I have always been wired to chase after things that have never been done. To take new ground. To go after huge dreams. But the more we continue to move forward at Center City Church, the more I find myself looking back. I am so overwhelmed and encouraged by the stories of the pastors that have gone before me in Charlotte. The pastors that poured out their lives for God, for their family and for this community. I have been captivated by the story of Alfred Garr, an evangelist that put down roots in the 1930's in Charlotte. He prayed over and over and over again for the people that lived in...

God put a huge dream in our hearts close to four years ago. We have a vision to open a coffeehouse/venue (Ebenezers Coffeehouse) in the heart of Uptown Charlotte. Instead of building a space solely for our church to meet in each week, we envision opening the coffeehouse to the community sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. We see a multiple-use venue that can hold anything from a national recording artist to a public school graduation. But it doesn't happen overnight. And I'm becoming more and more ok with that. In the meantime (between the revelation of the dream and the completion), I...

An encouragement to love each other deeply from the corner of 6th & Tryon in Uptown Charlotte. [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/20022536 w=398&h=299]

Just because we may not believe the same things regarding matters of faith, it certainly doesn't mean that we can't be friends. A video greeting from the rooftop of the Target parking deck in Uptown Charlotte: [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/19951993 w=398&h=299]

The first six chapters of Joshua are marked by miracles of obedience. Chapter seven tells a very different story. Click here to view this week's message at Center City Church (Joshua 7 - The Sin of Achan): [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/19911758 w=398&h=299]

Joshua 6 tells the story of incredible obedience & persistence that leads to a powerful demonstration of God’s power. Click here to view this week's message from Center City Church: [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/19645403 w=398&h=299]

A good friend of ours joined us recently at Center City Church. On the way to lunch after the service, I asked him to describe his first impression. He immediately said, "You guys do simple really well." That was an extremely meaningful response. We have yet to completely unleash all the cannons of creativity on our church. Instead, we have decided to spend the early days of our church pouring as much as we possibly can into the people. Our services are beginning to reflect more creativity lately (painting, original songs in worship, graphic design, etc), but we made a decision early on that...

We are getting are creative synapses firing today as we have our second creative meeting with a group of...well...creatives at our church. We are trying to find ways to represent the teaching of God's word that allow us to also express our right brain creativity. I have long held a thought that I never wanted us to be known a "creative church." I want to be known as a Christ-centered church in all that we do. It's a matter of motive and perspective. We don't immediately use people at Center City just because they are talented. We want them to know they are loved and embraced for who they...

Do you believe that God is just as powerful on Thursday as He is on a Sunday? A two minute video reminder for you:[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/19527939 w=398&h=299]

If have a huge dream in your heart, I have a question for you today. What are you doing before it happens?So many times it is discouraging to feel like there is simply nothing happening to see your vision come to pass. But it's important to remember that every moment preceding the vision coming to pass is an opportunity to prepare. Read about your field. Spend time praying and asking God for wisdom. The decisions you make, the habits you form and the faith that is formed in you before the vision comes to pass is vital. What is one thing you can do today to prepare for the dream before it...