SUNDAY IN REVIEW 02.01.09

• Sorry about the delay in getting this up… Huge day yesterday left me completely wiped out today… Took a little time for R & R, planning, a great workout and time with my girls and am back in the saddle tonight.

• I love what God is doing @ a2… I love it!!! I love it!!! I love it!!! Did I mention, I love it!!!?

• Arrived at the worship site at about 9:30 yesterday and was greeted by Sunish M., a member of our Guest Services team. Great job, Sunish.

• Walked inside and Jess and Denise not only had the coffee ready, but they had made certain we had a supply of Krispy Crème donuts on the counter. Camryn went right for the donuts.

• Kevin J. and his brother, Ken had the place decked out with party balloons everywhere and a large “Welcome Home” banner across the stage!!! Oh, yeah, yesterday we had a huge “Comin’ Home” Party!!!

• The band kicked it! Worship was smokin’! Here’s the set list: You Lifted Me Out (Chris Tomlin), Today Is The Day (Lincoln Brewster), Where The Love Lasts Forever (Hillsong).

• Yesterday’s “item numbers” were SWEET. That’s not a “sissified sweet,” that’s a Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald kind of SWEET. The team did an unplugged cover of Daughtry’s “Home.” Wow! Stephen "THE MAN" Riley on upright bass. Bethany "is her middle name Allison Krauss" Borg on fiddle. Carlos on acoustic. Mikey "the guy is an animal" Wilson on electric. And Mike "did your parents make you wear really tight pants when you were kid so you could sing that high" Shaw on lead vocals. I’ll say it one more time, it was SWEET!

• After the message, the team came back and covered Chris Tomlin’s “Come Home Running.” My wife sang the first verse through tears. God anointed. People responded. Awesome!

• Really felt passionate about the message. Luke 15 and the story of the “lost son” and the “lovesick father” moves me. I preached with a lot of passion and emotion. Can’t help it, when I think about the Father’s love for a guy like me, it blows me completely away.

• Awesome response to the invitation! Six people indicated on a Connection Card that they made a decision to “Come Home.” Heaven threw a party! I am absolutely psyched! That’s six people who came home to the Father and trusted JESUS! Yeah, God!!!

• Great buzz at the end of the service. We start at 9:45 on Sunday AM. The service wraps at about 11:15. The last two weeks I haven’t gotten away to between 12:30 and 1. I love it that our people love to hang out, talk, pray, laugh, share… That’s what Acts 2:42-47 is all about.

• Special thanks to everyone who made our first Student Ministry event a success. Last night’s Student Super Bowl Bash was great. More than 22 students were in the house! That pumps me up! An incredible team of volunteers made it all happen.

• Special thanks to David W. and Neal H. for the hook up on the satellite and a/v for the game. The screens and sound for the game rocked. Big time.

• Special thanks to Shannon J, Kevin J. and family for all the help on the refreshments and décor. I really loved how these guys hoodwinked their family from TN to help out with the set up. That’s awesome.

• Thanks to Darrell G. and Julie G. for the help with set up, décor and clean up; as well as hospitality.

• Thanks to Chris G. and Jennifer G. for the help with hospitality. Great job. By the way, Jennifer, from all accounts, Saturday night’s Ladies Night Out was a hit. Thanks for going out of your way to let people know they matter.

• Hats off to Michele L. for the drinks and the courage to oversee the “Rock Band” room. You are brave… Very brave.

• Thanks to Teddie B. for making certain we had PLENTY of food. Chicken wings? Gone. Pizza? Gone.

• Thanks to Bethany E. and Barrett E. for the desserts. The ice cream bar was a huge hit. Thanks guys.

• Thanks to Lee. P and Sheri P. for the cookies, snacks and the printers! You guys got game!

• Most important, thanks to all the students who made the evening worthwhile. I loved getting to hang out with you, laugh with you and watch an incredible Super Bowl game!

• BTW, don’t forget that next Sunday night, we are going to rock the a2 building with a killer night of worship especially designed for students. Invite somebody to attend NOW!!!

• I was totally wiped out at the end of yesterday’s events. Between Thursday AM and Sunday AM I spoke six times! That’s right! Six! Loved getting to be at Lee U. This school makes a difference. Love the relationships sessions at Watts Bar. This is a great church. And I love speaking @ a2… I feel like I’ve been more pumped up and tuned in than ever… I believe it’s only going to get better.

• This week I’m pumped about Wednesday night’s Dream Team Session. We’re talking about leadership in the context of the local church. It’s going to be a challenging, fun and I believe inspiring session. For those of you reading the Driscoll book, we'll be covering Chapter 3.

• I’m totally amped about Sunday @ a2. We’re taking on the last half of the “parable of the lost son” and talking about the older brother… This message is going to be dangerous. It will not be for the faint of heart. I don’t think we’ll be reading any poems… But I’m praying that God give us a prophetic word that challenges us to resist the urge to become like the older brother, and instead pursue the heart of the Father. We'll take on stuff like anger, resentment, judgmentalism and how God wants to set us free from this junk!!!

• Bring somebody with you to a2 this week. It could just change their life.

• Well, there’s more I could share, but I’ll keep it for later.

• I love you guys and gals. I’m praying for you and looking for God to do stuff that baffles the imagination and blows us completely away. Buckle up. It’s going to be one more of a ride!