisters, that will be used by God in unbelievable ways to extend the kingdom through your local church. I am not minimizing the role of a woman in church, or women in general. In our church, women lead worship, teach bible studies, serve as deacons, etc. I’m simply highlighting the reality of the "just as". Just as the men go, so goes the family. Just as the men go, so goes the society. And, just as men go, so goes the church.

You don't have to have a PhD in Sociology to realize that our world is jacked up because men don't do what they should and do what they shouldn't. Men are the problem in our broken world. And, if you work hard and smart, men can be a big part of the answer for a church trying to reach a broken world.

How do you get and develop good men? First, you have to be a good man yourself. You will not attract what you are not. Scripture is full of encouragement and challenges you to become the man God wants you to be. In short, be a Biblically qualified elder and you will do well. Most men who come to your church either did not have a good relationship with their dad or did not have a dad at all. They will look to you for a model of what it means to be a godly man. So, as Paul told Timothy, watch your life and doctrine closely so you can deliver such men.

Not only do you need to be a model for them, you need to train them. The first meeting we ever had in our church plant was a men's discipleship meeting. We studied 1 Timothy 3 and I pleaded with the men who were present to aspire to be elders in our new church. The point is that you have to call men up. You have to plead with them and challenge them to be better than they are. But, you must not just tell them to live better.  You must train them to live better. This involves many meetings: one on one, small groups and medium-sized groups. Make sure that you are spending time with emerging male leaders and equipping them to teach, lead and counsel.

It is important to add that while discipleship groups are good, so are one-on-one mentoring relationships, etc. These are not enough to produce the type of men that you will need to build a prevailing, gospel driven church. You must see the pulpit as the main vehicle to reach and train men. Many pastors preach sermons that are too effeminate to draw men. You know this is true because the majority of churches have a much lesser percentage of men than women. When you preach, preach strong! Call men to Christ, call them to lay down their idols of entertainment and work. When you preach, use illustrations that men relate to. Integrate things like sports, music, and films that appeal to men into your sermons. Preach like men are in your church and they will come."

Sunday Night Notables

This weekend seemed to be non-stop from the moment it started which is kind of funny cause I was speaking on Sabbath. :)
This series BUILT TO LAST has been awesome so far I think, when I was doing research one morning I actually said to God "people are gonna say they have heard all this before".....I felt like He said back to me....."they have heard it they just aren't doing it consistently, so your gonna keep preaching it!"......I said "OK".
Adam and Jenni had an OC Student event this weekend for students and parents and he shared the vision God had given him for the student ministry and I am so charged up to see what God is doing right now with Students.
My friend Brad Cunningham Senior Pastor of Liberty Heights Church came to Origins this weekend.....it's great to have local churches rooting for us as we are true to the mission of Jesus.
The bands sounded great this weekend, I am so grateful for the talent that God has brought and continues to bring.
The beginning of the service was so awkward, I felt like I was on an episode of the office and I was Michael Scott.....I think it was effective though in getting us thinking.
The production team had a great time out at Ben and Mylas....it really is a blessing to actually like and enjoy the people you attend Church with and serve Jesus's bride with.
Speaking of Ben and Myla, they are incredible hosts and have truly used the space God has provided them with to the Glory of God.
I'm grateful for Origins and so honored to serve Her with all you OCers.

Sabbath for a Wife and Mother/ Guest Blog Stacy Neal

I mentioned in my message this weekend that Stacy couldn't take an entire day where she paused cause our family would be in pretty bad shape if she did. As I mentioned though its not a day off, its a time of honor and gratitude to our heavenly Father who is our Provider. Over the years she and I have wrestled with this principal in both our lives quite a bit and she has found ways to Sabbath that I think might be helpful to you wives and mothers out there who constantly feel pulled, so I asked her to share.

just wanted to give a little insight on what sabbath can look like in the life of a wife and mother in this crazy world we live in!

i believe that in order for things to be centered appropriately on giving God gratitude while realizing He is our provider takes purposeful PAUSES in our day to day operations. scotty explained this weekend that as a wife and mother you really can't take a sabbath from that role and if you do (which i have tried before...) all chaos and disorder occurs. you are then left to double up the next day what was left undone the previous. i was however thinking about that statement and i wanted to express to all you woman who are wives and mothers that it is crucial to your health and the health of those you are placed in front of to take care of... that you PAUSE daily...

granted we can't take 24 hours to PAUSE as i mentioned above but we can create a daily glimpse of experiencing a grateful PAUSE in the midst of our hard work. for a long time in this marriage mothering thing i thought you had to run on all cylinders all the time and thought this was normal. its like a circle that never ends and you are constantly trying to figure out different solutions to the same demands that occur constantly. then i realized that is not how God wants us to function at all. God wants our hearts and have them directed towards him in praise and adoration and wants us to realize he will take care of us and provide for our needs. we push that aside because we don't have "time." we care more about what others think in the way we manage our home and how we parent our children and how we treat our husband. we push off our MUCH NEEDED relaxing time for ourselves. why do we run ourselves ragged and never do things that help us physically, emotionally, spiritually????? as a wife and mother i do believe that God wants us to sacrifice for our family but not to treat ourselves like a piece of nothing. love being in the role of wife and mother and love yourself by taking care of yourself. the next most important step of it is to invite God in during that time. enjoy the "me" time with Him-- lavishing love and gratitude on Him. he is the one whom all the credit is due.

i highly recommend making a list of things you like to do that fill you up emotionally....this list will look different for every person but i promise that it is a crucial thing to do and then apply. i have applied this rule to myself and i try my best to PAUSE a bit each day with the things that fill me up. however, one thing that i have learned (and will be tweaking) after the message this weekend on sabbath(which is crazy cause i have heard many messages on sabbath....scotty is good at his profession huh?) is my perspective on what i will be concentrating on while having my "me" time. rather than just using it as a chill- catch my breath from washing dirty underwear, scraping dried oatmeal off the kitchen table, or breaking up fights i am going to intentionally thank God for how grateful i am for Him and all the ways i am better for knowing Him.

sabbath will get pushed out of the schedule if you don't concentrate on making it a priority. it brings health to your soul and restoration to your relationships and betters your walk with the one who created you.
also, make sure you don't label this time and feel guilt from it. this is what i run into ALL THE TIME with woman. its junk. my children know what it means when i tell them i need my "alone time" and scotty does as well. they know i need it and they understand why, and guess WHAT?? i don't feel bad about it at all. as a result it allows me to show them that when this PAUSE does happen in my days God will get the glory. i will tell them how important He is in my life and i want to concentrate on Him and all He has provided for me. in turn i will show them as well as myself how being grateful is a conscience effort of appreciating God's love for us and He really wants us to accept and cherish it.

so start planning your PAUSES girls!! you may have the title of wife and mother but first you are a woman who was created by an amazing God that has a special plan for you and loves you for more than what you can just produce and work at. don't lose perspective on value, honor and gratitude. get your "alone time" filling your tank and thank him in the midst of all the aaaahhhhh!!!!!

k lata
stacy

time to light a candle (except i may have to get rid of the one im currently using because scotty and i think its slowly poisoning us each breath we take while it is burning) and do nothing.... ;) and hopefully it won't be as awkward as it was at church this weekend. :)

Preparing for the Guests

At Origins it's very important to us that we include guests as much as we can in what we do. It's almost like your family having people over every week. What do you do at your house when you are expecting guests? One things for sure, you clean. No one, well almost no one has guests over when their house is dirty. Depending on the importance of or how long their guest will be there a lot of people time home improvements based on company coming over. If you're planning on redoing your kitchen you're definitely going to get that done before your in-laws come to town. You put your chef hat on. No one makes hamburger helper when they are having dinner guests. They spend hours searching epicurious.com for that perfect recipe that won't be too difficult but will make them look like a pro. You make sure your kids are on their best behavior. There's always a pre show pep talk to make sure your kids don't tell the story of that time you, well we won't go into that. The point is, we always make sure we put our best foot forward when we are entertaining in our home, and it shouldn't be any different when we have guests at our church. We want them to have the most positive impression of us that is possible, that's why we try and keep everything clean and neat, cover up potential eyesores in the school with black backdrop, and more importantly make sure they are greeted warmly by multiple people so there is no doubt that they are welcome there. We also make sure to over explain things. Our regular attenders and members may grow tired of hearing our explanation on worship and giving every week but there are always new people there that need to hear it. We want to have a church where our people can trust us with their friends and family who are outside of the faith, so we always take extra care of the guests that have been entrusted to us. What are some things you have done to prepare for guests at your house? What are some things that we already do at Origins that someone you have brought noticed? What are some things you think we could do better for your guests?

Sunday Night Notables

• The music set this weekend was my favorite yet, I lost my voice singing so loud...Im so grateful for all the musicians at both campuses that use their gifts each week to lead Origins in music.
• One of my best friends from college came in this weekend and stayed with Stacy and I and it was awesome to catch up...Im so grateful for my time at Liberty and the friends that God allowed me to gain.
• Our Franklin Campus had some great energy Saturday, its so exciting for me to see God getting people excited about what God's doing at that campus.
• I hope all of you who are not in groups yet will pray had about moving from YOU to US and jumping into either a growth group, or a community group.
• If you are ready to take the plunge email brock@originschurch.tv
• All the growth groups are going to be awesome.....Stacy is teaching one for woman only and she is really psyched about it and it is filling up fast so all you ladies better get signed up, I know you don't want to miss it.
• I was so excited to introduce Adam and Jenny and Trevon to Origins today.....they have been an answer to prayer for the Student Ministry and I know that God has incredible plans that He is going to use them to fulfill.
• I continued to be overwhelmed by the leaders that God chooses to bring to Origins.
• I haven't played fantasy football for 10 years but decided to jump in a league this year to try and take my mind away from Church for a little bit...not sure it's gonna work but we will see.
• Football and Soccer have both started which means our weekends just ramped up to a whole new level.
• I love Origins and am so grateful for her.

Jealous Much?

I read this today and thought you might benefit from it as much as I did.

 

You shall not worship any other god for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”EXODUS 34:14

Covetousness and envy are wrong, but appropriate jealousy is a dimension of passionate love. To be jealous of a business rival or of someone considered more attractive is actually to covet, and therefore a violation of God’s commandment. But if a third party intervenes in a marriage, the offended individual will be rightly jealous if love is present. Jealousy allows for no rivals in intimate relationships. This is why God is jealous when His people embrace idolatry. Be grateful He is jealous for you, because it’s a sign of the intensity of His love for you.

Sunday Night Notables

-It was another great weekend at the OC!

-Our band mixed it up with the vocals today and I thought it sounded great,I am so thankful for the musicians we have who use their talent every week.

- the sweet intro video for our new series was done by our very own Chase Dillingham. He's been helping with our video stuff and this was his first series intro. Another great example of people using their gifts to further the kingdom of God.

-We seem to have a lot of momentum right now heading into the fall, I am pumped to see what Jesus is going to do through us as we continue to invest in the people around us.

-I'm grateful that Stacy allowed me to share our story today, I feel like it really brought home the message.

-I am super excited about some new developments in our student ministry area, look for an announcement this Sunday.

-I had an awesome week at camp this week. We saw many kids accept Christ. I was however very glad to sleep in my own bed and only share a room with Stacy Wednesday night.

-I talked to a guest after church today who said she is so excited to have found Origins and the priority that we put on scripture.

- a few people have asked me about the leadership conference at Newspring that I blogged about the other day. If you are interested in going email events@originschurch.tv. If you want to learn more about the conference go to newspring.cc.

- Hey ladies, if you struggle with insecurity, Stacy is going to be teaching a growth group called So Long Insecurity. We'll be announcing more on growth groups this Sunday, there's lots of good ones coming up but I am most excited about this one.

- I missed the canoe outing with Heart of the Outdoors, but I heard it was a good time. Look for more events with them coming up, you can also check out their recently launched website heartoftheoutdoors.org.

- I love serving at Origins and can't wait to see what God has in store for her.

Pumped bout this!

Im super pumped up about our Staff Leadership Team heading out to this conference in a few months. If you are a leader and are interested in allowing God to get the most out of you this year then you might want to consider it to.

The following is a link to a post Pastor Perry Noble just did on the event... www.perrynoble.com/2010/08/09/the-who-the-why-behind-nlc-2010/ . It explains why and who is coming.