free chapel stuff

If you're not a Free Chapelite, this stuff probably won't mean much to you, but if you are and don't check your email, then READ this!

It's a beautiful day! And, the Lord wants you to make the most of it! Make it a great day...

This week I've been reflecting on the last year and a half. We moved to Bee Cave in January 2008 knowing no one. Experts call this a "parachute" approach. It's likely the most difficult way to start something new. However, we weren't working in our own strength. We were like Paul, "struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me" (Col. 1:29). It's been the grace and power of God that has gotten us to this point and will be the grace and power of God that will carry us to the next point. God has done some amazing works in and through Free Chapel since we begun and I'm so glad you are a part of that work.

I'm looking forward to even greater things. In order to do greater things, though, we must be prepared...A couple of things we provide to prepare you...

1. Prayer Opportunities:
Each and every Saturday morning, we experience a dynamic time of prayer and worship in my home. We lift up our voices in singing and call on the name of the Lord to do greater things in this city! You are invited to flex your prayer muscles from 9-10 am each Saturday. Email for directions.

2. Discovery Opportunities:
To state it simply, you are incredibly unique. You have tremendous gifts and talents and personality that blend together to make you, you. We want to help you identify those unique qualities so you can live the most fulfilled life ever. This Sunday, July 19, 6-7:30 PM, we will have that opportunity once again. YOU MUST EMAIL EXPRESSING INTEREST IN THIS CLASS AS IT REQUIRES AN ONLINE CODE TO COMPLETE A PRE-ASSESSMENT. If you are interested in being a part of this Sunday's Discovery Seminar, email info at freechapelaustin dot com with DISCOVERY in the Subject line.

3. Community Opportunities:
Life is too short . . . to live alone. So, why not check out a small group this week? Our small group semester is about to come to a close, however, our groups are "open," meaning you can drop in at any time. And, this fall should be exciting with a variety of NEW small groups beginning. If you'd be interested in hosting or leading a small group, let us know.

Along these lines, LADIES, tonight is an opportunity for community. If you haven't already, email debbieharvey at sbcglobal dot net for details about tonight's Ladies Night Out.

4. Learning Opportunities:
Every Sunday is a learning opportunity. Learning how to experience the presence of God. Learning how to apply the Bible to our lives. It's been said, "Talk is cheap." But that's not really true, is it? Talk is expensive. We've all said things that cost us more than we wanted to pay. Everyone needs to learn effective ways of communicating. This week you will learn exactly how to and how not to talk when it comes to love and romantic relationships. If you know a married couple struggling in their communication, this is a GREAT Sunday to invite them to Free Chapel. I hope you will.

As the Looney Tune gang would say, "That's all folks!"

church crosses the line...

The best thing to do when you make a mistake is to "come clean."

So, here's the deal. Free Chapel put out these "bandit" signs around the Lakeway / Bee Cave area (and wherever some team members may have taken them around Austin). They were put out on Thursday night and by 8 am on Friday morning they were taken down (not by Free Chapel...although, if someone would have asked us, we would have been happy to do the labor).

So, the story continues...On Sunday morning, we had 2 Bee Cave Police Officers show up at our church around 10:55 AM. One of the officers said they were hoping to catch the sermon for Sunday. Church ends at 10:45 AM, however. Then, they brought up the signs. They were extremely nice, but said we would need to get approval from Bee Cave City Hall before placing signs out. They said that they actually had people cheering them whenever they were taking down the signs due to the fact that people thought they were referring to some kind of pornographic website. Hardly. After further investigation, the officers were pleased to discover this was a local church promoting a meaningful, helpful series that, in his words, "everyone needs to learn about."

Then, on Monday, we received an email from the city of Bee Cave. It read as follows:

"Free Chapel Austin is placing illegal, unpermitted signs throughout the Bee Cave City limits. City Ordinance does not allow placement of off-premises signs in the public right of ways, and the fine associated with these violations is $500.00 per sign. Please ensure that no unpermitted signs are placed in the Bee Cave City Limits or the City’s extra territorial jurisdiction from this point forward."

This really kicked me in the gut! Why? For several of reasons.

1. I figured up that would have cost us about $5,000 real quick! Not a very good return on the old marketing dollar investment...THANKFULLY, this was a WARNING and we did NOT have to pay any fines!!!
2. My attitude stunk! I'm still struggling with this...$500 per sign? My initial thought was, "Are you kidding me?! That's a little extreme!" Anybody else with me here? Maybe not. I, like everyone, must live out Romans 13. Authority is good. In fact, obeying authority brings blessing. And, my rebellious attitude was NOT good.
3. I knew the rules (sort of). We knew not to put out Free Chapel signs on Sundays. The bad part is that I justified...Not Free Chapel signs. Not Sunday. That's just a bunch of bull.

We apologize for placing unpermitted signs in Bee Cave City Limits. I crossed the line. That was truly my fault. Poor call in judgment. Lack of respect for authority. And, the list goes on and on.

It was our genuine desire to catch people's interest who may need help in these areas of Marriage, Romance, Dating, Intimacy, and Sex. I still hope that it is helpful to someone and brings hope to a marriage that may be falling apart. If you saw the sign and were offended, I want to encourage you to check out the messages here. They may just be helpful to you. And, as always, no matter what your background is, you are always welcome at Free Chapel...We are hoping to be a life-giving church for people who don't normally like church.

What do you think about leaders doing stupid stuff like I did? Should we come clean? Should we hide it and act like it didn't happen? Your thoughts?

preacher's prayer

One of my best friend's sent this to me and said this was his prayer for me...So kind! Hope it encourages you...

real-life

This week I've been reminded of some "real-life" stuff. It's no secret that people have problems. However, often times they mask their problems really, really well. People have:

• Marital problems
• Financial problems
• Parent problems
• Child problems
• Self-worth problems

This is real-life. And, when we don't realize this about people around us (and about ourselves), we can live in a false reality. But, everyday:

• Someone is drowning in debt.
• Someone is waiting for their "ship" to come in.
  
• Someone is filing for divorce.
• Someone is contemplating suicide.
• Someone is dealing with a defiant child.
• And, the list could go on and on and on.

Real-life affects us. It affects those around us. It can shape the way we treat people for good or naught. Today, remember that those around you are going through "real-life." And, know it's okay for you to give them the freedom to talk about those issues with them. You may be the encouragement someone needs to take some steps towards wholeness.

eventful weekend...

It's been forever (not quite) since I've reviewed the weekend....So, here's a recap

-Friday night began (or ended) with a "BANG" when someone threw a sparkler bomb at Jason's car while it was parked in front of my house. Police say it was equivalent to 1/2 of a stick of dynamite.

-Saturday started early with preparations for the Free Chapel "float" in the Lakeway 4th of July Parade.

-Parade was fantastic! Never knew thousands of people would gather at a parade for the 4th of July...totally cool. Felt very patriotic. Passed out tons (well around 300 pieces) of candy and didn't have nearly enough for all the kids. Good thing there were over 100 "floats" to make sure all the kiddos had plenty! Special Note: Shout out to my friend, Mary Little, up at RREACH. She suggested we pass out doggie treats for the dog owners at the parade and they were such a hit! Just another simple way of letting people know we truly care about them and this community! We LOVE the city and the part of Austin God has placed us in...(Lakeway/Bee Cave).

-The "Beast," our church truck, couldn't make it up one hill because we had too many people and the trailer loading it down. Still. No excuse. We've got to get her running optimally. She ain't.

-Church rocked today. When I say rocked, that's mostly because of the particular style of music we played today. The guitar cabinet that our guest electric guitar player played looked like it was straight off of the stage with Led Zepellin. It was LOUD! And, I LOVED it! Praise God for talented musicians...I ain't one of them.

-Maybe the lowest attended service in our brief life as a church! I'm probably joining in with many other pastor's who dislike holiday weekends with a passion! Next year in 2010, July 4 is on a Sunday. I think we may just cancel service and serve in the parade again...who knows? Alot can change in a year.

-Special shout out to the dudes who set-up every single week! Thanks to Devlin and Joni the kiddos at Free Chapel are having an amazing experience week in and week out! Jason and Paige are first class when it comes to leading people to God through music! And, the entire dream team rocks my face off! Seriously! I love it when teamwork is functioning at it's best...and, I get to see that every time we unload that beautiful, white trailer we call our equipments "home."

okay. batteries dying. past my bedtime. peace out.

winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Ok. The moment you've all been waiting for . . . well, maybe not, since there were only 3 entries.

And, since one was anonymous, that leaves 2 potential winners. What I've decided to do is award both of them! Because they both did such a fantastic job:) Also, I'm using a hybrid for the new blog name which will be released in the next week.

So, Congrats, Lindsey and Joni! You're the winner, winner...!

New Blog Name Contest (last day)

If you want to get in on the $5 Starbucks cards, then stir up your creativity and speak your mind. See the explanation here and here to find out how you can win.

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