Gilbert Thurston

Random Thoughts About Life, Ministry and Whatever Else Happens to be on my Mind

I wasn’t kidding…

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…your presence really does matter. 

I’ve gotten a few e-mails this week from people talking about how much they enjoy the Experience and how much their lives are changing.  I wish I could take credit for that but the truth is it’s just a little bit of Gilbert and the team, a whole lot of God and then a special ingredient which I’ll talk about at the end of this post.

Let’s face it if you’re a non-Christian who wants to listen to contemporary music on Sunday morning, turn on the radio. If you’re a non-Christian who wants some humor on a Sunday morning, just TiVo SNL from the night before and watch it when you get up.  If you’re a non-Christian and want to watch a cool video on Sunday morning, rent something from Blockbuster.  In other words it’s hard to compete with the professionals but yet  more and more people keep showing up and they are giving their lives to Christ…definitely a God-thing.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think our style, while not the right way or the only way, definitely helps, other factors are at work.  Mainly you!  Your presence each Sunday morning really matters. 

It matters because when the unchurched walk into a room that’s filled with hundreds of excited people, it prepares them for something exciting.  When you sing and clap and lift your hands it shows them that you’re excited about God.  When you greet them and show genuine interest in them they soften their stance that Christians are only interested in their own little cliques.  When you serve in the Children’s Ministry once a month it helps the unchurched be able to hear the word of God preached without the distraction of trying to control their kids.  When you serve as an usher or help mow the grass during the week, or serve in any of our other ministries, you’re a living demonstration that people really can be unselfish with their time and their gifts.

So remember, God loves you, I love you and yes, even the unsaved in our community love you…they just don’t know it yet.  Your presence each and every week in our community and in our church matters whether you know it or not!

whew…

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The video shoot is finally done…that only took 4 hours (not including it needs to be edited now) for what will end up being a 2-3 minute clip.  Oh well, it should end up being good and prove a powerful point.  Don’t forget to invite someone….after all don’t want all that work to go to waste.  :)

Monday Monday

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The old Mamas and the Papas song basically says that sometimes Mondays are good and sometimes Mondays are bad.  Today was a good Monday for me…I got a lot of sermon prep done today and this evening I’ll be shooting the video for this week’s message.  All in all a good response yesterday to the new IMPACT series…I can’t wait to share the next part with you.  Don’t forget…You’re Presence Matters!

Inside Today’s Experience

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  • Another great day!
  • Again Happy Mother’s Day!
  • 3 more people born into the Kingdom!
  • From a technical standpoint, set-up and execution went very well…way to go team.
  • I really liked the set of music we did today.
  • Great energy in the room and we kept having to bring out more and more chairs in the back.
  • The Mother’s Day countdown was a lot of fun.  It was great hearing as it got closer and closer to zero and more and more people were paying attention to it, the laughter grow.
  • I also loved how at the beginning of the sermon opener video after the Universal Studios logo, how everyone laughed when I appeared on the screen.  Don’t know why I found it funny but I did.
  • I was pleased with the message today, but got off track towards the end on a little bit of rabbit trail…it’s rare that I do that, but I was serious…people still go to hell during the summer time so we can’t relax too much.
  • Man what a brain cramp there not being able to remember Marlin Zeis name…in any case, welcome home Marlin…thanks again for serving our country.
  • And please remember Laban Betz each day in your prayers as he heads out to Iraq.
  • At the guest reception I talked with a guy who told me how much he liked the Experience and that he really appreciated that I seemed like a real person.  You know nothing could make me happier…I try to be as real as possible not only in who I am but also in what the bible says…great to hear that’s coming through to our guests.
  • Also great to be able to briefly talk with Jeffery Mills the son our Senior Pastor who is home for 3 weeks from Sudan where he serves as a missionary for Samaritans Purse.
  • Tonight is CAYA but first some food and a nap seem to be calling my name!

DC Thoughts

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  • The trip to DC yesterday to meet with Mark Batterson was great!
  • On the way down I listened to the new CD’s from Leeland, and After Edmund.
  • Got to the metro station right as a train was getting ready to leave…I love not having to wait.
  • Used the train ride down to study up for some up-coming messages in the IMPACT series.  Don’t forget to invite someone.
  • When I got off metro and came up the escalator, what to my wondering eyes should appear…  Yes!!!  A huge outdoor Wii gaming demonstration of the new Mario Kart game.  They had dozens of human-sized karts you could sit in to play the game…awesome…but I needed to get to my appointment.
  • The walk from the metro station to the church office is about 5 minutes but along the way you get a glimpse of some DC sites.  It’s so easy living so close for us to take DC for granted, but as I watched excited tourists stopping to pose for pictures, it reminded me to slow down and take it all in.
  • Did I mention that the church offices are above the Coffeeshop that they own?  Ebenezers Coffeehouseis consistently ranked as one of the best coffeehouses on Capital Hill and is a great outreach for the church.
  • I ordered a cookies and cream frozen drink and then waited for Mark…and waited and waited…we got mixed up…he thought I was going to meet him up in the office and I thought he was meeting me down in the coffeehouse.  Once we met up though, things went very well.
  • Mark is such a great leader and helped me navigate through some of my own thoughts and challenges that I/we face.
  • Mark gave me a copy of an excerpt from his new book, Wild Goose Chase, which will be coming out in August.  I read it on the metro ride back and it’s going to be very good.
  • Surprisingly traffic parted like the Red Sea on the way home and I was able to make it back in time for worship team practice.
  • All in all a great trip…God used Mark and various happenings along the way to speak some awesome things into my life that you will be the beneficiary of…can’t wait to share them with you.