We just celebrated (last Sunday) Iron City Church’s 1st Birthday.  After months of slumping attendance numbers we had a really good turnout on Sunday, including about a dozen first time guests.  I’ve spent a lot of time in the past few weeks thinking back over the last couple of years of my life: the call to start a new church, our move to Pittsburgh, God’s confirmation that this was the place, and all the buzz of activity that has gone into the last year and ten months.

You can find any number of reports about specific survival rates for new churches.  No matter how which percentages are correct, I know that there are a lot of church plants that never see their first birthday.  I thank God that we have not only made it, but God has already used ICC to bring new life to dozens of people through a relationship with Jesus, to connect with hundreds by coming to check us out, and by causing untold numbers of people all over the area to re-think what church is all about.

If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would be here now, doing this, I would have called you crazy.  However, as of today, I can say with no reservations that there is no place I’d rather be than Pittsburgh and nothing I’d rather be doing than leading Iron City Church.  Thank you God for this life and for this calling!

I felt that it was time to break the silence because this post  from Steven Furtick hit me right where I am a lot of the time.  This, incidently, is one of the major areas of my life that God has been re-shaping/re-framing my perspective.

No promises on how often I’ll be posting, but the above is a must read.

I just thank God that He’s never far away when I’m going through a time like I am coming out of . . . That He’s always there when I come to my senses and focus on Him.

I have started working part-time as a merchandiser for Pennington seed company in addition to all the excitement of ICC. Jeff is working at a local nursery too.

The cool thing about everything going on right now is that our current season of growth at Iron City corresponds with grass seed and planting season (in this area at least).

It seems like everything is growing around here all at once!

Pray that God will continue to grow this church and change lives like He’s been doing. And pray that He’ll give me the wisdom to know how best to do all the things He has set up for me to do.

All the excitement of (and preparation for) Easter, coupled with starting a new part-time job last week, has left me low on the energy gauge. Thankfully, its a good drained feeling.

I’m so excited about the coming days at ICC! We just revisited and set the message calendar for the upcoming months and its going to be a blast.

I’d love to tell you more, but…

so…

Tired…

Need sleepy…

Should be fun for those of you from the ‘Burgh (and totally confusing for the rest of you).

Surprisingly, I scored a 97% — not bad for a southern transplant!

Comment back with your score….

I never saw the man in concert (that I know of) or heard him speaking beyond his music, but here’s a great short video if you have about 10 minutes:

http://theravingsofarunningrev.blogspot.com/2008/02/short-sermon-from-rich-mullins.html

I especially love this line:

Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken.   – Rich Mullins

I have had a great day — spent a couple of hours this morning with my friend Bob catching up.  I ran some errands an worked on some of our advertising for Easter Sunday after lunch.  Then I had what can only be called an “uber-productive” meeting with Jeff.

We’ve been working together for about 6 months now and it’s amazing how much we’re still learning each other and working on how to be most productive together.  I think we made some great strides today towards being more efficient AND effective. 

I hate it when someone on my team has to lay the smack down on me, but Jeff was right on today.  He ripped me a new one for my stubbornness in not going to the doctor with this mess either time.  He shared with my how my illness affected everything at ICC and how my pride in not taking care of myself has now resulted in getting half our church sick and hurting the energy dynamic within the church.  It pissed me off a little bit…. because he’s right.

Thank God for honest partners in ministry.  I’m praying that I have learned my lesson.

Top Ten Things I Learned From Letterman:

10. If we’re ever going to be taken seriously, Iron City is going to have to invest in letter jackets.  Lots of them.  All of Dave’s flunkies wear ‘em.

9. Instead of just inviting people to church at 10 AM, we need to have them get in line around 7 or so and get their tickets, then return by 9:30 for #8.

8. Coaching.  And lots of it.  There’s nothing like a team of 18-25 year olds explaining how you can respond (nothing high pitched) and when you can laugh (ALL THE TIME).  We need this if anyone is ever going to start “getting” my jokes.

7. We need to replace the ushers at ICC with “smile monitors” to walk around before and during the service to make sure everyone looks like they’re having a good time.

6. I need a mug girl (to bring out a drink during every commercial break).  Paul has one.  Dave has one.  Tommy needs one.

5. Speaking of commercial breaks, we need those too.  What pastor couldn’t use a couple of minutes mid-sermon for a re-write or two?

4. We need to scratch the welcome time and announcements.  We’re hiring a stand-up comedian to come in and warm up the crowd.

3. Tape at 5, air at 11:30.  And none of the goofs make it through.  Hmmm.  We definitely need to look into tape delay.

2. Wanna put butts in the seats?  Two words: Howard Stern

(drumroll please….)

1. It doesn’t have to be all that good if you can just get people to respond like it is!

It was actually a great experience (thanks Tony) and I had a really good time.  And with Howard Stern as the only guest that night, it was just a bonus (please note the tiny bit of sarcasm).  Anyhoo.  Another item checked off of my “wonder what that’s like” list.  I have a new found respect for the folks that put on a show like that night after night after night . . . .

Maybe I’ve just had too much time to think these last couple of weeks, but something seems a little funny to me.  We have a holiday called Memorial Day, designed to honor and remember all those who have died for our freedom and we celebrate it by (for the most part) grilling out and playing outside. 

We have a holiday called Labor Day when just about the entire country takes a day off.

And while New Year’s Day is historically supposed to represent a new start and the freshness of a clean sheet of paper for the next 12 months, most of us are busy sleeping off staying up too late watching what is possibly one of the most anticlimactic celebrations of the year. 

All that being said, January 2 is REALLY New Year’s Day for most of us; the day when we actually start getting things done.  And this morning I woke up to a fresh coat of gleaming white snow on the ground.  It just adds to my feeling of a fresh start and a clean slate to work on my end and pray towards God’s end and see what comes of it.  I’m so excited to see what God does in 2008 and I hope you are too!