Is the topic of sin taboo in today’s church?

Is the topic of sin taboo in today’s church?

That’s a legitimate question.  It wasn’t a question when it came out of the lips of a friend’s mouth last week over lunch.  It was more of a statement of fact.  His opinion is that the church in its attempt to attract more people has not only watered down the gospel, but has actually ignored it altogether.

Now my friend, who very well may be reading this, by his own admission, can be cynical at times and definitely owns stock in the soapbox business.  However, I think he has a valid point.  It’s a point I’m piecing together now as I am preparing for our next sermon series that will follow Destinations, called Revealed. The series is going to look directly at the topic of sin.  We’ll look at the origination, the results, and many other things.

But the weird thing about sin is growing up that WAS the message.  Preachers thrived by addressing how weak we were and that we had a continuous need to repent for all our sins.  It seemed to me as a younger guy that this was the only topic in the Bible.  Don’t do this…don’t do that…if you do, altar time.  It was just the pattern.  As a result, I was very conscious of my shortcomings.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.  However, when those shortcoming turned to condemnation and absolutely no spiritual growth I knew there was a disconnect somewhere.

Somewhere in the 90s the trend of preacher’s messages began to shift from talking about sin to unveiling grace that covered all sin.  It was a beautiful shift and it was a message that my ears desperately needed to hear.  It was refreshing.  It made sense.  It seemed more like the God of the New Testament that I was reading about.

But has the message of grace, which is a 100% legitimate message that I am sold out to, ignored sin?  In other words is the message of grace being tainted the way the message of sin was in the 80s and before?  Have we adopted the idea of grace without embracing all the truth that goes with it?  After all, there’s no need for grace if there isn’t sin to begin with.  Have we preached grace without preaching sin?  Is there so much abuse within the way we interpret grace that we don’t really acknowledge how we live?

Don’t get me wrong – I’m a grace guy.  I can’t emphasize that enough.  But preaching grace FOR THE PURPOSE of luring people to the seats in your auditorium is gross.  It’s using a very core principle of our faith in order to appease people who don’t desire change.

Christianity should never be sold as an easy faith.  It’s not easy.  In Christianity we’re demanded to:

• Die to ourselves.
• Submit to and follow a God that we visibly have never seen.
• Love our enemies – are you kidding me?
• Forsake our parents for the sake of following Jesus.

It’s not easy.  Yet, for the sake of appeasing the masses we’re willing to sell it as such.  I just don’t think grace should ever be used as a tool to make people’s lives easier.  Grace is a gift that is to be used to reconcile us with a very holy God.  Grace covers ALL my sin….every single one of them….past, present, future…but grace is not an excuse for me to not work on my weaknesses.

Sin is very real in my life.  I struggle every day.  My approach, and I believe the Bible’s as well, is to understand that Jesus’ blood covers my sin (both my nature of sin and my acts of rebellion) while at the same time acknowledging where I am weak and not ignoring it because I have a free pass.  After all, didn’t Paul write:

“What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means!…” – Romans 6.1,2

These are the beginning stages of my thoughts.  On September 13^th we’ll begin our teachings on the subject in the series called Revealed.  The purpose of the series is to understand the truth and balance of sin and grace.  And by the way….grace wins.

RD

Past Week – Pics from Loft

What a fantastic week.  Sunday was a huge day for the Orlando North tribe as we were moving into our new facility, The Loft, as well as transitioning to morning services at 10:30.  A lot of work and a lot of prayer had gone into this move and we were all so excited about everything.

In the final week of preparation a lot went into getting The Loft finished.  The guys at Lifepoint worked tirelessly putting up ceiling tiles, hanging televisions, setting up the sound, and hanging lights.  The Orlando North team finished off classrooms, finalized painting, set up chairs, installed air conditioning units, printed signage, hung signage, developed and implemented a parking plan, organized the hospitality center, etc.

On Sunday I arrived at 6:30 am just to pray and experience our new pad alone.  It was overwhelming.  The place is perfect for us.  When people began to arrive around 9:30 just to get a sneak peek at The Loft you could sense the excitement.  People gathered in the lobby eating homemade baked goods and drinking coffee.  They strolled through the classrooms and The Loft just feeling getting a sense for what would now serve as our ministry hub.  The service was beautiful as we worshiped, learned, and built community.

From my vantage point it couldn’t have been much better.  I enjoyed being with our tribe on a very special day.  I also enjoyed going home and spending the rest of the day with my family.  It was weird when 3:00 rolled around and I wasn’t heading out to set up for an evening service.  I’m sure this will take some adjustment but it’s an adjustment I am very much looking forward to.

Then Monday we sent Caeden and Haley off to school.  It was Caeden’s first day of real school as kindergarten has begun.  Melanie and I are so thrilled that they’re at the same school this year and the transporting of the kids is so much easier.  They both really like their teachers and all seems very positive up to this point so we’re happy.

If you weren’t with us on Sunday and live here in town come check us out this week.  I think you’ll really enjoy the vibe, the community, and the worship.  I know I do.

RD

LOFT BEFORE

LOFT AFTER

STAGE AREA BEFORE

STAGE AREA AFTER

NURSERY BEFORE

NURSERY AFTER

CLASSROOM BEFORE

CLASSROOM AFTER

LOBBY BEFORE

LOBBY AFTER

A Dream Coming True

Proverbs 3.5,6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

This verse has been a meaningful one to Melanie and I dating all the way back to our boyfriend/girlfriend years.  This verse simply summarizes the message of God.  If we get this passage everything else just simply lines up under it.  To trust in Him without putting any of the weight on our own wisdom, understanding, or experience is what faith is all about.

This Sunday is a testimony to that in our church’s life as well in my life personally.  This church planting adventure we began in 2007 has had every kind of season you can imagine.  We have had incredible ups and emotionally draining downs.

When Melanie and I began dreaming about this church before it ever had a name, a member, or even a facility we knew completely that this was a God plan and not something we devised on our own.  With that understanding we chose to trust Him to put all the pieces together.

Over the past two and a half years Melanie and I have laughed, cried, and prayed as different seasons came.  There were seasons we would question God and make sure we had not missed Him at the beginning stages.  There were countless times I questioned myself.  There were moments of gut wrenching prayer.  There was always, and I mean always, encouragements coming from our tribe which helped us keep our eyes on God knowing that He was somehow working through this church.

This Sunday is special to me personally.  This Sunday culminates a lot of things God put on my heart years ago.  No, it’s not about a facility or a time change.  Rather, it’s about God pulling together the pieces of His master plan in His timing and in His way.  This Sunday as we kick off in The Loft, with a 10:30 morning service, with a few new band members, with new people becoming part of the tribe, with a new outlook on children’s ministry and women’s ministry I am reminded of what God has done.  If this church had been built on my understanding and my timing we would’ve crashed and burned months into the plant.

Honestly, God’s timing and plan can be a little aggravating at times.  Come on, you know it’s true.  When you’re waiting on God to hurry up or do things your way you tend to get a little bitter.  Why?  Because of our understanding.  Because we lean heavily into it.  Because we over value our own understanding and devalue His.

Apparently God knows what He’s doing.  I should learn to trust Him more.

P.S. The Loft looks amazing.  Carpet is being finished today.  Jay and I are going to pick up the chairs this afternoon.  I’m not posting any more pictures because I want to tease you just enough to make you want to come join us this Sunday for our inaugural service at the Loft.  See you there at 10:30 am (109 E. Crystal Lake Ave., Lake Mary 32746).

RD

Momentum

I apologize for the lack of blogs over the past month or so.  The speed of life has drastically picked up as exciting things are happening both personally and as a church.

I’ve re-written the sentence to the second paragraph of this blog four times now as I’m not clear on how to express myself today.  My insides are about to burst as I feel like God has brought us to this time and all the pieces are coming together at the same moment.  We’ve been working on the Loft for the past six weeks and in one more week we’re moving into a beautiful hub that fits our style and our community perfectly.  We’ve welcomed Kailey Wingerter on as our children’s director who I know is going to transform children’s ministry as we know it.  We’re changing service times to 10:30.  We’re welcoming new members to our band on the 23^rd.  Pieces are just coming together all at the same time.

And if you haven’t noticed….growth is happening at Orlando North.  More and more people are connecting to God and our tribe on a weekly basis.  We anticipate this continuing as we make this strategic move on the 23^rd.

Personally – I’m praying more diligently now than ever before.  We knew a day would come when we would see this kind of fruit begin to take place in our tribe.  The challenge is maintaining and even strengthening the very thing that identifies us as a church – our relationships.  Also, keeping our hands and our egos away from what God is trying to do.  Orlando North is and always will be His church.

We say goodbye to the Strang facility and evening services this Sunday.  Both have served us well.  Then on Monday we let the six-day countdown clock begin as we look forward to the 23^rd at 10:30 am.

For the past two weeks some friends from Summit Church have been visiting with us.  A couple of them, Kailey and Becka, write a blog about their experiences with local churches.  Last night their blog came out.  Thought you might be encouraged by what they wrote about our tribe.  I’ve pasted it below:

www.beckandkailey.blogspot.com

Sorry this blog is so choppy.  My brain is on sensory overload and the whole communication thing has just flown out the window.

RD

Show Me ‘Sand the Floor’ – Loft Update

The Loft is beginning to take shape.  We’re on week five of the renovation process and we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Manual labor has never been my forte, but I’ve enjoyed doing this work with our tribe as we work together to get a facility in shape to serve as a hub for service to this community.

Am I exhausted?  Very much so.  Averaging thirteen hours a day between regular church work and then Loft work until 9 or 10 pm every night, but it has been worth every minute.  I have so much gratitude though for all those who have tirelessly put their sweat and time into this project.  I know the entire tribe is going to be so excited when we begin worshiping in this facility.

Here is a comparison of the lobby before and after:

Two more Sundays at Strang and then on the 23^rd we move to The Loft.  We’ll also be switching to a 10:30 service with a 10:00 opening with snacks and drinks.

Here’s what we’ve accomplished so far:

• Painted both classrooms.
• Painted the lobby and stairwell.
• Sanded the beautiful hardwood floors in the lobby.
• Exposed and elevated the ceiling in the stage area of the loft.
• Painted the conference room.
• Built two new closets (one in Loft and one in nursery).
• Primed The Loft.
• Our friend, Richie, has installed something like 40-50 canned lights throughout The Loft.
• Painted the hallway.

By the end of next week this is what is planned to be done:

• All lighting will be completed.
• Loft will be painted.
• Loft, hallway and rooms will be carpeted.
• Exposed ceiling will be painted.
• Drop ceiling tiles will be installed.
• Hardwood floors in lobby will be stained.
• Stage will be assembled.
• The men’s bathroom will get a big boy toilet (the current one was made for pre-schoolers).
• The women’s bathroom vanity will get a face lift.
• The closet door in the nursery will be completed.
• Dirty ceiling tiles will be replaced.
• Sound system installed.

And then we will party like it’s 2009.

We need your help with two things:

1. We need your help finishing off the project.  Tomorrow evening and Friday evening are important nights for us and we could use your help.  Please, if you are reading this, consider swinging by at 6:00 tomorrow or Friday and helping out.
2. We’re trying to stock our nursery with essential baby stuff.  We are in need of a changing table, a baby swing or two, and one more pack-n-play.  If you have any of these items you’d like to donate to the church I promise we’ll be good receivers.

Much love to all!

RD

Sunday @ North

I am antsy to get to tomorrow evening.  We have a very special service planned for tomorrow including:
* The kickoff of our new series, “Destinations”;
* A special and significant announcement regarding our children’s ministry;
* All those who adopted backpacks will be returning them tomorrow evening for distribution;
* And….after tomorrow we’ll only have two more services before we move to The Loft and begin Sunday morning services.

The “Destination” series truly has the potential to help shape our futures as we discover the truth of a very simple principle that says “Direction, not intention, determines determination.”  This is going to be a great series for everyone, regardless of your current stage of life.  Please do your best to be at all the services during this series and invite friends to join you.  It very well may be the message they need to hear.  Plus, we’ll have several elements that I think will enhance your worship experience.

I hope to see you all tomorrow evening.

RD

God Moments

Ok….breathe….in…out….in through the nose….out through the mouth….ahhhh!!!

Life has been on warp speed over the past several weeks and it has been in every specific aspect of my life.  I just wanted to take this time to breathe.  The schedule has been packed for pretty much all of July, but all of it has been exhilarating and fulfilling stuff.  Please allow me to share:

Little League – I signed Caeden up for his first season of baseball Saturday and somehow I became his coach.  The guy doing the registration apparently thought I “looked” like a baseball guy and asked me if I’d like to manage.  A little hidden secret of me is that coaching baseball is something I’ve always wanted to do.  Now we’ll just have to see how that passion comes to life with five-year-old tee ball!!

Summit Church – Several months ago Isaac Hunter, my friend and pastor at Summit, asked me to fill in for him one Sunday during the month at his church.  I was honored to be asked and very much looking forward to sharing with their tribe.  This past Sunday was that day.  I have always highly respected Isaac for both his friendship and his vast wisdom in the church world, but I have an entirely new respect for him after preaching all FOUR services for them on Sunday.  Summit is bursting with growth and their team assembles four different times every Sunday to share hope with their community.  Their band, led by Andy Simonds, rehearses early in the morning then follows with three morning services.  They reassemble at 5:00 in the afternoon for another rehearsal then do one more service.  The energy involved in a day like that is astounding.  I love the team and tribe at Summit and had an amazing day sharing with them (all four times).  And as an additional note…Summit is the real deal.  Great vibe, caring people, and an incredible vision for this community.

Destinations – This Sunday we’re starting a series that I’ve been trying to be patient about as I’ve waited for this particular Sunday to get here.  The series is all about direction, not intention, determining our destination.  I read the book, “The Principle of the Path,” by Andy Stanley and the simple truths of that principle have opened my eyes to many of my own weaknesses in my life.  Destination simply is not determined by what I want, what I hope, or even what I pray for.  My destination is determined by the paths of life I choose to be on.  We’ll discover that together in this series and we’ll enhance the learning process by discussing these concepts in our house churches.

The Loft – We’re into week four of our renovation project at The Loft.  In three more weeks we should have the project completed and ready to move into for our kickoff morning service on August 23^rd.  So much work has gone into this renovation by so many of our volunteers.  I cannot speak highly enough of all those who have committed their time, muscle, and sanity to helping us pull together this facility that we’ll use as a hub to connect people to God, to the church, and to their dreams.  Still a lot of work to be done, but it’s coming together nicely.  Here are a couple of before and afters:

With all that is going on I want to pause and just thank God for these moments.  I want to breathe His air so that I can have the passion and courage to live these moments.

RD

Destinations: New Sermon Series

Several months ago Andy Stanley came out with a new book entitled, “The Principle of the Path.”  Andy has been one of my ministry heroes for a number of years.  He’s the pastor of North Point Ministries in the Atlanta area and he’s also the son of Charles Stanley.  Any time Andy writes a book I hurry to purchase it because of several factors.  One, he’s very wise.  Two, he has one of the most compelling ways of communicating whether it’s through a book or through a sermon.  Three, I usually walk away from his sermons or his books in utter awe of God.

“The Principle of the Path” has revolutionized my thinking.  As I read it I just became captured by the very practical insights that were revolutionary for me.  The premise of the book looks at how our direction in life, not our intentions, determines our destination.  So many times we feel like our destination should be determined by how badly we want something when the truth is that our destination is solely determined by what path we have put ourselves on.  When I got done with the book I presented it to our elders and had them all read it.

I felt strongly that the material in this book was vital for the people of Orlando North to hear.  So strongly, in fact, that I began to consider doing something I’ve never done before which is to use someone else’s material to teach on for a sermon series.  I took the appropriate steps.  I inquired from North Point as to whether or not I had permission to preach the material from this book while giving credit to Andy for the work.  They replied and showed me an entire sermon series package they had developed for the very purpose of enabling churches to share this message.

If you know me you know that what I teach at a Sunday service I take very seriously.  I spend hours praying about the topic to be taught as well as hours studying, developing, and even rehearsing the talk before I bring it to the tribe.  I think the spoken word is not to be taken lightly and thus I take that part of my responsibility very seriously.  With that being said, I want you to understand that I would not use someone else’s material unless I felt it had the overwhelming capacity to positively influence our lives.  I feel the message of this book and this upcoming series entitled “Destinations” is a God thing for Orlando North.  I think God is using these materials to speak to this community.

So here’s the plan – On August 2^nd Orlando North will begin the “Destinations” series.  It will be a six-week series.  To accompany the sermon series we are also asking each house church to use their weekly get together as a time to discuss the sermon from the previous Sunday.

If you are interested I would like to also encourage you to purchase a copy of the book and read it as we take this journey through this material together.  You can purchase the book through Amazon.com either new or used or from any major online bookstore.  There’s no pressure to buy the book and you do not need it as we go through this series nor do you need it for your house church.

I’m so excited about this upcoming series.  I know it will help you.  It will speak into your life about your current location and direction.  It will also help you as you make decisions about your future.

RD

Jim’s Memorial & Day 2 of Loft Demo

Today was Jim McEachern’s memorial service held at the facility of our friends at Summit Church.  It was such a special day.  Thank you to who all who participated, sent food, prayed, etc.  Please continue to pray for the entire family as they now take their next steps.

Day 2 (Tuesday evening) picked up right where day 1 left off.  The remainder of the carpet was removed from The Loft.  The former stage was demolished and trashed.  The remaining two-thirds of the ceiling lost its tile.  The million nail holes in the walls of the nursery were patched.

Great work….John, Mark, Jackie, Dave, Dan, Gary, Kelly, Tom….If I forgot or forget anybody I am so sorry…Doing it off the top of my head is dangerous.

We are making great progress.  Tonight the team will finish off bringing out the rails for the ceiling tile and continue the patching of all the holes in the wall.

Progress, progress, progress.

RD

Day 1 of Demo in the Books

Day 1 of project Loft renovation is in the books.  In case you haven’t heard, Orlando North is partnering with Lifepoint Christian Church in Lake Mary to reach our community together.  Here’s how it works: Lifepoint has rented the entire top floor of a beautiful, historic building in downtown Lake Mary.  They are renting three classrooms and the auditorium (“The Loft”) to us for a very cheap price.  Lifepoint is also covering the costs of all the renovations and our church is providing the majority of the muscle to get the job done.

Tonight the work began.  Our objective for the first two weeks was to get the carpet pulled from four separate rooms plus The Loft, patch all the walls, paint the walls, build a couple closets, and fix a few odds and ends.  Tonight, we made a huge dent in the project.  All the carpet was removed from each classroom, a hallway, and half of The Loft.  The ceiling was removed from approximately a third of the entire Loft area.  We got a lot more accomplished than we thought we would in the first night AND it was SO much fun.

Tom, Kelly, Jason, Louise, Dan, Jim and John….Great work.

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow night’s crew gets accomplished.  I love being a part of this tribe!!

I’m going to try and keep you all updated on our progress as much as possible.  Take a look at the pictures to see a couple before and afters.