C3 is the church I’ve dreamed of my entire life. Much of the vision God birthed in me for C3 is a direct result of growing up in “church.” I’ve dreamed of a church where all people are really welcome, a church where the Great Commission is more than cheap talk prostituted to the highest religious bidder, a church where love drives decisions, a church where the vision is not for sale, a church where the person coming for the first time, with real needs, is just as valuable as the small business owner – a church that is simply… a church rather than a club.

What God is doing in the life of C3 is a miracle – it’s the story of a movement that couldn’t be stopped. Today, hundreds of C3′ers, and those soon to be, converged upon Moss Park and took it to C3 level! It was an amazing day. And… the story is still young. One family I met today couldn’t believe a church would do something like this for the community – they were blown away, and we’ll see them on a Sunday real soon. The history of this movement will be about so much more than it’s cost. It is a story being written everyday as more and more lives are transformed with the deep, abiding, unconditional love of Christ and a people who are crazy in love with him… so they’re loving others. It’s a story that’s being written not in a brick building on a “plantation”, but in hearts of lives of the community – it’s a story not just for Sundays but for each and every day. It’s the reality of the church – the called out of God impacting the community in huge ways. Jesus said we would do greater things than he did – if the church is not, why not?

Recently I finished the final edits of my first book, “Barbaric Grace” (being released in a few days). The process of writing and editing brought back many memories – many of them of the many battles. I didn’t fully realize early on that it was the battle for the soul of a church. Remembering made me even more grateful for the grace of God and how he has prevailed – and always will. It has made me more humbled and grateful for the opportunity to pastor the greatest church in the world.

The baptism in the lake was awesome also! The last guy I baptized today flew in from NC from a business trip and was flying back out this afternoon to Dallas on another business trip. He flew back home to Orlando to come to C3 just to be baptized – God’s done an amazing work in his life and his future is full. Tomorrow I’ll throw up some pics of C3 Day at Moss Park – until then, thank you C3 for being the church I’ve always dreamed of – the church God had in mind. It’s the C3 Reality!

Tags: baptism, C3 Church, change, Church, club, courage, Faith, Family, Friends, Future, Life, moss park, Past, Random, regal cinemas, relevant, Sunday, Thankful, Thoughts, transitioning church, Vision, waterford town center

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