“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

I was in my early 20′s when someone first asked me “Are you planning on being a youth pastor forever?” My response was typically “Well, I think before it’s all said and done, I’ll end up doing a little bit of everything.”  I always thought that was an odd question to ask.  Not because  people don’t stay in student ministry for life, but because following Jesus and belonging to Him means that I didn’t just surrender to an area of ministry, I surrendered to Jesus Christ.  At some point He may call us to something that doesn’t look like student ministry.  I didn’t realize in my early 20′s how true that would be.  I’ve had the privilege of serving in student ministry, church media and a whole lot of different experiences that run the whole gamut of ministry.  And now, we’re about to take another turn in the road.

In May of this year, I sat down with Phillip, my pastor, and told him that our season of ministry at Cedar Creek has come to an end.  I asked him if he would be willing to work with us through a transition period, and he very graciously agreed.  So, that transition period is almost up as my last day as Creative Director at Cedar Creek Church will be August 31st.  This wasn’t an easy decision for us, and it came after much prayer, counsel and A LOT of soul searching.

Now, let me just say a few things: Jesus and I are good.  My wife and I are good.  Cedar Creek and I are good.  This has been a process in me that has been developing over the last several years.  So, if you’re looking for some juicy details, I got nothing for ya   While the last several years have been really difficult at times, I think that is the process that God often uses to move us on.  If we were always comfortable and content, none of us would change or move.

Here’s what’s up next for us:
Over the last decade plus, I’ve developed 2 businesses that I have operated in addition to my work at Cedar Creek.  Alive Media is my web, graphic and video production company that caters to businesses, churches and non profits.  4Thought Media is my company where i develop media (sermon illustrations, video countdowns, motion backgrounds, powerpoint games, and still images) for churches to use in varying ministry settings. I will be launching these businesses into a full time capacity.  We will also begin expanding our video production for businesses as well as partnering with churches to serve as a “Creative Team” for churches that may not have that or even to be a creative resource for those that do.

Also, as I’ve been praying over our next steps, the words “leave margin” keep coming to mind.  I believe that there is another piece to the puzzle that isn’t fully in focus yet, but as we go along, we are trusting that the Lord will make that clear.  I do plan on doing some fill in speaking for pastors and churches that need a break or need a fill in guy, maybe some speaking at student ministry events if that opens up. I’m not sure exactly what that looks like, either, but it sounds fun to me.

I did want to publicly say thanks to some people at Cedar Creek that have been a part of my 13 years of ministry there and have made an impact in my life:

• Richard Swift – I want to thank you for taking a chance on this really young student pastor way back in the day.  Thank you for stepping out in faith in starting Cedar Creek and for being a leader that others would want to imitate.  You are a giant in my book.
• Phillip Lee – Thank you for your friendship through the years and for working with me as God worked IN me.  I’m excited for you as God continues to lead Cedar Creek through you.
• Wes Holbrook – You were a brother to me in some very dark days.  In the desert, you were God’s mouthpiece saying, “Don’t setup camp…Keep walking.”  Love you bro.
• Danny Neu – You were the first Student Ministry staff that we had in addition to me.  Multi-talented and a servant’s heart.  I’m so thankful to have you as my friend.  Many adventures we’ve had, many more to come I’m sure.
• Kay Stanley aka K-Bird – Still remember those days in the “Old Post Office” downtown where it was Richard, you, Travis and me.  I think you will end up outlasting all of us   Thank you for going above and beyond and being the face of Jesus to so many.
• Susan Reck – I’ll never look at a green piece of paper the same way again.  Thank you for going to bat for my family and for keeping the church’s books on target all of these years.
• Walter Ray – I leave the creative department at CCC in very capable hands.  While I love seeing how God is using you in ministry, the real joy to me is watching you follow Jesus and grow into the man of God you are becoming.
• Kidz Creek and Centerpoint – Thank you for investing in my kids for all of these years.  Thank you that you not only shared with my kids the Gospel, but also “your very lives as well”. (1 Thess. 2:8)
• Samantha Thames, Tiffany Stewart, Terry Lee and the GRACE Kidz Staff and Volunteers – I have no evidence of this from Scripture, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if in Heaven there is a place of honor for those that minister to and care for children and people with special needs.  Thank you that you saw a need, that your heart was broken for that need, that you listened to Jesus and made it possible for my son and other children with special needs to know and experience Christ. I don’t have enough words to thank you.

Here’s how you can help:
Pray – We really would appreciate your prayers for our family, especially over the next several months.  This is a HUGE transition, and we’re leaning in to Christ as much as we know how.  Here are some things that we’re praying about that we would invite you to join us in:

1. Clients and the right projects – Obviously we need clients on an ongoing basis (business, church and non profit) to pay the bills, so pray that we would make connections with clients that are a good fit.  Also, pray that the Lord would bring out the creativity in us as we develop new scripts, projects and ideas.
2. Partnership – I really see working with a group of people (2 or 3…maybe more) with Alive Media and 4Thought Media to move them both toward becoming a studio of sorts.  These people would have to be the right mix of talent, heart and we’d have to work well together.  Pray that God would help me make those connections and raise up the right people.
3. House to sell – Right now our house is for sale…a tall order in this market.  Pray that we would get a good offer, preferably from a pre-approved buyer.
4. Transition – Pray for each of us the next several months will be a lot of transition.  Pray that we will all transition well.

Help us get the word out – The most effective marketing in my opinion is word-of-mouth.  If you know someone that is looking for a new website, video production, graphics help, etc., pass my name on to them.

While this is a big step of faith for us, we’re definitely excited about the road ahead.  Here we go.

“How many does your church run on Sundays?” “So, what size student ministry do you have?” “How big is your church?”  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked this question in my ministry years and even how many times I have probably asked this of others.  Here’s the rub on asking this question: If your church is running less than theirs, you end up feeling inadequate; if your church is running more than theirs you end up feeling self-righteous.  Heard a speaker say one time “There is not a whole lot that can tell you less about what’s going on in a church than that question”.  I think there is some truth in that statement.

Now, don’t misunderstand me.  I’m not wanting to get into a discussion on church growth.  Anyone can read the book of Acts and see that the early church GREW.  A church that is not growing is in decline, imo….and that’s really the point of asking a different question.

No, the thought that struck me was what if we flipped that script on the question “how many are you running?” and started asking different questions, maybe additional questions.  We’ve been going through a message series at Cedar Creek called Chairs.  It’s been a vision series with a focus on the idea that the empty chairs that we see around us on Sundays and at HOME group should serve as a visual reminder of who is missing.  This past Sunday during Wes‘ message at the West Campus, this thought hit me:

What if we started asking:

“How many empty chairs did we have at our church Sunday?”

How would that shift our focus of what we do?  We recently put together some numbers that showed there are approx. 80,000 people in Aiken County that are unreached, that are unchurched and probably don’t know Jesus.  How would asking that question shift our focus in reaching them?

Here’s a bumper we shot and edited for a series this past spring called Don’t Waste Your Life. The series was a focus on the Gospel and was centered in Isaiah 6.  We shot it in an abandoned factory here in Aiken.  Good times.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is the Smart’s brief story of how God stepped in and gave them a new direction.  The Smarts are a part of Cedar Creek On the Ridge Campus.  Phillip used this video during his message to help illustrate how Easter means that we have a new purpose in life.  If you didn’t get a chance to see the other two stories, you can find them here and here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is Michelle’s story.  If you missed the first story, then you can view it here.  We used this at the end of the Phillip’s message right before he presented the gospel.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This Easter at Cedar Creek we decided that one of the most effective ways to tell the story of Easter is to let people who have had their lives radically changed by Jesus tell their story.  So we asked some Cedar Creek people to share their stories.  You can watch the message in its entirety with the videos here.  One of the things I thought was great was that all 3 campuses were represented.  I’m going to post the stories over the next few days.

This is James’ story.  Phillip was talking about how Easter means that our past can be forgiven and used this video to help illustrate that.

Click here to view the embedded video.

..I was introduced as the new student pastor at Cedar Creek Church.  Been quite a ride.  Still am incredibly thankful to Richard Swift for taking a chance on this punk kid .  Some interesting changes at CCC (and in me) have occurred along the way:

Then: When I first arrived, we were still meeting in a day care and were averaging close to 400 people and had two services.  Our offices were in downtown Aiken in the old post office.  The only staff at that time was Richard (Lead Pastor), Kay (Secretary), Travis (Small Groups Pastor), and me as student pastor.

Now: We’re averaging close to 3,000 people across 3 campuses and a total of 5 worship experiences.  I think our staff is around 30 and we’re trying to find places for staff offices.

Then: I was coming in to my second student ministry position and was still learning the ministry ropes.

Now: In 2004, God shifted the focus of my ministry and I began leading our visual media and production at Cedar Creek….and I’m still learning the ministry ropes.

Then: Kim was pregnant with our first child Hannah.

Now: We have two kids, Hannah and Spencer.  Hannah is in middle school.  That is still a scary thought.  After doing student ministry for that long and being able to remember my middle and high school days, it helps to keep my prayer life focused.

From what I know, I think 12 years is a probably above average in one church considering most people in ministry tend to move around more often than that.  Have no clue what the journey has ahead, but if you would have told me I would be where I am at 12 years ago, I probably would have laughed.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bumper for stand alone message at Cedar Creek West Campus 12.27.09

Production Notes: Shot in a locker room with a Panasonic DVX100. Literally the morning of the shoot, we asked for volunteers at the West Campus just to very briefly (in a few words) tell their story. Audio was sketchy as I was getting some major interference on the wireless mics. Treated with Magic Bullet Looks Suite in Final Cut Pro and message graphic/motion at the end created in After Effects.

Here’s the photo/video montage that we showed this morning at the Banks Mill and West Campuses.  It was a part of the Be The Church celebrations.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Today we did something at Cedar Creek that we have never done before.  As a part of our Be The Church series, we gave away a total of $50,000 across our three campuses.  As people walked in to each of our worship experiences, they were given a sealed envelope.  Inside each envelope were various amounts: $5, $20, $50, and $100.

Phillip taught on how we are blessed by God to be a blessing to others.  It doesn’t take a huge amount of time, money or resources to bless someone.  In fact, the focus of today’s message was to begin with the “little things”.

Here are the only stipulations on how the money is to be used: 1. Don’t bless yourself.  Use it to help someone outside of your immediate family and 2. Don’t put the money back in the offering basket.

Kim and I have been talking about some ideas of how we’re going to bless back someone.  Looking forward to see the ripple effect in our community.  If you go to Cedar Creek and want to share your story about how you used the money to help someone, you can do so here.