- Kicked off the new “God at the Box Office” series today.
- The day got off to a rough start when one of my contacts ripped on the way to the theater this morning.
- So I had to turn around and go back home…not a big deal but it did put me a bit behind.
- Set-up today went fairly smooth considering a new set needed to be assembled for the first time.
- Bill did an awesome job creating a film strip look that covered the entirety of the stage.
- Andy did a great job lighting it all up and creating some new effects we’ve never had before.
- I guess one of the limitations of being in a portable situation is the not being able to see if things will work until you actually get there.
- In my previous church when a series was finished, the set got torn down that Sunday afternoon and the framework of the new set was erected.
- That gave all week to work on getting it just right before Thursday night’s practice where the final bugs would be worked out in preparation for Sunday morning.
- Here there’s a lot more hoping and praying! :)
- All thing considered though the team does an awesome job with the limited amount of time we’ve got.
- Bill Hybels once said that “Excellence is doing the best you can with what you’ve got”.
- I think we’re doing that.
- Big thank to the Regal for donating popcorn for all 4 weeks of the series to us.
- Nothing like doing a movie series and being able to give away free movie popcorn!
- Attendance was way down today.
- I knew this going in because I had 12 of our adults who normally serve on a Sunday morning let me know they wouldn’t be there.
- Add in all their children and right there you’re missing 25-30 people even before you start.
- Most frustrating though was the lack of first time guests for the new series.
- We did heavy video promotion and provided everyone with a minimum of 5 invite cards.
- Hopefully it will pick up in future weeks.
- The band did a good job despite the lack of energy in the room.
- Here’s the video of their cover of “Iridescent” by Linkin Park which is the main song from the Transformers movie we talked about today.
- The video will also give you a chance to see what Bill created for the set.
- I was a bit windy today but it’s something every Christian should listen to and take seriously.
- Hoping people take the 5X5X5 challenge seriously.
- We recognized the 13 who got baptized last week with their custom made baptism certificates…everyone loved them and were telling me where they were going to put it.
- Hope the visual reminder impacts them for the rest of their lives.
- Love hanging out in the lobby afterward talking with people…we’ve got a great group of people that are building the foundation of what we’ll be for years to come.
- Got a really busy week including a conference that 8 of us from ECTV will be going to…hope we’re inspired to go to new levels for God personally and corporately.
Inside Today’s Experience
- Seriously you shouldn’t be allowed to have this much fun!
- Another awesome day ExponentialChurch.tv.
- We may have talked about how to overcome financial debt today but to me the most important part of the morning is that 2 more people had their sin debt forgiven!
- So awesome to hear as well how many people are loving this series.
- In case you missed it, here the link to the message today where I encouraged everyone to “Act Your Wage“.
- Sometimes I wonder if getting up early on Sunday mornings and helping to put out signs is worth it or not. But today I was reminded that it is.
- I had a gentleman introduce himself to be after this mornings Experience that is a Brigadier General. He was on his way to get some coffee this morning, saw our signs and decided to come check us out. The cool part is he wants our staff to come check out what they do sometime and while we’re there take us up for a helicopter ride…sweet!
- Again our set-up today went smoothly and quickly…I hear other portable churches complain about how bad it is but either we have a much better team than most or more efficient systems…oh wait I think we actually have both!
- With that said there isn’t a lot of behind the scenes stuff to share today since nothing really jumps out as out of the ordinary.
- The band as always did a great job.
- I was able to sneak out for a bit to see our nursery, Pre-K and ECTV Kids ministries in action.
- So glad we brought Chelsea in from Ohio to lead our kids.
- Found out yesterday that one of the kids that’s been attending made a profession of faith this week and his dad is giving a ton of credit to the awesome children’s ministries that we have.
- I had a ton of material to cover this morning but felt everyone was engaged and having some real “ah-ha” moments.
- Now just praying that we’d all not just be hearers of the Word but doers as well.
- Seriously I believe everyone can be 100% debt free within 10 years with a bit of discipline and hard work.
- Again this isn’t about just having more money for the sake of having more. This is a heart issue…how you handle your money says a lot about your relationship with God…”Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.
- Can’t wait for next week when we learn why God says so many people’s money is cursed.
- If you want to reverse the curse…be there!
- If you want your family and friends to reverse the curse in their lives…invite them!
- Have a great week…live with control!