Eric Taylor

Weekend Preview

I have to CONFESS something to you... I was a bit concerned how this message series we're in called "CONFESSIONS OF A PASTOR"  would be received... But God has shown up in powerful ways and is doing some RADICAL stuff in people's lives.  For the first time or the first time in a long time, people are confessing things to God and to others and I'm seeing healing and blessing happening in our church.   There is a sense of excitement and anticipation about what God's up to and you've been bringing your friends (keep it up!) and they're even excited about what's happening at Journey... I'm telling you to get ready because God's about to blow the doors off! 

I'm sitting at one of my "offices" at Panera Bread Company preparing for this weekend and I thought I'd give you a sneak peek into this week's message.  Here's my confession:  I struggle with liking a LOT of Christians.  I mean, a there are a LOT of Christians who get on my nerves.  Now, that may offend some of you, that may make some of you mad... you'll just have to come this weekend and find out what I mean.  Others of you may say... "yeah, I'm with you... I can't stand a lot of Christians"... you'll have to come this weekend too and find out what we can do about it... Bring a friend that may be turned off from church and I promise they'll have a great time.  See you Sunday.

Monday Morning Mind Dump

Things seem to be going at warp speed right now.... we're gearing up for school to start back and we're expecting lots of college students and new families to visit over the next few weeks.  Plus, we're getting carpet in our house tomorrow, so everything is literally all over the place... But in the middle of the frantic pace, we had an incredible Sunday yesterday... Confessions of a Pastor, part 2-- I confessed that sometimes I want to quit, resign, throw in the towel.  2 key principles that came out yesterday-- Confession brings Healing... they say confession is good for the soul... whoever "they" are, they're right.  It is an avenue for healing.  That's why our growth groups are so important.  If you haven't plugged into one yet, you've gotta come to our Connection Group on August 26th... The other principle is that Perseverance brings Blessing.  Galatians 6:9 says "Don't get tired of doing good.  You will reap a harvest of blessing if you don't give up."
Whenever I want to quit, I think back to the lifechange that's happening at Journey.  We showed a montage of baptism videos and there wasn't a dry eye in the house... Then we challenged folks to write down on their CONFESSIONS cards what they were tempted to quit...  and when I read the cards, there wasn't a dry eye in my house because of all the hurt expressed on the cards.  God is doing something GREAT @Journey... I hope you're a part of it.

Here's some of the rest of what's going on:

• Derrick's band rocked yesterday... it was cool to do something different to begin the service... we'll do that again!
• Zach and Meredith were great as usual... I love her voice... and her heart for the Lord
• The video production has to get better... we can do lots better than we're doing...mainly because I'm doing it... we really need someone who is creative and passionate about video.
• Susan Allinder has begun doing some Administrative stuff... THANK YOU JESUS.
• a little more than 30 days til Auburn Football Kicks off!
• We're about to explode with people
• We're becoming a pretty diverse church... and I LOVE it!
• we're getting carpet tomorrow and I've got tons of stuff to do to get ready ... Oh, and I have a message to prepare.
• I'm way behind reading blogs.
• We need someone to donate some office space so I can get the office out of my house.

Sick Feeling in the Pit of My Stomach

Today I have one of those sick feelings.  We think someone has our bank account information.  We got a call saying that they represented our bank and needed to verify some information and call them at a 414 area code.  I don't have a clue where that is, but my bank is very much a local bank and it sounded fishy so I called them.  They checked my account and sure enough, there were a couple of "soft hits" for $1.41 and $5.00... Then there was a $50 and $500 charge...Great news though... we caught it quickly and our bank is working to make sure we aren't responsible for the charges...Thanks Charter!  Of course, that's been one of those helpless feelings you get from time to time and it reminds me  that I'm not in control... Another incident today that reminded me of that is that Sonja went in to the hospital today for an Epidural.  No, we're not having a baby... but she has had some neck and back pain and her Doctor suggested this to relieve the pain... we'll know in 24-48 hours if it worked.  Once again,  as much as I want to be in control... I can do nothing but pray and keep rubbing her back.  Reminds me of the times that I want to control God's plan for my life... I think I know the best course of action... Like hunting down the person who's fishing out of my bank account and punishing them real bad... But I'm reminded that when I'm not in control...I might feel  weak... but that's when HE is strong.  I'm reminded that His Grace is sufficient... enough... more than enough for me.  Jesus said it Himself..."for my power is made perfect in weakness."(1Cor 12:9) So, as I'm sitting here, feeling helpless, I'm refreshed and renewed knowing that His strength is perfect and it sustains me in every situation. 

StrengthsFinder

The past few weeks I've been a madman trying to get some things done that will get us ready for the fall.  One of the things I'm committed to doing is giving away as much as I can... empowering people to use their gifts and strengths to help take Journey to the next level.  A while back I was turned on to Marcus Buckingham and his books on leadership.  In them he has a resource called "StrengthsFinder".  As I've read a couple of his books, (Now, discover your strengths and Go, put your strengths to work)  Each has a code for the StrengthsFinder test.  I took the test and it gave me my top 5 out of 34 strengths.  My strengths are:  1)Futuristic; 2)Strategic; 3)Maximizer; 4)Belief and 5) Communication.  I thought it was pretty cool because those are the areas where I have the most passion... I made Sonja take it and her Top 5 were Harmony; Belief; Arranger; Responsibility; and Developer.   It's cool because she said... "that's exactly who I am."  We gave the test to Abby and Seth (they have a kid version called StrengthsExplorer) and they discovered their strengths as well (Abby's was Relating (strength with people), Presence (up front telling stories, taking the lead) and Acheiving (strive for sense of accomplishment);  Seth's were Competing (no mystery there!); Presence and Relating. 

If you're a parent, I'd highly recommend doing this with your kids... It's fun and they even throw in some activities to build on their strengths.  I'm going to make all of our ministry team take the test so that we can know each other's strengths and that will help as we empower people to act.

Like I said, I'm giving away a bunch of stuff... because I want to focus on my areas of greatest strengths... that will help us do what Jim Collins said in "Good to Great" :  "...put the right people on the right seats on the right bus." 

Don't be surprised, Journey folks, when I ask you to take this StrengthsFinder test... We simply want to help you get plugged in to the ministry where you can operate at full capacity.

Tell a Better Story

Part 2 of Transforming the Culture has to do with telling a better story.  I have heard over and over again that those who tell the most compelling story is the one that controls the culture.  That's so true in our world today...People are screaming for a good story. While there are some good stories out there... what stories have people been captivated by???? Paris goes to Jail,  Barry Bonds chasing Hank Aaron's home run record (even though tainted by steroids), David Beckham coming to America, Harry Potter's final book... Give me a break!!!! These are the stories that people are hearing over and over and they don't mean JACK!  As Christ Followers, we have the GREATEST STORY TO TELL. It's creative and powerful... It has action, adventure, romance, and for the guys... battles and killing, but most of all it's a story of God who is unfolding His plan to bring the people He created back into a relationship with Him.  This story changes lives, it affects our future, it affects all of eternity.  So why do we  listen up when there's talk of the next Spice Girl's reunion?  Because we've lost the art of the story... we've relegated the Greatest Story Ever Told to a list of Do's and Don'ts and a bunch of facts about people who lived a long time ago...

We have the opportunity to tell the most compelling story ever written... that's still being written... and You and I are in the story...

We can transform the culture, but it will involve us telling a better story... Here's where we start... With Your own Story!  The story of how God rescued you from sin and is transforming your life day by day...The story of God doing His work in you and your family and at Journey Church and in our community.   Everyone has a story... what is yours?  Tell it over and over again.  The more you tell the story, the better you get at it, the more compelling you become and the greater opportunity to transform the culture.

Would you share your story with me?  I'd love to hear from you.  Post a comment with some, or all of your story... I believe it  will encourage and equip others to tell their own story.

Transforming the Culture

I don't know why but I get a lot of ideas while I'm at the gym.  Sure, I've got lots of other stuff going on too, my iPod, the 50 or more TVs that are going, the music in the background, but I believe I heard from God this morning at the gym on the treadmill... Now, if you know me, you know I'm not one of those, "God told me to tell you this..." kind of person, but when God speaks to my heart as loudly as I heard Him today, I've got to share it.  Here's what He said to me:  I want to use Journey Church to Change our Culture.  Wow!  that's  a pretty big order!  But He's a pretty big God and who am I to argue.  There are a couple of things we need to focus on if we're going to go about transforming an entire culture...

1) Change the Language and
2) Tell a Better Story.

Changing the language of a culture is WAY HARD and it takes a LONG TIME.  Organizations have their own language... When I worked bivocationally for State Farm, I had to learn "State Farm's Language", every company has their own language... even churches.  The established church has been notorious for using "insider" language.  While this is good for companies like State Farm, Wal-Mart, and others, for the Church, to use language that only insiders can understand is like speaking gibberish, or pig latin, or that African dialect that has only clicks they make with their mouths-- It's virtually impossible to understand.  So, the church, whose mission is to focus on OUTSIDERS (those disconnected from God and the Church) MUST BEGIN TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF THE CULTURE.  They send missionaries to language school for years sometimes to learn to communicate with the culture they will be impacting.  As a new church, we have to work hard at Speaking the Language of our culture here in Auburn/Opelika.   One thing that we are intentional about is that we don't use the word "Lost" very much... instead, we've opted for calling people that are outside a relationship with God and the Church-- "Disconnected".  I have to thank my friend Shawn Lovejoy at Mountain Lake Church, who helped put it in my vocabulary when I was on staff with them...I hear people at Journey using it all the time to describe a friend who they're praying for or someone they're investing their lives in or someone they've invited to a worship service.  One thing that changing the language does... It forces you to look at things, and people, through a new lens.  What I've noticed at Journey has been that as we talk about reaching Disconnected people, our folks, many of whom had to "unlearn" a lot of church language, have a new passion for CONNECTING the DISCONNECTED.  Thats the first step to transforming our culture. 

I love having conversations with our people and hearing them use the "new language".  But I love more to see them putting it into practice by looking at and interacting with people differently than they have before... seeing them as Jesus sees them...through the lens of the Cross...

Tomorrow we'll look at Telling a Better Story. 

Why we do what we do

This is why we do what we do...all the set up and take down, all the obsession with excellence, all the focus on disconnected people... we do all that so we can see this:

  You can see more photos in the photo album in the sidebar to the left.

Weekend Recap

Okay, I haven't blogged for a few days so I'm going to catch you up on what's been happening... Last week's fast was an amazing spiritual journey for me and for all the folks at Journey who fasted for at least a portion of the week.  I've heard stories of breakthroughs in people's lives and folks who received clarity on things they've been praying for a long time.  It blesses me to hear stories of how God is working.

This past Sunday was the GREATEST DAY IN THE LIFE OF OUR CHURCH!  We finished up the REMEMBER Series by talking about BAPTISM.  Worship was incredible, we had a lot more people than we normally do,  JourneyKidz area was packed with kids... but the highlight was the baptism celebration... We baptized 7 people yesterday and it rocked more than anything we've ever done at Journey. 
To see the life change that God has brought to each person who was baptized is amazing... if I were to tell their stories it would fill up this blog... that's why we do baptism videos... and hopefully we'll get a chance to go back and tape their stories of life change... you need to hear them!

We're gaining momentum as we get closer to the fall... so I'm warning you now... Get Ready... God's about to blow the doors off!  We got to see some of the fruit of all your hard work yesterday... and I'm a firm believer that nothing motivates like success... What happened yesterday was ALL GOD... none of us could do anything to transform any of their lives... but what you did do was be faithful over the last 11 months to show up for set up and take down... to put out signs directing people to our church...to give tithes and offerings so that we could keep the doors open and invest in people and process... to miss the service so you could rock babies or teach children how much Jesus loves them... to shake hands or make coffee or set up chairs or plug in sound equipment or sit behind a computer making sure the words to all the songs are on the screen... God used your faithfulness and hard work to create an environment so these people can connect with God and have their whole lives transformed... they are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, but they are changed in part because YOU were willing to do whatever it takes to connect the disconnected.

I can't wait to see all that God has in store for Journey!

Life in the Fast Lane-Day 4

Wow... What God has been showing me through this fast has been incredible... And as you have heard me say before, When God messes with me, it affects you too.  I've been praying for our community with a newfound passion. As God continues to stretch me He is revealing more and more that we need to have Laser Sharp Focus in ALL that we do.  Part of keeping our focus laser sharp is doing what my friend, Shawn Lovejoy says "Be Mean about the Vision".  Here's what we are called to focus on...we will do this and only this...If you are looking for something else or something more you'll be disappointed--We are called to help transform ordinary people into passionate Christ Followers... We will flesh out the vision through our process  we call "Know...Grow...Go".  We are going to be all about investing and inviting people to our Sunday morning worship experience... and we will work hard to make sure that environment is excellent.  We want people to "come and see" what God is doing and can do in their lives... but we also want to "go and tell"... that means EVERYWHERE we Go we are missionaries of Journey Church in our community... so, at work, at home, at Wal-Mart, at the ball park, we have an awesome privilege to invest and invite... Invest in the lives of people who are disconnected from God and the Church and Invite them to our Weekend Worship Service so they can hear a clear message of Jesus and KNOW Him personally.    The next step is to help people GROW closer to God and others.  We do that through Growth Groups.  Our Growth Groups are groups of adults that meet in homes for an hour and a half each week to help one another grow in relationship with God and with each other... I love my growth group... we got together last night (even though we weren't scheduled to meet) just to eat pizza and hang out together... it was an incredible time!  As people get connected to Journey we want to encourage them to take the next step and GO impact the community and the world for the Kingdom.  This is the area where God is really working on me.  As you GO into the community to invest and invite in others... there will be countless opportunities to minister to someone... that's simply finding a need and meeting it.  As we do this, we will help others come to KNOW...GROW and GO... and the cycle continues as we see lives changed and people becoming passionate Christ Followers... Man, that gives me goose bumps just thinking about God using us to impact our city and our world.  You'll hear this stuff OVER and OVER and OVER because we believe it's what God has called us to give our lives to at Journey... I'm glad that you guys have bought into this BIG VISION and are doing whatever it takes to see it happen!

Those are some of the things God's been showing me during this fast... I'd love to hear from you guys about how God has sustained you and spoken to you through your fast.

P.S.  --- You don't want to miss this Sunday.   We're finishing up our REMEMBER series with a BAPTISM CELEBRATION and It's going to be a GREAT DAY... possibly the greatest day in the history of our church... This Sunday is a GREAT TIME  for you to INVITE YOUR FRIENDS because God's going to be there and He's going to do something AWESOME!

See you Sunday!

Life in the Fast Lane--Day 2

Man... Today was rich!  Spent some awesome time with the Lord and just really camped out with one of my favorite Psalms.  Psalm 16... here are some of the verses that have impacted me:

v.5--Lord You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.  You guard all that is mine.  The land you have given me is a pleasant land.  What a wonderful inheritance.

He showed me how blessed I really am... I have an awesome family who love God and love me more than I deserve... I have a great house that meets our needs well.  I live in the greatest town in the world...and I am the pastor of the greatest church in the world... God has blessed me!

v.8-- I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.  No wonder my heart is filled with joy and my mouth shouts his praises!   

v11-- You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

It really just can't get any better than that!

I spent the day acknowledging His glory... through His word as I prepared this weekend's message... through spending time alone, just trying to listen to him (he really does speak when we tune in and listen) ... He will guide me and show me the way of life... the way I'm suppose to go...and I spent time at the ballpark with Seth's All Star team... we lost, and are out of the tournament, but... I have joy in the presence of the Lord.

I've been praying for those who said they'll be fasting some during the week... Let me know how it's going... I hope that God is Rockin' Your World!