mattmehaffey

Hurricane Ike

I'm not so sure I am going to like Ike anymore.

We are currently in the cone of doom!

Tropical Storm Fay

Many people from other parts of the United States and the world are following this blog and have expressed concern for us over Tropical Storm Fay.  This was my first encounter with any named storm.  We don't name tornadoes or blizzards in Indiana, but maybe we should because it's the polite thing to do.

Besides a steady diet of rain and wind (a little bit of flooding in parts), Fay didn't effect us too much.  Thank you for all the calls and emails we continue to receive but we are all doing just fine. 

One thing I have learned, don't watch the local news.  Meteorologists are excited as kids on Christmas morning when a storm with a name is anywhere close by.  They love the hype and getting their mugs on TV more than getting factual information to the public. 

Actually, Fay has been a godsend to the area of South Florida.  Lake Okeechobee, our main source for water, has been seriously low for over a year and Fay is projected to refill it to a much better level. 

Red, White and The Pursuit

This picture looks like the cover of the worst gangsta rap album, EVER.  Doesn't it? 

Actually it's Paul Smoot, aka Uncle Sam and me (before my transformation into Santa Claus) at a 4th of July celebration put on my Broward Outreach.  I'll play Santa in the South Florida heat any day over playing the role of Uncle Sam in the midst our country's economic woes.  I was afraid riots might erupt as Paul walked through the crowd.  Several people hollered out, "GET THE TAX MAN!"

The Pursuit loves being a church that is good news to the community.  Check out WeLoveSoFlo.com for more proof. I am so proud of our people. On a holiday, we had 20 people show up ready to serve the homeless in South Florida.  I think we had more people than Broward Outreach had assignments.  But that didn't stop some from serving. 

This was the first time I have ever donned the Santa suit.  My costume was ridiculous.  I looked nothing like the jolly ol' elf.  I spent most of my time trying to make sure the beard didn't fall off.  But that didn't matter when I walked outside.  The smiles on kids faces was priceless.  One sweet girl named Maria said, "All I want for Christmas is for my family to be together."  I thought kids only said that in the movies.  That's good stuff. 

Janie also got into the holiday spirit and dressed up as Mrs. Claus.  It may not have been the best idea.  Homeless men were hitting on her.  I don't blame them.  She's a hottie!  But still, be careful how you talk to my wife.  Don't make Santa pull out his bag of goodies ... I have no idea what that meant.  It sounded tough in my mind. 

Skype-ing Brazil

Monday was an absolute blast for me. I had the opportunity to talk via Skype with my friends Zeca and Gabia who live in Brazil. What was even better was getting to "meet" two of their three delightful daughters, Talita and Larissa (I still have yet to have the privilege of meeting Melissa). Brent Foulke also joined us on the call.

As I've said before, Zeca and his family are passionate about starting new churches that are good news to the city and helping people find their way back to God. They've been doing that together in Brazil for years. But it appears God is leading them to a new location.

After meeting them in May, while they were in the States, we felt an instant bond with them. We shared the same values and vision. There are thousands of Brazilians who have relocated to South Florida, which is already one of the most unchurched regions in U.S. There is a great need for leaders, like Zeca, who are willing to take a risk and do whatever it takes to start more and more Jesus-loving, Jesus-centered churches in SoFlo.

Here's the news: The Pursuit, Zeca and his family are "pursuing" the possibility of them joining our team. Zeca, would officially become a Campus Pastor at the Pembroke Pines / Miramar campus for a period of time but then he would start another campus of The Pursuit in another area of South Florida (where there is a high Brazilian demographic). Our hope is we can begin working together in early 2009. There are obviously several hurdles we have to climb before this becomes a reality. Support raising and the visa process are the two biggest.

We would appreciate keeping this entire process in your prayers.

Party People

Friday night, Janie and I, threw a party at our house and invited several families we've met in the year's time we've been in South Florida. Some were from The Pursuit and others we met in other social circles. Our friend Sheri Dupuy, from Indianapolis was staying with us for the weekend too. Good thing, cause we put her to work! But, that's what she gets for being a Red Sux fan.

Janie themed the party based on our multicultural makeup and everyone brought food from whatever part of the world they were from. As you can tell from the map, we had food from places like Cuba, Malta, Peru, Spain, and Kentucky (yes, there was chicken).

We also borrowed Alex and Erin Diaz's Wii which turned some party-goers into fierce competitors (cough, Janie, cough). Check the picture out below and see my record setting score, as I dramatically came back after starting off rather poorly against Janie. By the way, those are Alex and Erin's virtual versions of themselves (I played as Erin and Janie played as Alex). Victory!

Here are some other pictures from the party through my flickr account.

Pick Our Plates

Help Janie and me pick our Florida plates. Go to her blog www.janiemehaffey.com and vote. Please don't let us drive around with the Donate Organs plate. I mean, I am a donor and it's a worthy cause and all but still ...

The Rhythm is Going to Get You

Found an article in the Boston Globe (of all places) about the Miami music scene from 2007. In it is a few paragraphs about one of our artists, Raul Morera, who uses his amazing talent to lead others in worship at The Pursuit. Several people are now part of the church because of Raul's invitations. His drummer Sugeily also plays in the band on Sundays.

Most Saturday nights they are out until 3:00 a.m. but are absolutely committed to being up early on Sunday morning for rehearsal and sound check.

Janie and I are going to a club in Coral Gables tonight to catch his band live.

Day Trip

Here are a couple pictures from Jeter's Saturday excursion to Key Biscayne and South Beach.

We ate at the Van Dyke Cafe on Lincoln Road where we sat next to Dennis Rodman and his date. I believe his hair was green but he had a hat on so it was tough to tell.

Lincoln Road is one of our favorite places in Miami and a must-see if you come down for a visit. Where else can you see man in overalls riding a bicycle with a live chicken on the handle bars one minute and Paris Hilton walking her pet Chihuahua the next?

One Day Trip to the Keys

My parents came down a few weeks ago because their 10 day cruise departed from Ft. Lauderdale. They got back on Friday and have spent several days with us. Monday we drove down to the Keys but stopped in Florida City and the Everglades Alligator Farm. My parents have always wanted to do an airboat ride in the glades and we got to enjoy it with them. If you are going to be spending time in SoFla, you need to put this place on the itinerary.

After three hours at the alligator farm we continued our trip down South and stopped for dinner at Islamorada. There's nothing like having your dinner table in the sand, looking out over water and enjoying the sunset.

Hooked - Featuring XXXChurch.com

Pornography is America's dirty, little secret. I have seen marriages and churches ruined because a pastor or husband was hooked by this addiction. Working with High School and Middle School teens for nearly a decade, I can't tell you how many teens I counseled who were engrossed in Internet pornography.

By the age of 11, the average teen has viewed porn. The largest demographic using Internet porn is 12-17 year olds. 48% of Christian homes say pornography is a major problem in their home.

The Church cannot remain silent.

I am excited to announce Craig Gross, founder of XXXChurch.com will be at The Pursuit Christian Church on Sunday, April 20. Craig is known world-wide for bringing awareness to the dangers of pornography and the freedom God wants all of us to have from this addiction.

The entire month of April, The Pursuit will be in a series called, "Hooked." Click over to The Pursuit Christian Church website for the full details and make sure you plan to be there for all four weeks.