Real Life Christian Church

Pray for the Entire World Final Week part 2

2011-12-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week please be in prayer for the following countries:

Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia

Congratulations! If you have followed this blog all year long then you have successfully prayed for every country in the World! Don't stop praying! I encourage you to continue to pray that the gospel will be spread to the ends of the Earth! Let's keep praying into 2012!

Pray for the Entire World Final Week part 1

2011-12-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week please be in prayer for the following countries:

Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Liechtenstein
Libya

Pray for the Entire World Week #50 part 2

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week please be in prayer for the following countries:

North Korea
South Korea
Kosovo
Kuwait
Madagascar
Macedonia
Luxembourg
Lithuania

Pray for the Entire World Week #50 part 1

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week please be in prayer for the following countries:

Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Mali
Maldives
Malaysia
Malawi

Pray for the Entire World Week #49 part 2

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week please be in prayer for the following countries:

Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Mauritius
Mauritania
Martinique
Malta

Pray for the Entire World Week #49 part 1

2011-12-12T05:00:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week please be in prayer for the following countries:

Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Monaco
Moldova
Mexico
Mayotte

Tree of Hope

2011-12-08T10:01:00.001-05:00

On Sunday at Real Life Christian Church we kicked off our Tree of Hope project. In 2012 we will be launching our Grassfield Campus at our building over on West Road about a mile from Grassfield High School. The building is in the process of being renovated and soon the renovation will be complete. Then we will go in and add sound, video, and lighting systems so that we can hold church services there.

Our goal is to raise $25,000.00 between now and Christmas for the Grassfield Campus to provide funds for that equipment. Each Sunday you will be given an opportunity to hang an ornament on the Tree of Hope by making a donation of $25.00 or more. This past Sunday we collected just over $6,000.00 which was a fantastic way to kick off this project! I encourage you to pray about how you can be involved in providing Hope for folks that live in and around the community close to Grassfield High School. We are 1/4 of the way to reaching our goal and you can help us finish the job by being a part of this project. Hope to see you Sunday at Real Life!

--Doug

Pray for the Entire World Week #48 part 2

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week please be in prayer for the following countries:

Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Morocco
Montserrat
Montenegro
Mongolia

Pray for the Entire World Week #48 part 1

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week please be in prayer for the following countries:

Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Vatican City
Nauru
Namibia
Myanmar
Mozambique

Pray for the Entire World Week #47

2011-11-30T10:43:00.001-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for the following countries:

Pray for the Entire World Week #45

2011-11-14T10:43:00.001-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

Please be in prayer for the following countries this week:

Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Nigeria
Niger
Nicaragua
New Zealand

Pray specifically that someone will take the Gospel to these countries:

Matthew 9:35-38
³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Pray for the Entire World Week #43

2011-10-31T09:44:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

Please be in prayer for the following countries this week:

The Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Palestine
Pakistan
Oman
Norway

Pray for the Entire World Week #40

2011-10-05T09:49:00.000-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

Please be in prayer for the following countries this week:

He Must Also Have a Good Reputation...

2011-09-30T21:06:00.002-04:00

1 Timothy 3:1-7

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

He Must also have a good reputation with outsiders....

Paul lays down one of the most important qualifications for leadership as he finishes up verse 7. He must have a good reputation with outsiders, and those outsiders he is referring to is anyone outside of Christ. Your coworkers, your customers, your employer or your employees, your kids little league coach and the list just continues.

It is very easy to have a good reputation with people inside the church. All you have to do is to appear righteous or friendly or involved in church and you will probably have a decent reputation, unless your wife has a big mouth! But what about everyone else that sees you outside of your Sunday best. Would they even know you were a Christian by the way that you conduct yourself in business or in social settings.

I was talking to a friend who was involved in a building project and one of his key leaders was running the project and he thought everything was running well. The pastor friend of mine met the contractor one day for lunch and asked him how he thought things were going. And the contractor blew him away when he said, if so and so is ever working on a project for this church, then I don't want be involved. I'm not a Christian because of guys like that!

The reputation of an entire church can be ruined if you have one leader in your church who has a bad reputation outside even if his reputation inside is stellar! I'll go even further to say that Jesus' reputation is tarnished when you have a leader who is not thought well of in your community!

Godly leadership is so important in the church. I've enjoyed reading what the apostle Paul said about leadership and I look forward to the next two weeks where we will explore 2 Timothy and Titus and glean some more words of wisdom on what's important for leaders!

He Must Not be a Recent Convert

2011-09-29T09:29:00.001-04:00

1 Timothy 3:1-7

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

He Must not be a recent convert....

There is nothing more exciting than to see someone understand the gospel and accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is such a joy to see someone who finally "gets it" and makes that decision. Seeing them follow through in obedience to Christ by being baptized is a great time to celebrate in the body of the Church.

A new Christian is far more likely to share his faith with someone else than someone who has been a faithful believer for years. A new Christian is excited about his new found freedom and forgiveness that he finds in Christ and he is ready to conquer the world for Jesus.

So why shouldn't a person with that much enthusiasm and that much passion for God be put in a leadership position at the church if he has leadership ability? There are a couple of reasons and the Apostle Paul points out one very important reason. He says that they might get conceited or puffed up. They may get filled with pride in their new position. There is something about a title that causes some people to think that they are bigger and more important than they really are. Instead of leading with a servant's heart they become despotic and strong willed and hold their position over people. That's not the role of an overseer or an elder. An elder is to be a shepherd, to take care of the spiritual needs of the people under his flock. He is to be someone that loves God deeply and cares very much for people.

There is a danger that a new Christian who is not grounded will not understand this role and will take pride in his position. Another good reason is that a new convert hasn't been tested. They haven't withstood the tests that Satan throws at us and haven't proven themselves to be worthy of the calling. A new believer who desires to be a spiritual leader should start by being a servant. He should get involved in the life of the church by serving at the church, in his home, and in his community. And then after he has stood the test of time, then he will be considered for leadership.

He Must Manage His Own Family Well

2011-09-28T09:18:00.001-04:00

1 Timothy 3:1-7

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

He Must Manage his own family well....

This qualification is a tricky one because no one has a perfect family! I know parents who have done everything they can as far as raising their kids in a Godly home, and providing them with love and nurture, and the kid still turn out to be wild or rebellious. I think what Paul is saying though is that it is important that a church leader be very involved in managing his family. That he is someone who spends time with his children and his wife and that his house is in good order.

That he provides leadership in the home and that his children, if he has any, obey him and respect him as the leader of the home. Far too many men transfer that responsibility to their wife in order to pursue their careers and their very expensive hobbies. If a man can't gain the respect of his family and have them live under his leadership then there is no possible way that he will be able to lead a church. In a sense, the church is a family, and is structured to be a place where relationships are essential and trust in leadership is paramount! A leader can't throw around his title to make people follow him. They will follow him if he has proven himself to be a good leader in both his family relationships and in the church.

1 Timothy 3:1-7: Not a Lover of Money

2011-09-27T14:45:00.000-04:00

1 Timothy 3:1-7

Not a Lover of Money

Money makes the world go round? Right? I gotta get more money. Isn't it all about the money? We say no, but do we live that way? Our priorities, our decisions, our generosity, our lifestyle; it is all driven by the amount of money that we have or that we don't have. Those that don't have want and those that have want more! We sacrifice our time, our families, our relationships all in the pursuit of money!

Now money itself is not bad! It is a resource that is given to us by God so that we can live and survive and so that we can bless other people. I was taught falsely in Sunday School that money is the root of all evil, but that is not what the Bible says. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:10 that: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

He is saying that one qualification for a leader is that you must have a proper perspective on money! That money is a tool to be used to bring glory to God and to provide for your family. That if you are willing to bless other people and if you are a good steward then God will give you more! A leader doesn't have to be poor but his heart has to be in the right place when it comes to his or her money!

1 Timothy 3:1-7: Not Quarrelsome

2011-09-26T13:50:00.001-04:00

Sundaywe looked at the following passage in 1 Timothy where the Apostle Paul lays out14 dimensions or qualifications of leaders in the church. On Sunday at Real Life we got through 9 ofthose. Today I'm starting a week longseries of blog posts where we will address the other 5 qualifications orbenchmarks that we should possess if we are going to successfully lead the wayGod has called us to lead.

1 Timothy 3:1-7

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being anoverseer, he desires a noble task. Nowthe overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate,self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness,not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and seethat his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he takecare of God’s church?) He must not be arecent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment asthe devil. He must also have a goodreputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into thedevil’s trap.

Not Quarrelsome

Ihave a friend that really really enjoys arguing. I think that he thinks that it is a Spiritualgift. He can make an argument out of adiscussion about hamburgers and French fries! If someone says black he is automatically going to say white. He is by definition, quarrelsome. The dictionary defines the word quarrelsomelike this: inclinedto quarrel or disagree; belligerent. Aquarrelsome person generally looks for an argument or a disagreement, even whenbeing agreeable is appropriate. Generally a quarrelsome person holds very strongly to their own point ofview.

Thereare some people who are just very argumentative and disagreeable and it seemslike it is a part of their personality. This is a nuisance if you happen to be a friend with someone like that,but if they are a leader in the church it can be disastrous.

Thesepeople will throw out terms like "I'm just playing the devil's advocate" whenan idea is presented. They will look forevery hole in every plan or program that the church is trying to create. They cause a lot of tension in the "boardroom", and if they don't get their way, they dig their heals in, turn redin the face, and refuse to budge until they get their way!

Paulis saying that there is no room for contentious people in churchleadership. It is not a place for peopleto use their power and position to help bolster their self esteem by trying tocontrol the situation or by trying to create chaos because they don't agree onparticular issues! Leadership is hardenough when you don't have people around you that are looking for a fight orwho are looking to manipulate the situation. So Paul says that we should not be quarrelsome. Instead we should look for places where weagree and to pursue peace in the body of leaders. There is enough criticism and chaos when youserve in ministry without your team mates joining in! Paul says we should not be quarrelsome!

Pray for the Entire World Week #36

2011-09-04T17:53:00.000-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for the following countries:

Pray for the Entire World Week #35

2011-08-31T09:15:00.004-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

Please be in prayer for the following countries this week:

Ethiopia

Faeroe Islands

Falkland Islands

Federated States of Micronesia

Puerto Rico

Portugal

Pray for the Entire World Week #33 part 2

2011-08-18T14:41:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

Please be in prayer for the following countries:

Pray for the Entire World Week #33 part 1

2011-08-05T09:28:00.006-04:00

The 2011 Experiment
Pray for the Entire World

Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
Russia
Romania

Pray for the Entire World Week #31

2011-08-01T14:25:00.004-04:00

My apologies for not posting over the last couple of weeks, so for the next 3 weeks we are going to catch up!

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

Please pray for the following countries this week:

Pray for the Entire World Week #28

2011-07-13T13:04:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for The Entire World

Please be in prayer for the following countries this week:

Pray for the Entire World Week #27

2011-07-05T09:52:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

Please be in prayer for the following countries this week:

Pray for the Entire World Week #26

2011-06-27T10:06:00.006-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

Please be in prayer for the following countries this week:

Republic of Congo

Cook Islands

St. Vincent

St. Pierre and Miquelon

Pray for the Entire World Week #25

2011-06-21T23:42:00.002-04:00

Pray for these countries this week:

Comoros
Democratic Republic of Congo
San Marino
Samoa

One A Week, Week #2

2011-06-13T10:57:00.002-04:00

We continued in our One A Week journey looking at the Gospel of Mark on Sunday! In 16 chapters Mark focuses on 5 major themes as he looks at the life of Jesus! If you missed the message on Sunday then you can access it here.

At the end of second service it was a privelege to see Greg Corbett baptize his oldest son Bobby and 3 others who were also moved to make that public decision as well. Congratulations to Bobby, Susan, Andrew, and Kathy!

On Sunday we will be looking at the third gospel in our series, the Gospel of Luke! It is also Father's Day at Real Life and we would love for everyone to bring their dads for this special day of celebration!

Pray for the Entire World Week #24

2011-06-13T10:49:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Experiment
Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for the following Countries:

"One A Week" Week #1

2011-06-06T13:04:00.002-04:00

We started our 27 week series looking at the Gospel of Matthew. If you missed the message on Sunday, then you can go here to listen. We kicked off the message with a video that went through the entire gospel message in 4 minutes. Check it out!

Pray for the Entire World Week #23

2011-06-06T12:57:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for the following countries:

China, Macau

China, People's Republic of

Serbia

Senegal

Pray for the Entire World Week #22

2011-05-31T09:40:00.002-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for the following countries:

Pray for God to send the Gospel to the people in these countries this week!

My Theology of Ministry

2011-05-26T09:02:00.003-04:00

He Must Become Greater, I must become less.
John 3:30

In all things we lift up Jesus. In our leadership, we follow his example of a servant leader. In our success, He gets the glory. In our failures, He still shines bright. In our convictions, we speak the truth in love. In our confrontation, we seek to build up and repair, not to break down and destroy. In our priorities, He is the beginning and the end. In our relationships, His love will direct us. In our decisions, His will be done! In all things, He will increase and I will decrease and even when I succeed, my success will be determined by how well people see JESUS!

Water Missions! Go Vote!

2011-05-24T14:37:00.000-04:00

Pray for the Entire World Week #21

2011-05-23T10:25:00.003-04:00

the 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Central African Republic

Chad

Slovakia

Singapore

Read Matthew 9:35-38

Water Missions-- Go Vote

2011-05-19T15:53:00.000-04:00

Pray for the Entire World Week #20

2011-05-16T16:14:00.006-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week. Matthew 9:35-38

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Pray for the Entire World Week #19

2011-05-09T10:07:00.004-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week. Matthew 9:35-38

Pray for the Entire World Week #18

2011-05-02T10:55:00.004-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week. Matthew 9:35-38

Mother's Day

2011-04-28T10:34:00.002-04:00

Research meeting for Mother's Day.... This is what Mike, our youth minister came up with! What do you think?

What's Inside

2011-04-25T14:09:00.005-04:00

New sermon series kicking off on October 1, 2011 at Real Life Christian Church! Services are held at 9 and 11 am!

Easter 2011 Reflections

2011-04-25T13:55:00.002-04:00

It's Monday afternoon and I've been thinking a lot about what happened at Real Life Christian Church yesterday. It was a really exciting day for me personally and it was a huge milestone for our church. It was the first time we broke the 1000 mark on a Sunday morning! We had 1139 people attend one of our three services. That's quite an accomplishment considering that 17 months ago we were a church of about 250 people!

Running three services back to back to back was a challenge but I was so proud of all of our volunteers. They handled the pressure with grace and I think everyone that came had a great experience. I got to meet a ton of new people and it was just great to see the auditorium packed for three straight services.

We were a bit surprised that the 8:30 a.m. service was actually our largest of the three services and the 10:00 a.m. service, which I anticipated being the largest was actually the smallest!

It truly was a team effort with all of our staff and volunteers pitching in where needed. There were some people that worked during 2 services and went to worship during one, and even with all the activity and excitement and people moving in and out, it was a pretty stress free day!

I can't wait to see where God takes us from here. I'm so humbled to be a part of a church where every week new people are coming and getting connected with other believers and with a God that loves them beyond measure. I encourage you, this week, to tell someone about Jesus, about his love for them, and about a church that they can come to where they can truly be themselves!

Let's pack it out again next Sunday!

Doug

Pray for the Entire World Week #17

2011-04-25T12:36:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

Pray for the Entire World Week #16

2011-04-18T13:04:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

British Virgin Islands

Brunei

Sweden

Swaziland

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

Pray for the Entire World Week #15

2011-04-11T09:49:00.002-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

Pray for the Entire World Week #14

2011-04-05T11:48:00.002-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

Pray for the Entire World Week #13

2011-03-28T09:43:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

Real Life Update

2011-03-20T15:27:00.004-04:00

We are almost finished with the first quarter of 2011! It's crazy how time flies when you are having fun. I just wanted to give a short update of some of the exciting things that are happening at Real Life Christian Church!

We finished 2010 with an average worship attendance of 530 for the year, which was more than double what we had averaged the year before!
Since the start of 2011 we've had another large jump in our worship attendance and we've had over 700 people 3 out of the last four weeks with a record high of 733!
We are finalizing contracts on the construction of our new parking lot at our Centerville Campus. Today, we had 98 cars parked in the overflow gravel lot south of the building during the 11 am service.
Our 11 am service is reaching max capacity! We had 445 people at second service today!
Plans continue to progress as we look forward to the launch of our second campus at our building on West Road close to Grassfield High School. In the past two weeks close to 5000 door hangers were distributed around neighborhoods close to the new campus publicizing our Community Day that will take place next Saturday as we go out and serve our new neighbors!
We are sending 45 people to Ensenada Mexico in July to partner with Student Ministries of Virginia and build houses for 3 needy families! I can't wait for that trip!
Today we kicked off a new series that will lead up to Easter Sunday! "Last Words" as we explore the last words of Jesus while he was on the cross! We had a great response this morning!
We recently opened our new Kids Church venue in our newly renovated upstairs and the kids love it. We also moved our office suite upstairs and it has been really cool to be able to maximize all the space that we have available at Centerville!
This Easter, April 24, 2011 we will offer 3 identical worship services. One at 8:30, one at 10:00 and one at 11:30 a.m. Plan to invite someone to one of those services as we celebrate together the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What Can I do to help?

Get involved! Don't wait for someone to approach you about being a part. Volunteer your services. We need help with our hospitality ministry, our children's ministry, and we can always use hard workers in any area of our ministry.
Pray for God to continue guiding our leadership as we have to make some really important decisions as we continue to grow into the future.
Sacrifice.
Plan on attending the 9 am service to make room for guests during the 11 am service! If your schedule is flexible and you can make the change, then think about doing that for someone else's convenience.
Park in the gravel lot so that our first time guests will have a paved parking space in our main lot! This will help to make their first experience a positive one.
Volunteer to help out with the Grassfield Campus renovations which will be starting very shortly.

I'm so excited to be a part of Real Life Christian Church and I consider it an honor to be on staff at such a great church! Thanks for making it fun, and thanks for caring about the future of the church! I can't wait to see what God is going to do through you this coming year! Hold on, because it is going to be quite a ride!

Doug

Pray for the Entire World Week #12

2011-03-20T15:11:00.002-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Bermuda

Bhutan

Tokelau Islands

Togo

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

Pray for the Entire World Week #11

2011-03-14T09:56:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Belize

Benin

Trinidad & Tobago

Tonga

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

Pray for the Entire World Week #10

2011-03-07T09:47:00.003-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Belarus

Belgium

Turkey

Tunisia

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

Pray for the Entire World Week #9

2011-03-03T08:26:00.003-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Bangladesh

Barbados

Turks & Caicos Islands

Turkmenistan

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

Pray for the Entire World Week #8

2011-02-22T09:28:00.003-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

The Bahamas

Bahrain

Uganda

Tuvalu

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

Pray for the Entire World Week #7

2011-02-14T11:05:00.003-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these countries:

News Coverage of National Porn Sunday @ Real Life

2011-02-08T00:17:00.001-05:00

Pray for the Entire World Week #6

2011-02-07T11:08:00.002-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these countries:

Aruba

Australia

United States of America

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Remember the 2011 Experiment:

Pray for the Entire World!
Read through the entire Word!
Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose!
Spend your time in another context!
Commit to being involved in your church!

Pray for the Entire World Week #5

2011-01-31T10:28:00.003-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

Pray for these countries this week:

Pray for the Entire World Week #4

2011-01-24T10:46:00.007-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for the following countries:

Matthew 9:35-38

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Pray for the Entire World Week #3

2011-01-16T23:13:00.003-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Andorra

Angola

Vietnam

Venezuela

Pray for the Entire World Week #2

2011-01-11T17:26:00.004-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Algeria

American Somoa

Yemen

Wallis & Futuna Islands

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

The Family We are Building For

2011-01-03T01:06:00.000-05:00

Please be in prayer for our team as we head out on Tuesday! This is the family that we will meet for dinner on Tuesday night and then on Wednesday morning we will begun construction on their new home! So excited to be a part of this team representing Real Life Christian Church!

Pray for the Entire World Week #1

2011-01-03T00:41:00.002-05:00

The 2011 Experiment

Pray for the Entire World

This week be in prayer for these 4 countries.

Pray specifically for someone to take the Gospel to the people in these countries this week.

Matthew 9:35-38

The 2011 Experiment

2011-01-02T18:14:00.003-05:00

If you were at Real Life today, I hope and pray that you were challenged by the message! I was so proud to share the stage with Garrett Osborne, a 17 year old Junior at Greenbrier Christian Academy and a great kid! We challenged you to test some claims found in the gospel and there are 5 specific challenges for 2011!

Pray for the Entire World! Matthew 9:35-37 www.operationworld.org
Read through the Entire Word! http://youversion.com/free-bible/real-life
Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose! www.giftsofwater.com/teamforehand/
Spend your time in another Context!
Commit to being involved in your church!

If you missed the message this morning then I encourage you to listen to it here! WHATEVER!

Each week we will update you on the particular countries that we are praying for during that week! I encourage you to join us! These updates will be posted on Monday mornings during 2011!

I am so looking forward to the great things that God is going to do at Real Life in 2011! I hope that you will get involved and stay involved and you will allow God to do whatever he wants to do in your life during this coming year!

This morning's message was inspired by the book, "Radical", which was written by David Platt! If you want to have your mind blown then I encourage you to read this book! Don't forget to get started with that 1 year Bible reading plan!

Doug

Gifts of Water Update

2010-12-20T12:08:00.006-05:00

It's exciting to report that through Gifts of Water, we have raised the $25,000.00 needed to provide clean drinking water for Malindi, Uganda. We are on our way to our next project, Jaffna College in Sri Lanka. There are 1800 students here and 1500 community members who are all drinking dirty water. There has been a substantial gift given to this project, so we only need to raise about $4000.00 more!

Would you consider joining the effort! Join Team Forehand for $10.00 and you can provide clean drinking water for one person! For $10.00 you can change somebody's life and health and well being!

Go to this link... and join today.

Video from Sunday

2010-12-20T11:47:00.000-05:00

Pave The Way

2010-12-20T11:32:00.002-05:00

If you were at Real Life on Sunday, then maybe you experienced what I experienced. It was just a great day of worship and praise as we shared together. I'm excited to report to you that we had another record setting offering at Real Life Christian Church.

For our Pave the Way Christmas offering we collected as of today, $31,155.00 and for our regular general fund offering on Sunday we collected $22,878.67! A total of $54,033.67 in one day. What an amazing testimony of what God is doing in and through his people at Real Life.

We will keep you updated as to the total of the Pave the Way offering! We are continuing to receive checks in the mail, and we will be collecting over the next few weeks!

I want to wish you and yours a very merry christmas and I want to thank you for allowing me to be your Minister. I hope to see you Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at our Christmas Eve Service. You may want to get here early to get a good seat!

I'm so excited to see what God is going to do here in 2011!

Doug

Gifts of Water Daily Update

2010-12-13T22:18:00.001-05:00

Doug Forehand from Water Missions on Vimeo.

Wednesday Video of the Week

2010-12-09T09:23:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2010

2010-12-04T01:22:00.004-05:00

This Christmas I am joining with several of my friends around the country to support our friends at Water Missions International. Our first project is to help the people in Malindi, Uganda. This town of 2000 people is in desperate need of a safe, sustainable source of water.

I'm in the process of recruiting team members for "Team Forehand" In the first few hours our team filled up the ten spots that we were asked to fill up. But I think that Team Forehand can do better than that. We aren't going to stop at 10, we are going to shoot for 100. To join the team follow this link, sign up and donate at least $10.00! For every $10.00 donated we are able to provide water for 1 person for life!

I can't think of a better Christmas present that we can give to people! Will you join me as we join other teams to provide safe drinking water for our friends in Uganda! You can help by doing the following:

Join the team and make a donation!

Post a link on facebook, twitter, myspace, or anywhere else that you can think of and encourage your friends to join team Forehand. Here is the url: http://www.giftsofwater.com/teamforehand/

Pray for God to use our efforts to provide for the physical needs of the people of Malindi and for their spiritual needs as well!

Thanks for being a part of the team! Let's push toward 100 members before Christmas rolls around!

Doug

Wednesday Video of the Week

2010-12-01T17:06:00.002-05:00

Some thoughts on the last 12 months

2010-10-31T16:32:00.002-04:00

Another month has come to a close! I can't believe that we are only weeks away from Thanksgiving and the Holiday season! I'm sitting on the 15th floor balcony overlooking the beach in shorts and a sweatshirt on October 31, 2010! Something is wrong this picture, but I'm not complaining.

It was exciting to celebrate our one year anniversary at the Centerville Campus of Real Life Christian Church on October 3, 2010! It was quite a year. I just wanted to point out a few highlights from a monumental year in our church's history. These were shared during the service on October 3, 2010!

Since we've moved into the building on Centerville:

· We added a second worship service!

· We’ve added staff. We hired Nicole Best and Terri San Nicolas to help out with our administrative needs. We brought Tina from a part time position to a full time position, and we hired Dave Hanvey to be our worship and connections minister.

· We’ve partnered with organizations like Crisis Pregnancy Center, World Vision, Bethany Christian Services, Seton Youth Shelters, and many others.

· Our average morning worship attendance went from 250 prior to last October and our average for the past 12 months has been 503! 100% growth in the last year.

· We’ve had over 600 first time guests representing over 350 families to come and visit. (These are just those that we have a record of who have turned in a card). In reality that number is probably closer to 1000.

· Since January we’ve had 45 baptisms! We are almost averaging one a week.

· We sent a team of young people to Mexico and a team to Atlanta to do some cross cultural missions work.

· We were given a church building valued at over $400,000.00!

· We sponsored a leadership gathering recently to help encourage some cooperation between churches in our area.

· We are kicking off Wyld Life at Brandon Middle School in October in a partnership with Virginia Beach Young Life and we are partnering with Chesapeake Young Life, where we are going to allow them to use our new building on west road for anything they need rent free, and hundreds of public school kids will hear the gospel through these efforts.

· I’ve just returned from a scout trip to El Salvador and the door there is wide open for the preaching of the gospel, and we are praying about how we as a church can get involved.

· We’ve collected in our regular offerings just under $680,000.00 as of September 26, 2010! This represents more than an 80% increase from the previous 12 month period. ($380,000.00) A $300,000.00 increase in one year.

I think this just scratches the surface of what is going on at Real Life Christian Church. I'm extremely excited to see what God is going to do in and through us over the next 14 months!

You asked for it!

2010-08-30T12:38:00.004-04:00

For our next sermon series we need your participation! Please send us any questions that you would love for us to discuss on Sunday morning! Send us an email or a text message at 7449447! We would love to have your questions!

Fasting

2010-08-29T21:08:00.003-04:00

If you are considering taking the 3 day fasting challenge I would encourage you to read this! It will be very helpful to you as you begin your journey. I'll be praying for you and I would love to hear some of your stories so please send me an email!

Guerrilla Lovers Story

2010-05-16T18:49:00.003-04:00

I got this email from Stephen Morgan about his Guerrilla Love experience. This is awesome! Check it out.

Hey Doug hope you are recovering well! Thought you might enjoy this story. The Guerrilla Lovers series really spoke to me! I've been praying that God will present me with opportunities to show His love. Well, on Friday Jess and I were heading to Greenbrier Mall on 64. A Porsche doing about 90 slid across his off ramp then over our on ramp and then into the ditch not 10 feet in front of us. I hopped out and made sure he was fine...and he was...his car though was toast. As we waited for the State police and tow truck I asked if he needed to use my phone to call someone for a ride he said no...he really didn't have anyone to call. At that point I'm not sure why but I just said...I can give you a ride. (Not even thinking that we had a full car and were on our way to the Mall) He looked shocked but said that would be great if you could do that. Well after 45 min the State police had left and the tow truck still had not arrived. He saw my wife and kids waiting in the car and said...you know what man I don't live far I will just walk home or catch a ride with the tow truck driver. So Jess and I started to pull off and just then the heavens opened up and it began to rain so incredibly hard! I felt that was God telling me to go back. So I went home and dropped off Jess and the kids and then went back. The tow truck had just arrived. I again offered him a ride and he was stunned that I came back to pick him up. The entire ride home he kept saying...WOW I can't believe your doing this...your family is waiting for you and you came to pick me up...then right before he got out he said...no one does this kind of stuff and I said to him this is what Christians do. We exchanged numbers and then went our ways...but I am so thankful that God provided me with that opportunity and that I was able to show my boys what God's love is all about in a practical way. Thanks for challenging us week after week at Real Life...my family and I have really enjoyed being apart.

Such an encouraging story! Don't forget to be Guerrilla this week!

Guerrilla Lovers Assignment #5

2010-05-03T15:05:00.003-04:00

We are coming into our final week of the Guerrilla Lovers series at Real Life Christian Church. Sunday at church we talked about the Guerrilla's weapon, which in our case is love! We explored the idea that the most impactful way to love is to love someone that doesn't deserve to be loved. To forgive someone who doesn't deserve to be forgiven.

Next Sunday we will look at the Guerrilla's Friend! I hope to see you at Real Life Christian Church at 9 or 11 next Sunday morning.

Guerrilla Lovers Assignment #4

2010-04-27T09:29:00.002-04:00

We are knee deep in this idea of being a guerrilla lover! This week you have a chance to love your neighbor in a practical way. Listen to Vince's challenge for this week. And keep those stories coming!

We will have copies of the book "Guerrilla Lovers" written by Vince Antonucci available for purchase for $10.00 at Real Life! Sign up on Sunday to reserve your copy!

Exponential Conference

2010-04-21T20:59:00.002-04:00

I've been in Orlando for two days attending the Exponential Conference! It is mainly a conference for church planters. It is extremely well organized and from the beginning of the first session I've been hooked. There have been some great speakers and workshop leaders who are really getting it done.

The theme for the conference is "transformation". What does it take to transform a heart, a church, a community, and ultimately the world. This theme has really gotten me thinking about things and asking some questions that I think we need to answer:

What are we doing to ensure that people coming to Real Life are experiencing transformation, and not just coming to fill a seat in the Life Center?

Has the church building and what we do on Sunday mornings become the "destination"? (It was not designed to be the destination... but was designed to be a tool to bring people closer to Jesus.)

What are we doing to "transform" our cities? Would Hampton Roads miss us if we ceased to exist?

Are we doing things that are transformative in nature and if not why?

Lot's of questions, that I will be trying to answer over the next couple of days and weeks. More to come.

Another Great Guerilla Lovers Story

2010-04-13T15:54:00.002-04:00

Here is another great story from Guerrilla Lovers Assignment Week #1!

Friday is trash day in my neighborhood and depending on the Friday, it can be one, two or three trucks coming through. This past Friday was one truck. I made my cookies the night before because my husband likes warm cookies with milk. I set aside a dozen cookies for the garbage guy and I got a lot of strange looks in my house. I told them what I was doing and to just bear with me as I completed this assignment. Surprisingly, my husband called me not one minute out of the house to go to work to let me know the truck was on our street. So, I went out and waited for him my neighbor’s yard. When he saw me, he rolled down his window, I gave him the plate (which by the way I had them arranged, I put “thank you” with smiley face under them on the plate) told him thank you and he said he was the substitute driver, my regular driver was out sick and boy was he going to be upset. I asked him to share and off he went. I found it rather odd that it wasn’t my regular driver but a substitute driver so I figure that he need to be touched that day. I am a stay-at-home grandma so this week’s assignment is a bit more challenging but I am learning that a faith journey is all about challenges.

MaryAlyce

Guerrilla Lovers Assignment Story

2010-04-13T14:16:00.003-04:00

If you have a great story from your guerrilla lovers assignments. Please send me an email and I will share it with everyone! This is from Jessica and she shared with me about her first assignment, which was to bake cookies for the garbage man. Check it out:

Trash day was today. We made chocolate chip cookies (which I might add are my favorite and very hard to stay away from lol) There are 2 trash trucks that come by so the first one Adam gave out and he said the trashman was grumpy picking up all the trash (we had cleaned the garage out the day before so we had lots and lots of trash lol) but when he... See More saw the cookies he actually smiled. The kids handed out the next batch to the 2nd trashman and he was very suprised and happy. The kids were all smiles and for me it was a very moving experience to watch the kids do this. Chase asked to make some for his bus driver and teacher- so we did and I was sure to pack them up quickly so I didn't eat any of them LOL - his bus driver was very touched and gave him a huge hug. He said his teacher "grabbed her heart and then grabbed me and hugged me really tight" lol- We even made some for Adam and snuck them to his desk (he was very happy when he saw them!) Chase drew pictures and wrote Thank you on a piece of paper and then attached them to all the plates of cookies we handed out. This was a neat assignment- for 1, I don't cook (ha) and 2, I never allow cookies in the house because after loosing over 100 pounds I am afraid I will eat all of them as cookies are one of my favorite foods and 3 (the main thing) it was heart warming to see the peoples reactions as they recieved the cookies and the kids enthusiasm to hand them out! :-)

That's awesome! Let's keep those stories coming! This Sunday we will be looking at "The Guerrilla Equation" from Luke 10:25-37. I hope to see you at Real Life Christian Church at either 9 a.m. or 11 a.m.

Doug

Guerrilla Lovers Assignment #2

2010-04-11T21:40:00.005-04:00

Don't forget the Guerrilla Lover's motto that we learned today at Real Life Christian Church. BE ORDINARY! Be normal with intentionality! And yes, for all those people that asked on Sunday, intentionality is in fact a real word! So here you go! Assignment number 2!

Guerrilla Lovers First Assignment

2010-04-06T13:24:00.003-04:00

Here is your first assignment as we kick off our new series at Real Life Christian Church! We will see you on Sunday April 11, 2010 at either 9:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m.!

Check it out:

The Wrap from Easter Sunday, 2010

2010-04-05T22:43:00.004-04:00

It's been a day since we celebrated our first Easter in our new building. I've had a bit of time to reflect, so I just wanted to write down a couple of thoughts. First of all, I just want to say that you guys are awesome! Everyone stepped up to the challenge and invited someone to church! I met so many new people on Sunday and 9 out of 10 of them were invited by someone who regularly attends Real Life. That's amazing!

The final worship attendance for the three services was 905! We had over 170 kids from the nursery up to 5th grade! The place was packed out, especially at the 10:15 service! Now, attendance is great, but what was equally exciting was the number of people who decided to follow Jesus on Sunday. The 5 that were baptized, and the three more that are waiting until their family is back in town. And the folks that came forward and asked for prayer. That is what it is all about! We've had over 20 baptisms since the beginning of this year.

The worship band did an amazing job. I can't express how much I appreciate the musicians and singers that we have at Real Life. Drew Palko has done a fantastic job bringing together such a talented group! And with the addition of Dave Hanvey to our staff, he is just going to build on the foundation that has already been laid!

Speaking of Dave, the vote of affirmation was unanimous in favor of bringing him on staff, so he had his first day at the office today, and we are so excited that he is with us! He is our new minister of worship and connections. He will be overseeing the worship ministry, .net and our small groups, and our assimilation process.

God continues to bless our church in some amazing ways, and I'm so thankful to be a part of a healthy growing, vibrant church. A church that people look forward to being a a part of. A community of believers committed to the mission that God has called us to. Thanks for letting me be your minister. I look forward to Easter next year! Who knows, maybe by then we'll need 4 services!

See you Sunday as we kick off a new series. Guerrilla Lovers! Follow the link to check out your first assignment! Remember, back to 2 services at 9 and 11!

Easter 2010

2010-04-01T18:01:00.008-04:00

I can't believe that we are only a couple days away from Easter Sunday. I'm actually starting to get butterflies in my stomach, I am so excited. Our first Easter celebration in our new building is something that I've been anticipating and hoping for since we bought the property over 5 years ago. We've got a great weekend planned so you will definitely want to be a part.

On Saturday from 2 until 4 our Children's Ministry will have an All Around Easter Celebration! If you have a child who is in 5th grade or below then bring them out to Real Life Christian Church for a fun afternoon. Please contact Tina Goodwin if you have any questions.

We will have three identical worship services on Sunday morning! The band that has been put together for this week is an amazing mix of talent and I'm so excited about the song set that has been chosen for Sunday. I will be speaking on "The Power of 1" and we will look at the power of 1 sin and 1 sacrifice. The first service will start at 8:30 a.m. and then we will follow it up with one at 10:15 a.m. and then 11:45 a.m.

It's going to be an exciting historical day for Real Life Christian Church and I hope that you plan on being a part of it! There are a couple of things that I want to request of you before Sunday:

Pray hard for God's Spirit to be in this place as we worship together.
Invite your friends. There have been over 1600 facebook invitations made to your friends in the past week, so we are well on our way to our goal of 5000 so go to the event page on facebook and invite your friends. Or, hand out the little business card size invite cards that we've made available to you, or you can just do the old fashioned thing and talk to your friends and invite them that way! Bring someone with you to church on Sunday.
Serve somewhere. We could still use some volunteers to serve! If you see something that needs to be done, then it would be great if you could just jump right in. We've rented extra chairs for Sunday and we are ready for extra guests, so if they need to be set up and you see our ushers setting them up, then lend them a helping hand.
Be friendly! That shouldn't be too hard, because this is by far the friendliest church that I've ever been associated with. So maybe I should say, just be yourself!
Participate in Worship. Celebrate with all your heart the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Use Easter as a starting point for a renewed focus and commitment to God and to the church!
Smile alot!
If you are a regular at Real Life then please do us a favor and park in the south lot to leave plenty of parking for our guests! It should be nice, so parking in the grass shouldn't be a problem!

I can't wait to see you on Sunday! I am praying for a day to remember!

Friendship, Facebook, and Fireworks

2010-03-22T13:13:00.002-04:00

Last night I was hanging out with a couple of the interns here at EOC. After all of the days scheduled events were over we went down to the beach to shoot off some fireworks. They are legal here in Mexico. Actually, just about everything is legal here in Mexico. We hung out, blew some stuff up, and generally had a good time. Then we rode up to the local 7-11 at the Pemex gas station and got some grub!

Then almost immediately, like it was second nature, when I got back to my room and checked on stuff on my computer, I sent them facebook friend requests. I got an immediate response back on one, who was still up, and we actually started chatting a little bit about the day's events. And by this morning the other one had responded.

My point is this, social media is a great way to connect with people, after a personal connection has been made. I've known these dudes for 2 days, and we've made a connection and even when I leave here on Thursday, that connection and friendship will continue. Friendships that started around some m-80's and cheap bottle rockets will continue online until we meet again!

I think that's pretty amazing. Cause a few years ago, to stay connected we would have to write letters, or make phone calls, and I can guarantee you that wouldn't have happened. We are guys for crying out loud! Utilize this amazing social network that can find just about anyone that is anyone to connect with. What a great way to stay connected! Ok, time to go see what kind of ministry is going on today!

Architect or Builder?

2010-03-22T02:43:00.003-04:00

Its Sunday night around 11:30 p.m. Pacific time and I've pretty much adjusted to the time change now after a couple of days. It has been great to connect with some old friends and to spend some time just talking and being together. I love talking with Scott Wester and watching how he leads his team here in Ensenada. He is a great leader and he has built a fantastic team of american missionaries, national workers, and some pretty cool interns as well.

As we talked about leadership yesterday he made a fascinating observation about his position. The analogy was that any organization is like a ship that is sailing out on the ocean. You need to have someone to captain the ship, and some people to help make sure the ship is going in the right direction, and then others in some very strategic and important positions. I asked him if he saw himself as the captain of the ship. His response was that no, he saw himself as the architect or the engineer that needed to know the design of the ship and how it functioned from the front of the ship to the back. He needed to understand how every piece fits together so that the ship will run smoothly and will be easily re-routed if it gets of course.

I thought that was a fantastic observation and a great way to look at leadership. As a leader in any organization, especially the church, it is easy to get sidetracked with doing jobs and tasks, and we sometimes forget how the church is supposed to function! It is important for the leader to take the necessary time to study the blueprint of the church and to know how the church should function in its cultural context. We get so busy working in the church, we sometimes forget our responsibility to work on the church! To see its grand design that God has placed under our care.

So if you are a leader, then lead. Know the distinct design that God has for your organization, and design that organization to run efficiently and effectively and to impact the world in a positive way. Dream and read and study and plan, so that you will effectively implement the design that God is putting on your heart and in your care! I can't wait to see what God will design through you!

The Wrap from Sunday March 14, 2010

2010-03-15T14:05:00.005-04:00

I got home Sunday night after a full day and I was completely exhausted from a long day of ministry. But as I sat there and contemplated the day, I was just completely filled with joy and excitement.

Sunday morning started with a time change that my body wasn't ready for. I had spent the evening before talking with one of our students about life and we talked until about midnight, which under daylight savings time translated to 1:00 a.m. So I shut my eyes to go to sleep and the next thing I knew, my alarm was going off at 6:00 a.m, and my body thought it was 5:00 a.m. so I was all confused.

I got up and showered and got dressed for the day and then walked into the living area of my condo down at the beach and looked out and saw the beginning of the most amazing sunset that I have seen in months. It was as if God was saying, "Good morning, sleepy head! This is my gift to you!" So I went form exhaustion to exhilaration in a matter of minutes and I was ready for the day to start.

I had prepared all week for my first sermon on the topic of baptism. I knew that this was such a personal and emotional topic for so many people so I had to find this balance between speaking the truth and being sensitive to peoples' past experiences. The sermon can be downloaded here. I would love to get some feedback from you!

We jokingly anticipated that during the 9:00 a.m. service that the only people that would be there would be me and the band! Luckily we were wrong, but there were quite a few of our 9 o'clock regulars that showed up at 11! Our 11 a.m. service was packed and we had to park an extra 25 cars in our overflow lot! That being said, if you are a regular at Real Life, then please do us a favor and park in the lot that is south of the building on Centerville, so that we have spaces available for our guests.

After the service we had a baptism service over at Avalon Church of Christ with our friends form Forefront Christian Church. 6 of our folks were baptized on Sunday afternoon and there are 4 or 5 more who plan to be baptized this coming Sunday morning! It was really excited to see them taking this step in their spiritual journey.

A couple of things I want to point out:

In the past 5 months we have become one of the fastest growing churches in the state of Virginia.
We have a huge need to expand our existing paved parking lot. We just got a quote today for another 102 parking spaces which would double the size of our current lot! Exciting stuff!
We had over 70 people attend our What is Real Life Dinner Sunday night and we welcomed 30 new members to Real Life Christian Church. If you are interested in becoming a member of Real Life then send an email to Terri.
We are spending $0.00 on advertising, yet each week we welcome about 10-20 new families that come to visit our church. You as a part of the Real Life family are our best advertisement!
We are praying about some exciting new ministry opportunities to include: possible new staff positions, a counselling ministry, and an expanded children's ministry to name a few.
Our children's ministry is growing like crazy under the leadership of Tina Goodwin. Each Sunday morning we minister to over 150 kids from the nursery through fifth grade! They are bursting at the seams!
It's been exciting for me to see the growth in our staff and our leaders as we have seen God pour out his blessings on Real Life!
The best is yet to come! God is going to blow us away in the coming months and years!

As I get prepared to leave for vacation in a few days, I'm so excited about being gone, but I'm also already pumped to come back! I'm excited about Easter in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to see what God continues to do here throughout the remainder of 2010!

--Doug

Remember: Baptism

2010-03-10T12:44:00.003-05:00

This Sunday I'm continuing in our series Remember as we look at some ancient practices of the early church and examine how they apply to the church today. Last Sunday we took at look at communion, the Lord's Supper, or koinonia in the original language which means fellowship. We came to the understanding that communion was a participation for us with Christ and with other believers all across the World in the death of Jesus. We are encourage weekly by communion to look in, to look back, and to look forward to the day when Jesus comes back.

Sunday we will look at baptism. We will look at the origin of Christian baptism and we will study the original language of scripture a bit as well. This is a highly emotional subject and as you prepare to come to Real Life on Sunday I would encourage you to come with an open heart and I would suggest that you read the following texts that will be included in Sunday's message:

Acts 8:12-13
Acts 9:18-19
Matthew 28:18-20
Acts 16
Matthew 3
Acts 2
Galatians 3:26-27
Matthew 10:32-33
Romans 6

If you would like to be baptized on Sunday we are going to encourage you to take that step of obedience. Please bring a towel, and a change of clothes with you. If after you hear the message you decide then that you want to go ahead and follow through and get baptized, we will have shorts, tshirts, towels, etc. available for you to use. We don't want anything to keep you from making this important decision in your life.

It's going to be an exciting Sunday and if you know someone that needs to learn who Jesus is, then it would be a great Sunday to invite them to Real Life. I hope to see you there!

Doug

The Wrap from Sunday February 28, 2010

2010-03-03T16:18:00.004-05:00

We had a great day on Sunday as we wrapped up the series, "Chase The Lion"! I really enjoyed preaching through this series and hearing all of your lion chasing stories. It was so cool to see the way that God worked through our church and spoke to so many people. It was great to welcome Maquita Irvin to our church family as she made her commitment on Sunday morning!

We've been talking a lot in our leadership meetings about what's next for Real Life. Where is God leading us? What is he doing? Where are we going? One thing He is doing is that he is introducing us to a lot of great people who are sincerely looking for a church family to get plugged into and it has been so exciting to meet so many new people and to hear about their desire to serve God with their gifts and talents.

We are on the verge of some very exciting new ministry opportunities with our connections ministry, worship ministry, and some counselling opportunities. I will be so excited to share with you as these new opportunities unfold through the ministry of Real Life Christian Church.

This Sunday we are kicking off a new short series called "Remember". We will be taking the next 2 weeks and will be looking at 2 ancient practices in the early church and how those relate to us in the modern church. Sunday we will look at Communion or the Lord's Supper as it is commonly referred and learn 3 lessons about its practice in the church and how we should approach this special time each week.

Next Sunday we will look at the practice of baptism in the early church. We will discover some really great spiritual truths about baptism. It is much more than just a symbolic event in a person's walk with Christ! There is something very spiritual about its practice in the modern church. You don't want to miss either of these weeks as we remember the ancient ways and how they relate to the modern church.

I can't wait to see you on Sunday! Remember Easter Sunday. Services at 8:30, 10:15, and 11:45! Invite somebody!

Doug

The Fast: Day 10

2010-02-26T12:41:00.002-05:00

This week I decided not to blog about my fast. I felt like this week was extremely personal and extremely private between me and God. It's been a great week all in all. I've learned that God can't change me by himself. I have to participate. I have to actively seek him and use some self discipline along the way. I'm a very self reliant guy. I don't like to depend on other people. These 2 weeks God has shown me how much I need to depend on Him more and less on my own abilities and idea. That as a leader He will give me direction.

I've also felt the prayers of many people who have been praying for me this week. Thank you for partnering in this with me. It has been a great experience. I'm excited to see what God is going to do with Real Life Christian Church. I can't wait to look back a year from now and see where we've been. In a little while I'm off to Camp Rudolph to lead some counselor training there. It looks like another Burger King meal to end the fast!

On Sunday at Real Life we are finishing up the "Chase the Lion" series. I have thoroughy enjoyed this sermon series and I want to thank Mark Batterson for listening to God and writing the book, "In A Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day", form which this series was adapted from. I would encourage you to pick up this book at CBD or somewhere else.

In our next series we are going to "Remember"! We are going to look at two ancient practices of the early church and see their significance in the modern church. We will look at Communion and Baptism over the following two weeks. I hope to see you Sunday! Invite somebody to be your guest at Real Life Christian Church.

The Fast: Day 5

2010-02-22T11:34:00.005-05:00

I didn't get to post about my last day of fasting for week #1, because I was gone for most of the weekend in Charlottesville with a bunch of Middle School kids from Real Life. We attended the Launch convention sponsored by Student Ministries of Virginia. It was a great weekend and I think all of the kids that went had a blast.

Thursday evening leading into Friday was really great. I had an opportunity to start reading a book that I've been wanting to read. I didn't feel hungry and I slept great Friday night. I got up on Friday and got ready to go to Launch. When 5:00 p.m. rolled around I was in a van full of middle school boys that smelled like stinky feet. We stopped for dinner around 6:30 p.m. and I had a double cheeseburger, small fries, and a diet coke. It probably wasn't the best choice after not eating for 121 hours, but it was where we stopped. It was either that or Taco Bell.

I learned some pretty cool lessons that I would like to share from my fast:

You can fast if you put your mind to it and rely on God.
Fasting is a spiritual discipline and it takes a combination of willpower, commitment, and a reliance on God to sustain your physical body while you are addressing the needs of your spiritual body.
It's harder to sin when you are trying to survive.
A Pomegranate Plunge from Tropical Smoothie is a great way to start the day.
We probably only need about 10% of the food that we eat to survive. The other 90% we eat because it makes us feel good.
Fasting heightens all of your senses. You will be amazed at the things you will perceive.
Prayer no longer becomes an event on a schedule, it becomes a constant part of your every day.
Sleep is essential.
God has wired our human bodies with this amazing ability and desire to adapt to changing circumstances and life situations. The fast wakes your body up and it quickly adapts.
When we do something for God whether it be fasting, giving money, or serving; ultimately He is lifted up and glorifed by our attempts to get closer to Him.

I'm really looking forward to another week of drawing close to God through fasting. Keep praying.

The Fast: Day 4

2010-02-18T20:11:00.002-05:00

Today's post will be very short and very sweet. God is faithful and he is good! Today was as normal a day as I could have had under the circumstances. As I write this post it has been 99 hours and 16 minutes since I have eaten solid food. I still remember those 2 Reese's peanut butter cups!

My body actually feels pretty good. I'm very alert and I'm about to sit down and read for a couple of hours, before I got to sleep. Looking forward to finishing Day 5 as I'm on the van with a bunch of middle school kids heading to the Launch Convention in Charlottesville, VA!

The Fast: Day 3

2010-02-17T22:30:00.005-05:00

Entering into day 3 at 5:00 on Tuesday, I was feeling pretty good. I got all my projects for the day done and I had a chance to hang out with Drew a little bit. Before we left for the day, we played a couple of quick games of ping pong in the Warehouse, which I won, of course. We started talking about church and ministry, and I got a chance to reflect on my friendship with Drew which goes way back to his middle school years when I was his youth minister. I've really seen God change Drew over the years and I've seen how God has really blessed him with some amazing gifts and talents. I don't think he realizes how truly blessed that he is. I consider it a privilege to work with him and I really can't imagine doing ministry here without him being involved in it.

One thing that is becoming very clear to me over these couple of days, is the importance of relationships and how they should be valued and nurtured and grown. I don't care how large we get as a church, we can't forget about people. Every single person is important, not just the whole. It can't be just about the attendance on Sunday! One thing going into the future is that we need to keep that part of our mission: Love One Another... at the forefront of our thinking!

I slept great last night and I had a chance to go to a meeting with some other church leaders from around the state up in Richmond today. Of all things it was a lunch meeting at Golden Corral! I went into the meeting room with my fruit punch and sat and watched everyone around me eating like there was no tomorrow. To make matters worse, the waitress dropped a whole bucket full of hot fresh rolls right in front of me. I quickly passed those down the table.

It was neat to hear about what God is doing at some pretty cool churches across the state of Virginia. I always feel a little bit awkward at things like this. I was asked to share one win with the group. So I shared with them how God provided a way for us to build and move into a building when a year earlier it didn't seem possible. I told them about our kickoff Sunday and how our average attendance had doubled overnight. And the cool thing is that I didn't have a lot of explanations as to why. No strategic marketing plan, no super charismatic leader in the pulpit, nothing spectacular, except a well timed move of God.

That's so cool to me and it takes such pressure off to know that God orchestrated our growth, and not us. And it seems he is still up to something. I think our job is to continue to be faithful to our mission to Love God, Love One Another, and to Love the World. I think if we keep showing up and being faithful, he will continue to show up and bless us with more than we can even imagine.

I got back into town in time for .net tonight. I ran by Tropical Smoothie for a Acai Berry Smoothie, which destroyed my stomach, so to all my fasting buddies... STAY AWAY from the ACAI BERRY!! Week #3 of .net and it is so cool to see the friendships and relationships that are being built. The table hosts are doing a fantastic job of leading their tables in some great discussion.

It's so cool to know that our kids are taken care of while their parents are enjoying some really needed Biblical Fellowship with other believers. I have to say that our Children's Ministry, under the direction of Tina Goodwin, is just blowing me away! No matter how many kids that show up to any event, she's always got great capable volunteers lined up to teach them and to love on them. Somehow, she is able to fit over 50 kids on Wednesday night into 3 classrooms, and they all seem to have a blast.

At digg tonight, our middle and high school program, they had over 60 kids and adults participating tonight. That's 20 more than last week! I'm extremely proud of Mike Johnson and his team of volunteers who every week pour into these kids!

I guess you can say that day 3 for me was all about relationships and the revelation of their importance in ministry and in life! I feel completely blessed to be working with the people that I'm working with and it is such a privelege to be able to lead a church like Real Life. It's 11:00 p.m. and I'm 6 hours into day 4, and I'm excited about what I'll see today. I'll check back in tomorrow.

The Fast: Day 2

2010-02-16T17:38:00.004-05:00

When 5:00 p.m. on Monday rolled around I was done! My head was aching, my body was tired, and I had no energy. I got in the car and drove home. When I got home I sat on the couch for the rest of the evening. Actually I laid on the couch for 4 hours drifting in and out of sleep. When I got up to go to bed, I actually had a bit of energy so I got on the computer and did a little research and chatted with some friends on facebook.

Each time I felt hungry during the evening, I would say a short prayer for strength and endurance. I slept very peacefully through the night, but I had a wicked bad dream as it was getting close to morning. Normally I don't even remember my dreams, or if I even dream at all. But this one was crazy. I was in this epic battle with an old witch like woman. And every time I felt like I had defeated her, she would disappear, and then reappear. Then we would battle again. Finally, I had her pinned down with my elbow on her throat, and this was the most vivid part of the dream! She screamed, "I'm not that easy to get rid of!" Then she vanished, and I woke up! I'm not one to over interpret, but I felt like there was a message in this dream. I felt like maybe she represented sin in my life that I need to deal with! Sin that comes and goes but still needs to be dealt with. At this point, I asked God for forgiveness and asked him to continue to reveal to me what I needed to see during this time.

I arrived at the office today and had a pretty good day. Drew and Mike picked me up a strawberry/banana smoothie for lunch from Tropical Smoothie and at their lunch right in front of me. What are friends for? Around 2:00 p.m. I started to get really tired and completely lost focus on what I was working on. So I went into the Wee Worship room and took a 30 minute nap in the fish tent! Then with some renewed energy I went back to work.

When 5:00 p.m. rolled around I was pumped. 48 hours into it and things are starting to become clear. I've gotten encouragement and prayer from friends and church members. There are a number of guys that I'm praying for who are also sharing in this experience. So, when you pray, please remember Troy, Derrick, Lou, John, Greg, and Adam. If I left your name out, then please let me know how you are doing as we are experiencing this spiritual journey together.

It's 6:00 p.m. and day 3 has started! Still praying for God's clear direction and movement in our lives and the life of our Church! I'll check back in tomorrow!

The Fast: Day 1

2010-02-15T15:43:00.004-05:00

I've decided to journal during my fast and I would like to share my insights here. I'll describe some of the physical affects and spiritual benefits of this fast. I've run across a great guide to fasting and prayer written by Dr. Bill Bright from Campus Crusade International. You can access the guide here! Before you begin fasting, please read this so that you can be prepared for the experience and the physical affects on your body.

I began my fast at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday evening February 14, 2010. Valentine's Day! After church I was invited over to lunch at Warren and Kathy Downs' house and she had an amazing spread of food! It was a delicious meal with some home made cheesecake for desert. At 4:58 p.m. I ate 2 reeses peanut butter cups, which would be my final taste of solid food for five days!

On my way home, I stopped at Wal Mart and loaded up on beverages, juices, water, V-8, and gatorade. $35.00 worth of liquid refreshment. The guy at the check out looked at me a little funny, but he didn't ask any questions.

Since I had such a large meal for lunch, I really wasn't hungry the rest of the day. I remember walking past the counter and seeing poptarts and little bags of chips laying out, and passing them by. Whereas before, every time I walked into the kitchen, even if it was to put a plate or cup in the dishwasher, I would grab something to eat. Not out of hunger, but out of habit.

I slept fine through the night, and when I got up I was feeling pretty good. I showered and got dressed, and packed my lunch: 2 bottles of gatorade, a sam's choice clear american mandarin orange water, and a V8 strawberry banana fusion.

As the day has gone by I have had a terrible headache, and have had a difficult time focusing. My head feels a little bit clowdy, kind of like you do when you first wake up in the morning, or when you are really tired. I've been drinking a lot of liquids so I've made many trips back and forth to the bathroom. I'm very aware of the pangs in my stomach and the weakness in my body. I'm tired. I'm 23 hours and 10 minutes into this and my body, my flesh, is in revolt!

This is not a surprise. The first 2 days of an extended fast are the toughest! It is easiest to give up during the first 2 days, because it is such a shock to your system, physically. But spiritually I am resolved to see this through. I have a keen awareness of my need for God to see me through this. I know that on my own will power I will fail; but God will see me through. I am constantly in prayer, since I am constantly in need.

I know that the next 24 hours and 40 minutes will be a battle against myself! I'll be tempted to give up, tempted to cheat, tempted to explain it all away. But I'm convinced that God wants to use this time to show me something about myself and about His church! So, I'm praying for strength and calm and a clear headed. I'm excited about the clarity that will come after day 3 and meeting God with renewed vision and purpose!

But right now, another hunger pang and another prayer! I think its time for another gatorade! I'll check back in tomorrow.

The Wrap from Sunday February 14, 2010

2010-02-15T15:06:00.002-05:00

Sunday was a very interesting day for me! I had been preparing my message on Saturday night and I really felt like God was leading me to change it signficantly. I'm not big for change sometimes, so I was somewhat reluctant, but every time that I went through it I kept stopping at the same place. I was talking about the day of Pentecost and the line was "if you seek God for 10 days, then Pentecost is bound to happen! What would happen if we prayed for 10 days?

In the Bible prayer and fasting often went hand and hand, so I really felt like God was saying, Pray and Fast! Pray and Fast! So I felt convicted to set aside some time over the next two weeks to pray and to fast! For 10 days. Starting at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday and going through 5:00 p.m. on Friday! I was able to share this with the church and also a challenge for them to join in praying and fasting. If not for 5 days, at least for shorter time period.

After service I was encouraged by so many people and at least 5 or 6 folks are joining me in this time of prayer and fasting. I'm really excited about what God is going to show me through this experience and what He is going to do through our church!

.net video

2010-02-09T16:35:00.001-05:00

Here is a video Drew has been working on using some new software! Adobe After-Effects! I think it is pretty sweet, especially for his first attempt!

The Wrap from Sunday February 7, 2010

2010-02-09T07:23:00.002-05:00

When the snow started falling on Saturday, I got a little bit stressed and a little bit nervous. Under no circumstance did I want us to cancel church again. I will admit that part of it was a concern about finances and money, but another part was just the fact that I genuinely love getting together for church on Sunday. I enjoy the music and seeing people and getting the opportunity to share with everyone who attends Real Life. So, when I got up on Sunday morning I was really excited about coming to Real Life. I knew that my friend Frank Grubbs from World Vision was going to be sharing with us and that we were going to have a great day.

I thought the service went well, and I was excited to see people responding to the call to sponsor children through the ministry of World Vision. Our attendance was down a little bit on Sunday and Drew and I were talking about it on the way to lunch. I said, man there were only 478 people at church today! And then we both looked at each other and laughed, and said almost simultaneously... Yea, but there were 478 people at church today worshipping God!

Here's what happened on Sunday:

We collected a $23,000.00 offering!
We sponsored close to 40 kids through World Vision!
We raised $1100.00 at the Souper Bowl, which was a blast, and had an anonymous gift of $1000.00 given to the Mexico trip by someone on Sunday morning with this note attached: "To Real Life Church and those traveling to Mexico this summer-- I would like this donation to be placed towards the mission trip to Mexico this summer-- I prefer to remain anonymous with this donation. I am a person searching once again for faith and spirituality in this life and am happy to say that I am finding that with Real Life and the genuine people I have met so far. I have never been moved to give such a gift but feel that this is but one small way that God is reaching out to me and guiding me. I know you will reap great rewards with your trip and I hope in some small way, this donation helps. Yours in Christ-- "A face in the crowd"
We had a "What is Real Life" Seminar and welcomed 3 new members to the body!

I am continually humbled and blown away by what God is doing through His people here at Real Life. I feel so very fortunate to be a part of a growing church that really has a heart for God and for serving others! Love somebody this week that doesn't deserve it! Serve someone that needs to be served just because! And invite someone to come to church next Sunday! It may just be the most important invitation they ever receive! I'll see you Sunday.

Doug

.net kickoff

2010-02-03T19:39:00.002-05:00

Tonight at Real Life Christian Church, we kicked off our new connection ministry called .net. Leading up to tonight I was a little bit bummed because we didn't have church on Sunday and we didn't get to do that last push for people to come out. In spite of my doubts, people came out. In the Life Center we have 10 tables of adults who are currently spending time connecting with one another. Tonight I get to run the computer and sound, and as I sit in the sound room, I keep hearing laughter coming from all directions. As I look through the glass windows, I see people smiling and engaged in conversation.

Throughout the building children and teenagers are hearing about Jesus and learning what it means to live in community together with other believers. Every room in the building is occupied at this moment! It's amazing how a multi purpose room that is normally filled with rows of chairs packed with people can be transformed into a living room where conversations are flowing freely. Tonight Mike taught us from James 1 and one of his main principles was the fact that we should pray as if we expect God to answer. Well God answered my prayers for tonight in spite of the doubts that I had!

If you weren't able to join us tonight then we invite you to come be with us next week! We have 15 more tables that we'd love to set up and fill up! At last count there were 166 people in the building tonight for our .net kickoff, and childcare was definitely necessary! Thanks to a great group of volunteers who were willing to teach the children so that their parents could get connected. See you Sunday as we continue to chase lions!

Facebook Celebrity Doppelganger Week

2010-02-02T23:02:00.010-05:00

This week is celebrity doppelganger week on facebook. The idea is for you to find someone famous that you have been told that you look like. Now, I had no intentions of playing this game until Drew Palko, one of my esteemed colleagues posted a picture of Matthew Fox and tagged him as my doppelganger. The word doppelganger means: a ghostly double of a living person! I don't know about that, but once this game started then other suggestions have been made and I can't make up my mind. So I need your help picking my doppleganger! These are the three gentlemen who have been suggested for me in no particular order.

Matthew Fox

Edward Burns

Luke Wilson

Please vote on the poll to the right! This is all just for fun, so please don't take this too seriously. Who's your doppelganger?

The Wrap from Sunday, January 24, 2010

2010-01-25T10:42:00.005-05:00

Wow! Another great Sunday at Real Life Christian Church. We hit a new attendance record for our Sunday morning worship services. Our attendance on Sunday was 611 for both services. As the 9 oclock hour was approaching and the Life Center started filling up, I knew that it was going to be a great day.

The worship band did a fantastic job on Sunday. Pete Dipaola was rocking it on harmonica and I was blown away by his abilities. The coolest thing about the band is that they are all volunteers. People who are willing to use their talents and spend their time leading us in worship! They spend countless hours in preparation and practice, and they do a fantastic job!

We are getting really positive feedback from this series, "Chase the Lion" and it seems to be connecting with people in a really positive way! This series is based on the book written by Mark Batterson entitled, "In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day" and I would encourage you to pick up a copy of that book!

I just want to point out a couple of things as I reflect on Sunday:

God continues to move among his people here and we haven't even begun to see what he has in store for us!
A big thank you to all of you who have started using the overflow parking lot! Even with the high attendance that we had, there were enough spots available in our main lot to accomodate all of your guests!
With this in mind, we will be looking to build a new parking lot in the near future, so if you have been giving to the building and expansion fund then I encourage you to continue giving; and if you haven't yet given to the building fund, then I encourage you to prayerfully consider making that a part of your weekly gifts to God.
We are excited to welcome Laura Livingston and Melissa Pence to our fellowship as they placed their membership at the church on Sunday morning.
It was exciting to be a part of Brad and Katie Hamilton's baptism over at Avalon. We are in the process of purchasing a portable baptismal so that we can include future baptisms as part of our worship experience!
I met with our elders on Sunday afternoon for a marathon meeting. We've got a great group of commited guys who really love this church and want to see what God has in store for us in the future!
We need you to be involved in ministry! We've got the smallest staff that we've ever had and the church is larger than it has ever been! This is pretty awesome, because it means that there are a ton of significant ministry positions that we are going to need to fill with volunteers! So don't be shy! If you feel called to minister here, please send me an email or call me and we will put you to work!
On that point I want to thank your church staff for the great job that they do and the heart that they have for Real Life. Thanks Tina, Mike, Drew, and Nicole. You guys are great!

After church yesterday we delivered the shoes that we collected to Forefront Christian Church. We had a caravan of about seven trucks and mini vans. We were joined in this effort by the Key Club from Hickory High School, and the Invisible Children organization from Grassfield High School, and a group of young life students from Great Bridge High School. We collected anywhere from 1000-1200 pairs of shoes to send to Haiti. Last week I included a picture of the shoes we collected on Sunday morning. Today I'm including a picture of what we had collected during the rest of the week! Please continue to lift up the people of Haiti and may God's light shine in that country through our efforts and the efforts of churches all around the World!