Monthly Archives: October 2011

Beginning with this weekend there are exactly 12-weeks until Christmas day, did you know that?

Now, nobody panic! That the wave of overwhelmed nausia you just felt when I said that? That’s a good thing – that just lets you know you’re alive and aware of your situation!

But what that means for us at Evergreen is that the fall is now in full swing and our ministry is running with the throttle wide open –

• Kids ministry has been busting at the seams the last few weeks, to the point where we are actively considering options for expanding our programming to even out the flow of kids through our doors.

• Our student ministry, Evergreen eXtreme, has been re-launched and we’re very excited about the results so far of that effort – they’re planning a big outreach event for the end of this month and we hope to see this effort expanded even more.

• Our worship services this fall have continued to be packed with as much amazing music, creativity, and solid, relevant teaching as we can fit into them. Restored has been one of my favorite series we’ve ever done @ ECC. I hope it’s made a positive impact on your walk with Jesus.

• We’ve begun video-podcasting the weekly message online, and in just 4 short weeks Evergreen’s messages are being watched by people as far away as the United Kingdom. That blows me away.

As we continue to march through the fall towards Christmas, I want to offer you a challenge –especially if you’re new to church or faith – we’re going to call it the 12-weekend church challenge.

I want you to take the next 12 weeks and… are you ready for this? NOT MISS ONE SINGLE WEEK OF CHURCH. No, I’m not crazy or abusing any substances, and yes, I meant what I said. For the next 12 weeks, I want to urge you to make weekend worship at Evergreen a priority like you never have.

For many who are new to faith, it takes time and serious intentionality to develop the habit of coming to church every week. For others of us, sometimes it just gets a little too casual or easy to let habits slip or take the opportunity to worship together for granted. This fall, I want to see as many Evergreeners as possible kick these habits of heart and mind in the teeth as you develop a consistent discipline of worshipping together.

Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Too many of us think that going to church 1-2 times a month counts as consistent church attendance. The author of Hebrews says that’s what most people are “…in the habit of doing…” Think for a minute about other things you’re in the habit of doing 1-2 times a month – working out, make a minimum payment on your visa card, etc. – how much progress are you making on your goals with your 1-2 times per month commitment? Probably not as much as you could.

Take the 12-Weekend Church Challenge at Evergreen – you come to church every weekend between now and Christmas, and at the end of it, if you aren’t seeing positive results in your life and the way you live – feel free to drop it like 3rd period French class, ok? Seriously – if you’re not seeing any difference in your life after 12-weeks, go back to your normal routine! How is “NORMAL” working out for you, by the way?

But I happen to know what’s coming up in the next 12 weeks, and if you make a commitment to attending for each of them, I think you’re going to find encouragement, challenge, hope, healing and food for thought like you’ve never experienced. SO –

Instead of thinking, “What will I miss at the the cabin if I stay home for church?” I’d encourage you to consider it the other way around – “What will I miss in church if I head out of town to go to the cabin?” What will my kids miss? My family miss? My marriage and my friends that I’m trying to reach?

This weekend we’re wrapping up our fall launch series, “Restored,” with a message titled, “Drivin’ With The Top Down” – you don’t want to miss it! The band is singing Rolling Stones, the creative pieces will make you both laugh AND cry, and we’re going to learn how to make the commitment to living a restored life.

Next week we’re going to kick off a 3-week series called, “You’re Not The Boss Of Me” – it’s going to deal with authority issues and it’s going to be awesome. In November we’ll be in a series called, “Hot Potato” where we’re going to take 4 weeks and talk about 4 topics we’ve been told for too long you can’t talk about in church – let the gasping begin now! And then in December we’ll transform the church into a Dr. Seuss wonderland with a message series called, “Whoville: The What’s What about the Who’s Who.”

Does any of this sound like it’s worth skipping out on for even 1 weekend?? I’m telling you –take the 12-weekend church challenge! You will NOT regret it!