Funny Church Moments

Free From Religion

MVP in the Making

Last night we scurried down to the baseball park to watch my son play his first game of the season. Not only was this Luke's first seasonal game, but it was also his first game ever playing. Was I nervous? Of course! but, I sat there calmly while my wife cheeredc every player on like they were her children(even the other team).
the first two times Luke went to bat, he struck out. now, that was discouraging to such a proud dad. but, when I saw many of the veteran players fall prey to the rifling arm of the Astros' pitcher, I felt like he was fitting right in where he needed to be.
By the end of the sixth inning, we (the Cubs) were up 10-0. The morale of the team was soaring. then, Luke came up to bat again. this time, he cracked one for a single. My wife was bouncing up and down shaking every inch of the bleachers . She give out a screeching yell, "that my baby." admittedly, I was pretty proud myself. finally, I calmed her down enough that I could focus on the game again.
So, by the end of the 7th inning(the last inning in jr. baseball), the Astros finally scored one point, which give us a 10-1 victory. I am looking forward to another game this week. I'll have my Cubs hat on and cheering my "baby boy" on. Who knows, one day he might be the MVP!

Doubters Anonymous

There's no doubt about it. We all doubt at some point in our lives. Whether we doubt our faith, God's goodness, or just His willingness to work miracles in our lives, we could all subscribe to "Doubters Anonymous."Think it's doubtful that God can use you? In this series, Pastor Lewis will show you beyond the shadow of a doubt that He can!

Here's an insider's peak:

1/28--Bout with Doubt

2/ 04--Doubting God's Goodness

2/ 11--I doubt God Will Do It For Me

2/18--I Doubt God Can Use Me

Mike Hirst Concert

Unwrapping Christmas

Gifts, gifts, and more gifts! That’s what many are looking for this time of year. But, that’s not the kind of gifts God has in store for every believer. God’s gifts are PERFECT like His son which was sent into the world to be clothed with humanity. During this Christmas season, Pastor Lewis will challenge you to focus on the “best gifts” in this series titled "Unwrapping Christmas.”

Here's an unwrapped peak:

12/17--The Gift of a Purpose-Filled Life
12/24--The Gift of Jesus
12-31--The Gift of No-Limit Living
01/07--The Gift of a Spirit-Filled Life

Famous Last Words

Our dying Savior blessed us with His famous last words. In this series “Famous Last Words” Pastor Lewis unpacks the depth and practical application of the final words Jesus uttered before giving His life.

Text Google to Get Your Info

We are definitely in the technology age. Recently, I seen on the news that you can text Google SMS for information such as: Phone numbers, addresses, driving directions, definitions, local businesses, etc. This is a big deal for me! I can't tell you how much I’ve spent on 411 calls.
Now, I can send a text to 46645(googl—without an “e”) and receive the information I wanted in less than 10 seconds…that’s big. If you are skeptical, don’t worry I’ve tried it. It works!
The greatest thing about this feature is that standard texting rate applies. So, grab your phone and give it a shot.
For more information on how to use Google SMS, click here

Schoolhouse Rock

Invisible Image and Something like Simon did the school house rock at the "Night of Jam" Saturday night. That’s right, we literally did rock the schoolhouse, as our venue is the Port Charlotte High School auditorium.
Although a local radio station dropped the ball on our advertisement (we won't discuss who), we had a great crowd show up for the two best bands around.
We launched the show with some awesome creativity. We played a 60 second countdown that led to a climactic intro of the band Invisible Image. I was awestricken!
During the switch over to SLS, we gave away our first of five Ipods. One of the youth workers from Pastor Oz Ramkissoon’s church won the Ipod. Congrats!
Then, SLS took the stage. They didn’t give any slack to their ability to perform and captivate a crowd. Every time I have used them, they have surpassed the previous show.
What could cap the night of better than the H2o Youth Ministries, led by Pastor Ken Mcbeath, leading us in some songs of praise. It was amazing to watch the talent of this young crowd.
All of this was great, but it was not possible without the great leaders of Life Pointe. Awesome job!

iGod: Little "i" and a big "GOD"

Little "i" and a big "GOD"--thats how it should be! Instead, we go through life without the satisfaction of knowing God's greatest purpose for our lives.
This Life Pointe message series will help you download, shuffle, sync, and live a God interactive life.

Night of Jam

Casey's First Born

The moment we have all been waiting for has finally come. Chris and Ashley Casey are the proud new parents of a beautiful baby boy. Ethan Bradley Casey was born on August 16, weighing 6 lbs 3 oz .
I have the privilege to meet him for the first time tonight…I can’t wait.
Congrats Chris and Ashley we love you!

Cyber Athletes Cash In

My dad and mom used to tell me that I was going to rot away in front of a video game. I loved to play Mike Tyson Punch-Out, Zelda, and John Madden's Football. I didn’t have a Nintendo of my own, but my best friend David Manning had one with all the accessories. That is where I would slip away occasionally. We` wasted hour after hour just sitting around a television gripping a controller tightly, eating potato chips and drinking gallons of Pepsi.
Although games have changed (thank God for change) radically over the last 20 years, it’s still proving to keep folks entertained. Video game consoles and software are expected to bring in a staggering 30 billion dollars this year. That’s more than twice the revenue brought in by the NFL, MLB, and the NBA. Wow! Who would have ever though that it could be lucrative for the game player? With such an outrageous amount of cash spent in the gaming industry and the rapid growth of gaming console gurus, there was a need for a new breed of athletes—cyber athletes. Cyber athletes play all year long via the internet with other gamers from around the world. Then, they gather together once a year to compete in World Cyber Games. They really have it together. They even have coaches.
A young man known as 'Fatality' recently won $150,000. Of course, at the beginning of his vision to be the greatest game player in the world, his mother didn't approve. So, he moved in with his dad and pursued his dream. Well, as you can tell, it paid off.
At the San Francisco World Cyber Games, the purse was over $400,000. Just think next time before you criticize those for 'wasting time' playing video games.

Getting to Know Your Pastor

Today, Michelle Rumreich and I had the privilege of meeting Laura Chase from the Joy FM 88.1. She treated us to an amazing lunch at the Turtle Club in Punta Gorda. Thanks Luara!
The purpose of the meeting was to do a pastoral interview. Joy FM has created a program that airs a short interview with pastors from various churches. I was chosen to do the interview. My interview was a series of quick, relative questions that I had to fire from the hip to answer. The questions vary from what’s the fastest you’ve ever driven, to what’s your favorite cd? The answers to these questions gives listeners (30% of which are not churched) a chance to hear what it’s like to know a pastor as a “real person.” Whoever came up with this is a genius. “Getting to know you pastor” is probably the MOST creative idea I’ve seen in a long time.
Anyhow, the interview was fun and inspiring. Of course, Joy FM has the right person doing the interviews. Laura made Michelle and I feel like we were the most important church in Charlotte County. Not only that, but after lunch, she took a picture of us for her “prayer wall” and pledged to pray for our church. That’s what ministry is all about!
The interview will be airing soon, so watch this blog to find out when you can hear ‘Getting to Know Your Pastor.”

Baby Showers: a Place for Men to Play

After an exhilarating Sunday morning celebration service, I headed down to Punta Gorda for Ashley Casey’s baby shower. This is the first shower that I have ever attended. It was interesting. And, the food was amazing!
The women started playing some games that were baby related. Of course the guys helped out with some of them. Iwas really amazed at how much Joey knew about baby stuff...more than some of the ladies.
But after the women played their games, the men were up. The object of the men’s games was to suck four ounces of water through a baby bottle. Now, some may think that’s easy. But, I assure you that it’s not as easy as it seems. The nipple hardly had a hole in the end. It was like sucking a banana through a straw.
Anyhow, Joey Marchese won the challenge. He won a die-cast car (which he already collects). I knew he was a SUCKER!

Sunday's Highlights

Sunday was one of those mornings that seemed nothing could go right. My family woke up late (after an exhausting week of moving and laying wood laminate), struggled with some last minute preparations, and hit the door running. We needed to be at the school to set up for worship service by 8:30 AM.
Well, we didn’t get there until 9:15. But when we arrived, a great team of volunteers had already set-up the auditorium. That’s what it’s all about! Great leaders rising to the occasion and making things happen, when circumstances arise that are out of the norm. Great job guys and ladies!
Brian had an amazing line-up for the worship. Not only was it a great line-up, but the worship band resonated the auditorium with high quality, energetic worship. I enjoyed every song.
By the time the worship ended, I was chomping at the bit to get on stage. The people were ready to hear the Word. I have been doing a series on baggage. This series has offered a season of revelation and restoration. As I finished preaching, I felt like there was a strong connection made to the people with the Word.
However, the highlight of the service was not the worship or the preaching…it was the altar call. Everyone in the building was at the altar seeking to be free from various “baggage” issues. It was a touching moment. Tears were not lacking. Even the strong melted in the hands of the King. I tarried there for some time as I didn’t get a release to close the service. So, I just continued to pray.
All of a sudden, I looked up at the back of the auditorium, and there was a young man (whom I’ve never seen before) standing there crying. I immediately motioned him down and asked him if I could pray for him… he said, “sure.” So I prayed for him as I would anyone. He wept and cried, but it seemed he didn’t understand what was going on.
After the service, I caught the young man and asked him about his faith. He could not answer me verbally. The only thing he could do was cry and nod his head( with stammering lips). So I asked him several questions about his walk with God. Bottom line, he did not know any thing about God or Jesus. I asked him if he felt Jesus. He nodded that he did. So, I asked him if he wanted to accept Christ and he shook his head, yes! We prayed, he repented of his sins, and accepted Christ.
When he came around enough that I could communicate with him, I asked several questions. Was he there to pick someone up? Where did this he come from? How long had he been there? How could I help him? Etc. His response elated me. He said he’d been jogging at the school and wanted a drink of water, so he went up into the school. When he got in the school, he heard us praying in the auditorium. He then went into the auditorium to see what was going on. Everyone at the altar praying and he stated, "I was captivated." He watched for a couple minutes, and then He said, “I could not move…I felt something like I have never felt before.” And that’s the moment I looked up and motioned him to come down.
I was pumped! And to think, he didn’t even hear my sermon.

Me, Ed, and the Gang from Homestead

Joey and I headed down to Miami Thursday for the C3 conference led by Ed Young—pastor of Fellowship Church. It was super enriching! We were challenged to surround ourselves with the right people (right they) and stay away from the negative people (wrong they I soaked it up like a brand new sponge being plunged into a bucket full of water for the first time. Then, being overfilled and running over, I felt like being rung out and soaking up some more.
Pictures are worth a thousand words. I don’t know exactly how I ended up sitting next to Ed Young. But I enjoyed the time spent with him there. Anyhow, maybe some of Ed’s brilliance rubbed off on me. Or, maybe the anointing will flow down to me in a double portion. Afterwards, we hung around to do some brainstorming with Pastor Travis and some of his key leaders. It was enriching to see the passion that was birthed by this conference. Everyone seemed to have some input as to how our churches can be remarkable instead of invisible. We all decided that we should get back to the basics and reconsider or values.

Baggage

Many Christians struggle through life carrying unnecessary spiritual baggage. That’s not the life God has for us. According to scripture, we should lay aside all the heaviness that slows down our forward progress.
In this series, we will learn to identify some things that are holding us back and overcome them.
Series begins Sunday June 25 @ 10:00 AM.

Here's a sneak peak

6/25 baggage check
7/2 overcoming addictions
7/9 emotional baggage
7/16 released from depression

C3 Conference

This is going to be one of the greatest church/leadership development seminars that the Life Pointe leadership can attend. Ed Young, from Fellowship Church, will be teaching the conference. Ed has developed Fellowship Church over the last 16 years to be a radically creative church with a staggering 20,000 people in weekly attendance.
Now, there’s some irony between Fellowship Church and Life Pointe. Fellowship Church started in an office complex, and then moved to an arts center at a high school. Life Pointe started in a doctor’s office and then, we moved to the high school auditorium. So, maybe we’re getting a glimpse into what the future holds for Life Pointe Church!
Would you like to develop your leadership skills to more effectively advance the kingdom of God at Life Pointe? Well, if so, jot down this date and contact Pastor Lewis to get registered.
I will be leaving on Wednesday evening June 14th and spending the night in Homestead. Registration will begin at 8:00 AM Thursday morning.

Espresso Yourself

Espresso is a serious drink. Just a tiny cup of it packs a powerful caffeinated punch. In much the same way, our lives can make a powerful impact on those around us. This Life Pointe Church message series promises to caffeinate your life as you understand what it means to “Espresso Yourself” in ways that honor God and your relationships with others. But, don’t take our word for it, check it out for yourself in our NEW LOCATION at Port Charlotte High School. beginning on 5/14 @ 10 AM!

Topics:
5/14--Yank the Plank

5/21--Rude is the Mood

5/28--What Do You Say?

6/4--Is It In You?