One Year…..

June 28, 2009 was the one- year anniversary The Creek has been on her own. We left Apex Baptist and took over Carpenter Elementary School in Cary. I thought it would be good to go over some of the highlights this past year:

1.    Numerical Growth – we are growing. We had 65 when we started and are hovering around 95. Numbers are not everything but do help us see where we are.

2.    Biological Growth – now this is one way to grow a church. We have two new additions to The Creek this past Spring with 6 more coming by November.

3.    Huddle Groups – We are having leadership meetings with our huddle group leaders and we can see our groups really diving into God’s word and seeing community take place.

4.    Outreach – HOPE for RDU was a huge success. We have made a big difference in our community by loving and serving them.

5.    Prayer Ministry – We started a monthly corporate prayer service at a local business on Mondays.

6.    Easter Egg Hunt – This was a defining moment for our church. God blessed and The Creek represented.

7.    Crossroads – We took our first group to youth camp this summer. We had 6 kids.

8.    Salvation – We have seen 3 people give their lives to Christ this year. 2 of the 3 were unchurched before God brought The Creek into existence.

9.    The Creek Members – the best group of people to pastor. I love what I do and am honored to be the pastor of The Creek Church.

10.   Baptism – On July 26 we will hold the first baptism service at The Creek. We have 5 to be baptized.

11.     Discipleship – I see our people growing in the word and applying what they know.

I love this!

GET ME IN THE BOAT NOW!

I love white water rafting. It is an incredible rush, a great view of God’s creation, and good time with friends. Recently, some guys from The Creek and I went rafting down the Nolichucky river in western NC and eastern TN.  I rafted this river 13 years ago and it was not much fun. The water level was so low at one point we had to stop, pick up our boats and walk to the faster moving water. However, that was not the case this time.  

Rafting was scheduled for Friday. We arrived on Thursday and after getting settled in, the skies opened up and dumped 6 inches of rain on us. Local schools were closed due to washed out roads, the river was roaring and were going rafting. Actually, truth be told, the guides who checked the level of the river “fudged” some so we could raft. Thanks guys.

Our guide was a rafting veteran of 31 years who lived in a school bus “down by the river. “ His name was Jed. The rapids were fast and furious and unrelenting the first 2.5 hours. Just before lunch, after coming through a furious stretch, I saw Jed fly about 6 feet out of the raft into the furor of the Nolichucky along with our lunch bag.

We got Jed up to the boat to pull him in and he yelled, “GET ME IN THE BOAT NOW!” He was lifted into the boat coughing from the water he swallowed and in time for another challenging wave of rapids. He said, “I yelled at you guys to get me in the boat because I knew what was ahead.”

This situation made me think of the sovereign God of the universe that knows what is ahead. He guides us, molds us, leads us, and sometimes yells (not audibly) because He knows what is ahead. Jed said, “I did not want to get stuck in that next rapid. It is a nasty one.” He also did not want a bunch of inexperienced guys to go into the unknown waves with out a guide.

I challenge you to “GET IN THE BOAT NOW” of God’s grace. He knows what is ahead of you and desires for you to surrender your life to him so he can guide you.

Ambition

We had a great family day Saturday, May 9th. We were looking at the ducks at the park and noticed a hungry copperhead. Ambitious isn’t he?

 

Dana Qualls Rice

Batman has Robin. Bo has Luke. The Lone Ranger has Tonto. I have Dana. Having a partner in crime (or ministry) is so essential. I have always had a fear of making a mistake. This fear has paralyzed me from making decisions too quickly. I tend to think long and hard over things. This is true with family decisions all the way to getting dressed. Sometimes this fear gets the best of me.

I want to give credit to the greatest decision, outside of Christ, that I have made. That is asking Dana Lynn Qualls to marry me. They say that wine is better as it gets older – I do not drink – but Dana Qualls Rice is the total package. After 4 kid’s and12.5 years with me, she is more beautiful today than ever.

Batman may have the Boy Wonder. Bo may have had cousin Luke. The Lone Ranger may have had Tonto. However, I have Dana Qualls Rice. She is the best partner in ministry I could ask for. She understands that life is all about the Gospel. 

Did you say we couldn’t have kids?

In 1998 after being married 2 years, Dana and I thought it was good time to start a family. The journey to parenthood involved many tears, many appointments, much waiting, a lot of discouragement, much prayer and some great lessons on the timing of God.

One doctor told us we could not have kids and he did not know why. I just want to say that God has the final say. You can trust Him. We were given a lot of advice of what we should take (fertility drugs) and medical procedures we should have done. We are not putting those medical options down, but we trusted in God and his timing, and I am the dad to Andrew, Mollie, Luke and Jake.

Not bad for not being able to have kids. 

A Church Planter’s Office

We have church in a school. We have meetings at restaurants, homes and parks.  We are always on the look out for Wi-Fi and get pumped when it is free. The luxury of having your own office is not a reality anymore. Working from home is one answer……. but very difficult when you have 4 kids at home. Here are some pictures of my offices around NW Cary:

 

Billy Banks and Infomercial Christianity

I remember sitting in my apartment around 1997 watching football. I was flipping stations and saw this ripped up guy named Billy Blanks.  I stopped and wanted to see what he was selling. He was kicking, punching, sweating, and selling his workout video…..something he called Tae Bo.

I was hooked. I watched the whole commercial and bought the video. I could not wait for Dana and I to workout with Billy Blanks. I was hooked to see what I would look like if I did Tae Bo.

Some people today are signing up for infomercial Christianity. They get hooked on Jesus for what he can do rather than who he is. In John 6, Jesus was trying to tell the Jews he was the Bread of Life and could fill them – spiritually speaking. They persisted in following him because of the miracles he did not the Savior he was.

I challenge you to look at Jesus as the sustenance for living; the light of the world; the author and finisher of faith. Come to him and service him for who He is – not that quick fix you may be looking for. 

WWW.THECREEKCHURCH.ORG

We are live!!! Please visit our site today. It has been a challenge, a blessing, and a relief (I think I am going to smoke a cigarette).  I love our site and look forward to using it to reach others. Let me know what you think!

Chosen to Share

 

While in seminary many of my friends, acquaintances, and even professors talked about divine election and/versus the freewill of man. Most of the time the conversation was friendly, cordial, and enlightening. However, I remember walking to class several times and getting the question, “Are you a Calvinist? If so, we are having a reformed bible study tonight in Johnson Hall. I hop you can come?  Personally, I think this kind of recruitment was/is a waste of time and just plain silly. 

Dr. Paige Patterson, the president of the seminary at the time, addressed this passionate recruitment technique among the “reformers.” He said, (my words) “For those of you trying to recruit people to a Calvinistic bible study please refrain. Just study the bible. Also, I will be happy about talking to you about this issue. Just make an appointment with my secretary and when you come make sure you bring the last 3 people you led to Christ.”

My deal is this – when the bible preaches election you preach election and when the bible preaches freewill you preach freewill. I am comfortable not understanding how these two doctrines go together.  I am very comfortable with teaching that all people are chosen and commanded to share. One of the greatest honors you can have is sharing the Gospel with someone. You have people in evangelical circles like Johnny Hunt, Mark Driscoll, John Piper and Billy Graham who are committed to privately and publicly sharing the Gospel regardless of how many points of Calvinism they affirm or struggle with.

What are the names of the last 3 people you led to Christ? What are the dates of the last 3 times you tried? I believe the importance is on the second question. I challenge you to share your faith….you have been chosen to share. 

The World Wide Gospel

The Gospel is for all people. The good news of Jesus is for all people. John 3 is a great passage about Jesus encountering a religious leader and in John 4 he encounters a woman heaped in sin. In John 3 he was in Jerusalem and in John 4 he passes through Judea and arrives at a well in Samaria….a pretty unusual place for a Jew. 

Here is what I learned through my study of these passages – Jesus traveled to 3 places in these two chapters – Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. He went armed with the good news of being born again (from above) and drinking living water and worshiping in spirit and in truth through these 3 cities.  

In Acts 1:8 Jesus told the apostles (and believers today) to go to these same areas and serve as his empowered witnesses. I love the words and actions of Jesus. He often did something and then told his disciples/believers to do likewise. He modeled the life he is commanding us to live. He lived the World Wide Gospel. 

A couple of questions – Are you sharing the Gospel (repent and believe) with only people who look like you?  Are you leading people to share the Gospel but not personally sharing yourself? I encourage you to live in the power you have been given and make a difference in your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.