Monthly Archive for October, 2007

A Moment… Many Moments

We had an amazing creative team planning meeting today. The next series we’re launching on Nov. 11 is going to be “wheels off!”

God has been teaching me a lot lately. He’s been showing me things about my life - areas I need to work on, things I need to give attention to, and the ministry of C3 - what is to come. It’s overwhelming at times. This morning was one of those mornings that felt like God opened the floodgates and was just speaking much into my life.

Then we were in our meeting, and one of the guys on our team shared the very personal story of someone who’s come to know Christ. This person had no reality of faith, and hadn’t been to church prior to coming to C3. They are now making some major strides as a Christ-follower - they’re experiencing life-change. Life-change is always about a life that is changed for the better. A person taking the next step Christ has for them. Sitting there, in the meeting for just a moment I allowed myself to be overwhelmed with gratefulness. I did it. I began to cry. I just couldn’t contain the emotion - I tried to contain it, but I just couldn’t hold it in.

One of the lessons I’m learning is when people don’t understand your passion and vision, they will misinterpret your mission. Lives are being changed.  C3, we should never take for granted God changing lives and using our ministry to do it. We get to be a part of something most people will never experience in this life. Radical… Revolutionary… Real life-change. We are truly building a church your family can’t resist! And… IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING!

This Sunday is going to be unbelievable. You will hear things in church you’ve never heard. Hard things said in compassionate ways. It will be a moment in the young history of C3 you’ll be blessed to be a part of. This Sunday is also another opportunity to see lives changed. Invest and Invite is not just a phrase - it is part of the DNA of C3. There are people far from God that he longs to know, love, and change. If you get them to C3 - you know… they won’t be bored, they won’t be judged, they will be engaged and intrigued. Because hard things will be said in compassionate ways, the Holy Spirit will move, convict, and draw… and lives will be changed.

Who will thank you for inviting them on Sunday? What life will God use you to change? INVEST and INVITE now!

The reality is, because of what God’s doing, and the fact that I get to pastor the greatest people anywhere… I am having a lot of moments!

Published
by
Byron Bledsoe
on October 30, 2007
in Church, Faith, Friends, Future, Leadership, Life, Random and Thoughts
. 0 Comments

Sunday

Only one more week of “Dirty Little Secrets.” I loved the atmosphere this morning at C3 as we discussed “Can’t Get No Satisfaction” - dealing with sexual issues in marriage. Next week we look at “Closet Secrets” - trust me, you don’t want to miss next Sunday!

It was great to talk with so many people who were checking out C3 for this first time this morning. We are so blessed to be a part of a community of faith with authenticity. Please be praying for our move to Regal Cinemas. We launch there in January - so there’s a ton to do. Our next series, which begins November 11, will lay out our strategy for the next phase of C3 - becoming the church God had in mind.

This week think about those people you know who are far from God. Pray for them… invite them!

(By the way, there’s still a huge announcement coming soon…)

Published
by
Byron Bledsoe
on October 28, 2007
in Church, Faith, Family, Future, Random and Sunday
. 0 Comments

People Not Wasting Their Lives - Part 5

Tonight I’ll wrap up looking at people in ministry who’ve impacted my life. While I could go on and on because there are many God has used in my life, I’m ready to write about other stuff.

My father-in-law, Jim Wilson, is an Evangelist. He speaks in churches around our nation, and around the world. God has used him in my life in numerous ways. First, God used him to bring me to faith in Christ when I was 16 (no… he wasn’t my father-in-law then). It was through watching his ministry, as he pastored the church I grew up in, that I first developed a real passion for ministry. He has such a drive to see churches be successful and encourage pastors while he’s in their church.

Jamey Ragle has been a great friend for years. Jamey, like Jim, travels all over the nation sharing with people about how they can know God personally. He also happens to be on the Board of Directors for C3. God has used Jamey as another encourager in my life. He’s also taught me to persevere in spite of my circumstances, through Jamey. Jamey keeps a relentless pace, spending unbelievable amounts of time on the road just because of his passion for people to know God. I’ve also been impacted by his honesty. Jamey is one of the people in my life that speaks freely to me about what he sees - he’s one of the people who holds me accountable so that I don’t mess up my life, my family, and the ministry to which God has called me.

Another Board of Directors member for C3 is Robbie Robison. Robbie travels speaking in churches, camps, and leadership conferences. He has become one of my closest friends. I can’t think of a week that goes by without him calling to check on me and how things are going at C3. He’s perhaps the greatest encourager in ministry that I’ve known. God has taught me through Robbie a true “whatever it takes” attitude. This guy understands risking big for something important. He’s also been a tremendous help in thinking through many difficult decisions. He also is someone I’ve asked to hold me accountable in my life, family, and ministry.

I’m so grateful to these and countless others that God has used to help shape who I am and who I am becoming. I’m grateful for growth, stretching, being uncomfortable, experiencing the unpredictable, going places I’ve never been before, - chasing Christ and his purposes. Have you stopped to think about the strategic, purposeful relationships God has placed in your life to teach you things - to help you become the person he knows you can be and created you to be? Tonight I’m overwhelmed with gratitude to Christ, and the people he’s put in my life to help shape me. I’m more than blessed, and so are you.

Published
by
Byron Bledsoe
on October 26, 2007
in Church, Faith, Friends, Future, Leadership, Life Lessons, Random and Thoughts
. 0 Comments

People Not Wasting Their Lives - Part 4

Let me hit the highlights of a few more people who’ve impacted my life.

Dr. Thom Rainer is the President of Lifeway Christian Resources. He is a great friend. God has used him to teach me to never settle. Dr. Rainer has this unquenchable desire to see churches become healthy and focus on real growth (reaching people). Sometimes I laugh thinking about the churches that will get awards from their denominations for “growth” - when really it’s just a bunch of “Christians,” who got ticked off at other churches, jumping around. That’s not Biblical growth - it’s not real growth. It’s just often people with their own baggage and issues taking it to new places. Through Dr. Rainer, got helped me focus on what real growth is - reaching people who don’t know Christ!

Another person who’s made a mark in my life is Erwin R. McManus. I don’t personally know Erwin. However, through reading his books and listening to some of his talks, God has used him in a huge way in my life to help develop what “community” really looks like. His book “Unstoppable Force” is the greatest book I’ve read regarding what the church needs to be. He’s willing to think outside the box and move the church to real intimacy with Christ and each other.

Finally, Dr. Claude Thomas is the Vice-President for Injoy Stewardship. He has been a tremendous friend to me. He successfully pastored numerous large churches. He my be the best church strategist of our day. He’s brilliant when it comes to thinking through stages and strategies. God also taught me, through him, to fight. Fighting for love is something you have to do daily, because there are those who don’t truly love and they’ve found a home in most churches. People in churches that are traditionally minded and focused on themselves rather than being like Christ, people who are more proud of their “heritage” than they are their Savior - people who think there’s only one way to preach, sing, pray, give, and dress to really be church - those places that are an inch deep in Christ and a mile wide in themselves - you have to relentlessly, passionately fight for love against these people who speak of love but don’t really live it. Dr. Thomas has been one of the greatest encourager’s in my life to keep fighting, because lives are worth it.

Tomorrow, I’ll wrap this up with a few more people who are not wasting their lives.

By the way, there’s a huge announcement coming - I can’t share the details yet, but this is major. More info will come soon.

C3 - invest and invite!

Published
by
Byron Bledsoe
on October 25, 2007
in Church, Faith, Friends, Leadership, Random, Sunday and Thoughts
. 0 Comments

People Not Wasting Their Lives - Part 3

Dr. Danny Akin is the President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a friend. I’ve had him preach for me, and on one occasion he led a marriage conference for our church. God has used him in a very specific way in my life. I’ve seen in the life of Dr. Akin something that is rare today - integrity. I’ve had the privilege (or curse) to be around some people that many look up to. Many of these people disappointed me once I saw a glimpse of the “real” person. However, in a situation that I was involved with when Dr. Akin had the opportunity to be political or function in integrity, he chose integrity. While some of his colleagues were being “less than”, he chose truth.

I know some would say, “Dr. Akin would not do church like you’re doing it. Why would you list him?” Why do we think we have to agree on everything to learn from each other. I don’t know exactly how Dr. Akin would “do” church - we’ve never discussed it specifically. What I do know is that he loves God, has a passion for reaching people, is a gifted theologian, and has that distinct and sometimes rare quality of those in denominational leadership of integrity. He’s given his life to molding future church leaders to make a difference.

In the Southern Baptist Convention a trend has taken place. Over the last 30 years the convention has moved to a place of believing and standing with Scripture, and being passionate (at least in talk) about reaching people. However, I believe for many who orchestrated that process (moving from a liberal view of theology to an accurate view) there is now an arrogance. I hear more about what “we’ve done” than what God’s done. There certainly seems to be a good old boy network that is seen through by everyone except those blinded with their own “greatness”. Many of these “leaders” now think we should do things the way they say, just because they say so. With this comes a glaring lack of integrity of the part of some. However, from my experience, Dr. Akin has never exhibited that.

God has used Dr. Akin to remind me that integrity is more important that popularity. Integrity is what’s in the heart and practice, regardless of what some may claim. And, finally, we can always learn from others and should always be teachable.

How important is integrity to you? Are you willing to function in integrity even when you’re “friends” disagree? Is there any area of your life that needs a course correction to integrity?

Published
by
Byron Bledsoe
on October 24, 2007
in Church, Faith, Friends, Leadership, Random and Thoughts
. 0 Comments