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08 Was Great, but 09 Will Be Big Time!

As I think about ‘08, I’m grateful for all that God’s done. This year was much better than ‘07 or ‘06. Those two years I was at war, but in ‘08 I’ve gotten to live what seeing God win that war looks like. As I anticipate all the things God will do in ‘09, I’m wrapping up this year having learned so many things - a few are:

The greatest blessings in life are not things, they are the people who make life richer and more meaningful.
My bride and kids mean more to me than ever. I pray God helps me become the husband and Dad they deserve.
The difference in sustaining an institution and building a movement.
Unity comes with a price. Many churches are unified in their attempts at nothing, in their satisfaction of stagnancy, and in their “dislike” of others who are really doing something. ‘08 is the greatest year of ministry I’ve ever lived. I’m grateful that I lead a growing church that is passionate and unified about loving God and loving others and actually doing something to impact lives. I’m grateful that our church is unified about reaching “others” not about trying to re-live a re-written past.
I’m learning that when you really love people, and sacrifice to show them, they are open to knowing the God who changed you to be that way.
For the church, a struggling economy doesn’t have to be a deficiency, it can be a huge opportunity.
When you begin to live what you were born to do and pursue Christ hard, those who aren’t will try to stop you… but they can only stop you if you let them.
I’ve see God change more lives and develop more people in ‘08 than I’ve ever seen in ministry… with no permanent buildings, tons to set up each week, and less financial resources than when we were an “established church.“ We’re seeing more with less b/c we’re not distracted by churchy mess.
I believe God has big plans for those who believe in a big God. To think that almost a year ago we had half the people we had last Sunday really humbles me. Growing a church is not hard but it is difficult.

There’s so much more - maybe I’ll hit this again after the 1st of the year. For now, this is enough. This was a year that God moved, God blessed and lives were changed and I’m so much more than grateful. I love Jesus and what he’s asked me to do, and we’re going to see more in ‘09 than can be imagined. In this one life I get to relentlessly pursue Jesus and him making a difference - the best is yet to come.

Published

Byron Bledsoe

on December 31, 2008

in C3 Church, Church, Faith, Family, Friends, Future, Leadership, Life, Past, Random, Thankful, Thoughts, Vision, bride, church leadership, finances, questions and transitioning church

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2BC3

Today we were wrapping up stuff from the weekend, then trying to finish Christmas stuff. This year Christmas seems to be flyin at me, but for some reason I’m just not wigged out about it.

Yesterday at C3 Church we had record attendance at our weekend gatherings. We’ve now completed our first year meeting at Regal Cinemas. Our average attendance before moving to Regal was about 400… yesterday we had almost 800 (our highest attendance). God really is “connecting the community with Christ” through C3. We also saw 20 adults become Christ-followers yesterday! Think about that… 20 more people will experience heaven in eternity, and knowing Jesus in this life as well, just because you cared, prayed and invited.

C3 - you made a huge difference in lives. Thank yo so much for your sacrifice of time, your faithfulness in giving, and your heart to love God and love others - obviously it’s more than just a saying. I can’t wait for Jan. 4, ‘09 as we talk about what God’s done, and what’s next! Loving God and loving others really does change people.

Published

Byron Bledsoe

on December 22, 2008

in C3 Church, Christmas, Faith, Friends, Future, Leadership, Life, Past, Random, Sunday, Thankful, Thoughts, Vision, feed the children, finances, love, portable church, prayer and transitioning church

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Making the Impossible Reality

This Sunday begins a whole new level for C3 Church. This morning as I was at our storage units helping to load two trucks with food and supplies, I was deeply moved with gratitude for the people of C3. It takes a true passion for Christ to put others first, to sacrifice time and to give beyond logic.

Years ago God put a deep vision in my heart to be a part of a movement that truly makes a difference - to lead a church that actually impacts the community and brings hope to the hurting. People are suffering all around us and the vast majority have decided that church is not the answer to their pain. In fact, research shows that while many are searching for God, the majority have decided that church is not where you find him. How could we look so different than the one we claim to love and follow? It will be through following the words of Christ - “loving God and loving others” that we will capture their attention and then their hearts.

The people of C3 are doing the unthinkable. In a struggling economy when we have less, they are giving more. We (Christ-followers) have an unprecedented opportunity to show what we care about. It all comes down to us or others, what’s comfortable and sensible or what pushes us to the edge of our faith - a place of hope without all the answers. C3 has chosen. We are not about building an institution, we are all about advancing a movement.

As we’ve been reminded this week to be thankful, and we move into the celebration of the birth of Christ, this year can be more than the past. For C3, 100 families who have real needs are going to be helped. We are going to help feed and provide basic necessities for 100 families for an entire month. Then, on December 21 these 100 families will come to C3 as we celebrate the birth of Christ, and each of their kids will get a Christmas present, and many of them will receive the greatest gift in all of life.

It just makes me wonder… if 11 men changed the world, what could a few hundred do? Or… what could hundreds of thousands do if we truly loved God and loved others.

C3, we’re about to change the world! I’ve never been more grateful for a group of people - you’re awesome!

Published

Byron Bledsoe

on November 29, 2008

in C3 Church, Church, Faith, Friends, Future, Life, Past, Random, Sunday, Thankful, Thoughts, Vision, feed the children, finances, love, money, timeless and transitioning church

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Time For This…

Wow… the blog needs a little love. It’s been a crazy few days. Here are just a few things flying through my mind:

I can’t wait for Sunday. C3 begins the Food For Families Christmas ministry (we’re helping to feed and provide other basic items to 100 families in need for an entire month!).
I love Thanksgiving! It’s just a simple reminder that there’s so much to be grateful for.
The kids have been out of school for half a week now… the kids still have half a week left being out of school… (seriously, they’re a blast!).
My parents are here from Texas - they experienced C3 for the first time last Sunday.
Angie got these new furry boots… don’t need to say anymore about that.
I sold the Harley on Ebay - don’t need to say anything else about that right now either.
I can’t wait for our Christmas Series which launches on Dec. 7 - “Christmas Vacation” - it’s going to be life-changing!!!

Published

Byron Bledsoe

on November 26, 2008

in C3 Church, Church, Faith, Family, Friends, Future, Life, Life Lessons, Past, Random, Sunday, Thankful, Thoughts, Vision, feed the children, finances and marriage

. 1 Comment

You Asked…

In our “Google” series @ C3, people have been writing in questions about the topics we’re covering. I’ll try to address a few each week that I didn’t have time to deal with in the messages. You asked… so here we go:

I tithe 20% but don’t save. What should I do, reduce and save, or continue the same? First you need to follow what you feel God is leading you to do. Having said that, the Biblical standard for the faith gift is 10% - anything over that is a generous gift or sacrificial gift. Also, the principle of bringing (what’s God’s) and giving (what he allows us to manage) is consistency. So, if you’re not saving, then if you hit a tough spot financially it will be difficult to be consistent. I would say to consider a 10% faith gift and putting 10% in savings. Again, you have to pray through this… these are just my thoughts.
What do you do when your spouse doesn’t “trust” God in the financial department but you do? That’s an incredibly difficult question without knowing more details. The issue may be a struggle to trust God, or it may be a struggle to trust you or themselves, or the church. I would suggest a discussion with your spouse to get to the heart of the issue. It would also be important to know are you earning this income or is your spouse, or both of you. Also, whether your spouse is a Christ-follower or not is a factor. The bottom line is I would try to come to some harmony on the issue. Begin with a give/take solution - something like, “I understand this is a struggle, could we just begin with this percentage and see what happens?”.

The financial climate right now is incredibly challenging. Just today we’ve read that Circuit City is filing bankruptcy and DHL is laying off 9,500 employees, while the government is now buying into AIG at a price of 40 billion dollars.

In these challenging times and markets, if stability is our desire, our foundation must be stable. God has never lied and lays out a clear plan. If we all followed the simple wisdom of bringing 10% to the local church, saving 10% and living on 80% we wouldn’t be here. While we can’t go back in time, we can begin today to understand that everything I have is God’s and I’m just a manager of his stuff. While I enjoy it, I need to be wise with it and he will bless me so I can bless others.

Published

Byron Bledsoe

on November 10, 2008