mattmehaffey

Church of Today

I've heard many people call teenagers "the church of tomorrow." That's actually a ridiculous statement if you stop to think about it. After all "the Church" is the people ... all the people ... not just those who can vote, go to war and order a beer.

Some of the most amazing steps of faith I have witnessed have been taken by teens. Their potential in the church is limitless.

I truly believe God is doing something in the midst of our Student Community Group at The Pursuit. Our group on Sunday night was something I have been celebrating the last couple days. Can't wait to watch God work in the lives of this crew.

The Pursuit Staff @ Animal Kingdom

After the conference, we jetted off to pay homage to the mouse. Being Florida residents doesn't hurt. Great deals at Disney! I hadn't been to Animal Kingdom since it opened 10 years ago. We knocked it out in 6 hours easy. I think you need at least two days to see all there is to see at both Epcot and Magic Kingdom but Hollywood Studios (the new name of MGM in case you haven't heard) and Animal Kingdom are good when you are short on time.

The new Expedition Everest roller-coaster is definitely worth the wait. And It's Tough to be a Bug is a classic especially when you go with people who haven't seen it before.

Afterwards, we had a nice dinner at the Rainforest Cafe' then headed back to the rental house.

Final Thoughts on Exponential Conference '08

After having some time of sifting through much of the information (some gold, some garbage) I downloaded in my mind last week, I am quite sure God is stretching me with new radical thoughts (at least they are new and radical to me).

I count myself quite blessed to have listened to godly men such as Alan Hirsch and Tim Keller who break down preconceived methods sought by some to be universal to all churches and church leaders. I am now reading Forgotten Ways by Hirsch. Quite frankly, it scares me to death but at the same time excites me at the potential. Can't wait for May 12-13 where I will join the rest of the NewThing affiliate church leaders in a smaller more accessible setting with Hirsch.

Rick Warren's final session wrapped up with a special prayer and commissioning of those who have planted a church within the last year (i.e. The Pursuit) and those who are about to plant. The picture above is from Dave Ferguson's camera.

Being surrounded by 2700 church planters is never a bad thing. But it does have it's challenges.

1. The constant comparing and contrasting church size. I love what Warren said, "If you compare yourself to churches bigger than you, you will never be good enough and you'll always be disappointed because there's always someone doing better. If you compare yourself to churches smaller than you, you get filled with pride because you think you are doing better. Either way you lose."

2. The Ego Factor. Somewhere down the road, church planting became the "cool thing" to do (whatever that means). Mix that with young guys who think they are already too-cool-for-school and you get egos run-a-muck. This why I am such a big fan of guys like Dave and Jon Ferguson, Travis Johnson, Mark Nelson and Matt Payne. If you met these guys in the coffee house or bar you would never be able to guess they lead big or small churches. And they actually listen to you instead of just waiting for their moment to speak.

Looking forward to next year. Looking forward to seeing what The Pursuit will look like as I go to Exponential '09.

Last Day of Exponential

The wi-fi in this place is spotty. That's what happens when 2700 pastors all have laptops.

This has been a great conference as expected. The best is yet to come. The last session has both Tim Keller and Rick Warren. I'll post via Twitter updates any quotes that really stick with me.

After the conference, this afternoon our team is going to Animal Kingdom.

Blogging the Conference

I didn't get a chance to sit in a single session today so obviously I am not blogging.

For some real quality notes of today's sessions check out:

Scott Hodge

&

Travis Johnson

No Hablo

To clarify, I DID NOT translate Andy Stanley's message into Spanish at the Exponential Conference today. That credit goes to my pal, Alex Diaz, who is going WAY beyond the call of duty and serving this week.

He was blogging about it and accidently put in on my blog. Mr. Stanley's message would have most certainly been lost in translation if I had been called on.

xxxchurch @ The Pursuit

Here's a picture from yesterday's celebration service @ The Pursuit. It was a great day for our 3 month old church. We were able to give a portion of our offering to xxxchurch so they can hand out more Bibles at the Miami Porn Show. I am excited about the generosity The Pursuit is developing. We also had our 2nd largest attendance on Sunday.

Next Sunday, we wrap up the Hooked series. Hope to see you there.

Off to the Exponential Conference

Today the staff of The Pursuit is heading up to Orlando for the Exponential Conference. It is the largest gathering of church planters in the U.S. and quite possibly the world. I am looking forward to reconnecting with friends and making new ones who are in various stages of starting churches.

Alex and I went to it last year and it was right on target with what we needed as we were preparing to start the church. This year, I am so glad we will be joined by our wives and Bob and Linda.

The lineup of speakers during the main sessions is second to none and Bob and I will be going through the Reproducing Church Track.

If you can't go for whatever reason, stay tuned to my blog because I'll be blogging the sessions.

Miami Herald Article

The Herald has a story about XXXCHURCH.com and their booth at the Miami Porn Show. They did give The Pursuit a little pub (they got the day wrong). Craig will be speaking on SUNDAY @ 10:30 a.m. (not Saturday). If you are in the Pembroke Pines/Miramar area or just want to make the drive, you are invited! You do not want to miss this.

Click here for the full article...

Pray. Pray. Pray.

If you are reading this, I am begging for you to pray.

This weekend the city of Miami is hosting one of the largest porn conventions in the world. Drive down I-95 you'll see the billboards. Read the Herald or Sun-Sentinel and read the articles. It's everywhere.

At one booth, in the middle of the convention celebrating lust and the porn industry, you will find TRUE LOVE. XXXCHURCH.com will be there handing out "Jesus loves porn stars" Bibles and sharing with people that God's way will bring them the satisfaction they are searching for.

The Pursuit Christian Church has invited Craig Gross, founder of XXXCHURCH.com to speak this Sunday, April 20 and he will be there. We have done all we can to get the word out. Here is one person's response to our ad...

Thank you for taking the ad out on the Sun-Sentinel web site. I go there daily. Tonight I saw your ad and came to your site. The subject matter of 4.20 hit squarely between the eyes. I am a Christian who is so raped by and in bondage to this subject.

Thank you for obeying God. Your ad may have lead me to the hope. This subject will drive you to suicide, I know, I’m there. The shame, the guilt, they are overpowering and all consuming.

There are thousands of men and women hooked by pornography living in SoFla.

Pray:
- for the XXXCHURCH.com team as they share the love of Jesus with those in attendance at the porn convention.
- God will connect people to The Pursuit on Sunday as Craig shares the truth about pornography
- lost people will find their way back to God
- those who are hooked by porn will find the freedom that comes only through Jesus

If you would like to join me and The Pursuit staff, we will be praying and fasting on Thursday for these specific requests.