His Name Will Be the Hope of All the World
Jesus was always dealing with religious people. But their religion didn’t look much at all like the love, joy and peace that the Scriptures describes true followers of Jesus. These religious leaders were greedy, angry, judgmental & pious (this list could certainly go on). In one encounter with these pretentious leaders (Matthew 12), they tried to trip him up by saying that he couldn’t help a crippled man on the Sabbath (the holy day of rest). Jesus wouldn’t have any of it and reaches out and heals the man. The religious leaders are oblivious to the miracle in front of them, instead they...
Artisan Faith
You were not mass produced. When God created you, he didn't create you on an assembly like to look like every one else and process things like everyone else. He knows you. He cares for you. He designed you.I have been totally enamored by the artisan industry lately. Artisans train for years to become masters at what they are making. They actually care about the product that will make it to the marketplace. Artisans are found in a variety of fields - bread, cheese, wine, clocks, etc.If God is the master craftsman, what does that mean for us? What is our role?We are called to be artisans of...
Ebenezers Coffeehouse Website
I'm excited to share with you that we have launched our new website - www.ebenezerscharlotte.com. This new site is our official landing pad to share the vision, receive online donations and keep everyone up to date on this incredible journey. I love you guys and appreciate all of your prayers, support and enthusiasm. Let's tell the world that Ebenezers Coffeehouse is coming to Uptown!
Meet Hunter & Ranaye Prevatt (Missionaries to Japan)
I will never forget meeting Hunter and Ranaye 5 years ago. Ranaye was my co-worker at Caribou Coffee and Hunter was her boyfriend. They gave their heart to Jesus and began to pursue him with so much passion. It inspired me. Four months later, Hunter was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease (cancer). After eight months of chemotherapy, Hunter and Ranaye got married and found themselves walking through this season together. Their faith became stronger and their response was simple: we have to do something to share the message of Jesus with those who have not heard. They are now preparing to...
$25,000 Update
We just took the biggest financial faith step of our lives this past week. We agreed to terms on a property that will bring Ebenezers Coffeehouse to Uptown Charlotte. The total cost of this project will be around $2,500,000. It's absolutely amazing and I can't wait to show everyone the architectural plans that are bringing this vision to life right in front of our eyes. The potential is off the charts. I got an email yesterday from our friend and partner in this vision, Mark Batterson. We have crafted an affiliation agrement that will be a model for others around the country to be able...
The Journey of Seeing a Vision Come to Life
God placed a dream in my heart six years ago. Instead of building a church building that takes revenue, what if we created a multiple use venue that was for the community and generated revenue? The idea continued to form in my heart as I discussed this with my wife, Dara. We could then turn all the profit back into the community and into overseas missions. We I started to dream. It was around that time that we met Mark Batterson, a pastor in Washington DC. We started to dream together about the possibility of taking an idea that he started in DC, Ebenezers Coffeehouse, and creating an...
The Lord Spoke to Him From There
Leviticus. Numbers. Exodus. All a bunch of books that most of us just don’t quite understand. Lots of rituals and requirements that we don’t get in our culture. But it was incredibly important to the people of Israel. As God demanded obedience, he required them to do things very specifically. His way and no other way. And because of this obedience, Moses was able to hear God’s voice. Watch this…**Numbers 7:89 - Whenever Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the Ark’s cover - the place of the atonement -...
Thoughts on Leviticus (Very Grateful I’m Not an OT Priest)
I am so glad I’m not an Old Testament priest.I just read the first three chapters of Leviticus (that's our reading today in our community-wide reading plan). Their duties included killing animals, snapping the heads off of birds, delicately carving out the insides of animals, cooking (I'm a terrible cook) and top it all off with splattering blood on the altar. All of these things were representative of God using the sacrifice of these animals as a sign of the atonement for our sins. But it doesn't make it any less gross.Sounds like a job for my good friend John Gum (he likes hunting). For...
This Is Going to Take Some Time
In a culture of rapid response and instant gratification, it's easy to minimize the overarching story of the Scriptures. We have conditioned ourselves to lean on quotable moments instead of narratives that take time to develop.While all Scripture is beneficial, it's also important to remember that all Scripture is interconnected in an overarching story of God's love, grace and mercy. The Old Testament is incredibly relevant because it's a part of the story. The New Testament is easier to digest because it seems to better fit into our current world view. It's easy to dismiss reading the Word...
My Teenage Crush & God’s Word
I remember how excited I was to start learning how to play the guitar when I was 14 years old. I was going to pick up my ax and totally wail. That was the plan. I would write love songs for Lindsay (one of my earliest crushes) and she would marry me on the spot. The reality turned out to be quite a bit different. Contrary to my plans of swooning Lindsay like a mid-90's Dave Matthews love ballad, I sounded more like Animal from the muppets trying to impress her. It was a mess. Turns out I had to practice. A lot. I wanted to just play the thing, but I...
