Life At The Stone

sunday update...

2007-07-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

I got to preach yesterday. I was great! I love getting the opportunity to teach but I would not want to do it every Sunday! I am glad Gary allows me to teach from time to time. Thanks Gary!
The band played "Losing my religion" by REM and I taught our people the difference between relationship and religion.
I love being a part of what God is doing in Canton, Ga at Ridge Stone Church
Gary was preaching at all four services in Anderson, SC at New Spring Church and he did a great job. He spoke about being crazy for Jesus.
The crew went to see Gary teach the 4:15 service at it was a blast. It is funny taking someone to see New Spring Church for the first time and catch their reaction. Most every time their reaction is the same...This is incredible!
The green room at New Spring is awesome.
The staff at New Spring are a bunch of down to Earth guys that would do anything for you.
We ate at Fatz after the service (they have awesome bread)
Even did a super job leading worship Sunday. I was very impressed with his attitude and his leadership.

sunday update...

2007-07-15T12:11:00.001-07:00

Wow - If you are in a portable church then you will know what I mean when you read a couple of these items; if you are not in a portable church you probably will not.

I am amazed that people who go to a church that has a "building" freak out about churches that don't have "buildings" and they see God moving and people serving (at 5 am) and they are startled.
Here is the reality: churches don't grow because they have "buildings". They grow because of the vision of the lead pastor, the communication skills of the lead pastor, the leadership of the lead pastor, the leadership of the staff, the leadership of the volunteers, the volunteers who get the vision, the people who don't volunteer but still come and get/support the vision, and people who come because the people who get the vision told them about the stone and so in turn they get the vision and tell other people about the vision.
Gary's green room was better than ever (new drapes that actually give him and room)
Communion was great today - volunteers worked hard to make it happen
The band did good today (they did a lot of songs)
The crowd did not look big coming in the door; but the crowd looked big in the theater
I love it when a couple that is new to the stone approached me about serving (that happened today). The guy was like "5 am is not a big deal". So I got his information and gave it to Tim. Hopefully he will be a good addition to the set up team.
I put the HUGE road signs our today for the first time by myself and here is what I learned. They are big. Two of them take up the back of a truck with the tailgate down. I don't want to put them out again (that is why I am going to find someone with a big truck and let them do it). They look very good and it is worth putting them out.
The connections and cafe teams tore down in a hurry (we have to be out by 11 am because of harry potter!).
I love it when you see someone standing around and they are cool with helping you out.
We have new couple of rows right near the hallway for parents with babies. Hopefully that will be a good thing for everyone.
Jay unclogged one of the theater sinks. Thanks Jay. That allowed to finish clearing out the cafe. He ran to home depot and bought a plunger - thanks Jay.
Gary's mic worked...that's good :)

yesterday....and today

2007-07-08T03:06:00.000-07:00

Amy and I left for Elevation yesterday around 11. We stopped for lunch and then got on the road. We were making good time and having some fun talking and hanging out w/out McKenna. I love our three year old girl but it is nice to have some alone time with the wife from time to time. :)

As we were going up I-85 we noticed people slowing down and stopping. We thought there must have been a wreck. It turns out they were doing some construction project. They took everyone OFF the interstate and on some crazy detour. This entire process took TWO HOURS!!!

I would like to say thanks to the Georgia DOT for screwing up the good time we were making!!! :)

When we got here we drove to the school so we would know where to go this morning.

Last night we ate a GREAT dinner at the Bonefish Grill. I have never been to this restaurant before but it was great. I don't think Gary would dig it much since there was not an array of dead cows! :) The best part is Amy and I had a date away from Canton, GA! It was fun hanging out and then we went to get some ice cream (coffee flavored with cookie dough - very good).

This morning we are headed to Elevation and I am looking forward to it. I love seeing how other churches pull off the portable thing. We are going to meet with their Executive Pastor, Chunks, and he is going to show us around. After we visit their central campus we are going to check out their video campus. This should be a good learning tool since we are starting a video campus in January.

Say a prayer that God teaches us a lot of cool stuff that we can apply to the Stone!

stoked about Elevation!

2007-07-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Amy and I are leaving tomorrow and heading to Charlotte, NC. We are going to Elevation Church. These guys have taken us under their wing and we are stoked about checking them out and LEARNING from them (they only run a couple of thousand in less than two years).

I am meeting with their Executive Pastor, Chunks and Amy is meeting with their Production Pastor Damion. We are excited to see how they do church and meet their staff. I am looking forward to hearing Pastor. This is going to be a great trip for us and it is going to help Ridge Stone take it to the next level. I love learning from other people so I will be soaking up everything Chunks says. Say a prayer for us!

having church in a theater

2007-07-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

We meet in a movie theater. With that (as with any portable location) come challenges. Yesterday evening, after work, at 5:30 we got a call. It was the theater manager. She said that corp was sending their managers down to inspect the theater. Now we have two trailers and a pod that stay in the back of theater for the stone. The pod is full of kids stuff and connections stuff. The black trailer is full of kids stuff and connections stuff also. We have a white trailer that is full of our worship center stuff (the stage, lights, etc...). The white trailer is the size of a small house and is heavy as a LARGE house.

So we went into action. Tim moved the black trailer, I cleaned up some of our stuff that was next to the pod, and one of our volunteers with a MASSIVE truck moved the white trailer to our office. It is a great feeling when you contact a volunteer that has what you need (the massive truck) and they are more than happy to get it moved for you. Thanks Tyson for moving that thing for us with a great attitude. When we say volunteers at the stone make it happen we are not kidding. Without them I would have had to pull it with my Honda! :)

productive day

2007-07-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Blue Ridge, GA and had our first staff retreat since all of the staff changes at the stone. I thought it was a productive day. Here's what we did:

We had a time of open discussion regarding the changes. Everyone got to talk about how they felt about the new changes to the staff and how that has affected them. Some people talked about the transition and how it has been difficult for them. When you do something for 2.5 yrs and then change it as much as we have you are going to see that it can be hard on most everyone around the office. That is normal. Most everyone talked about the changes and how they may be difficult in the short term they are going to be extremely beneficial in the long term
Next Gary took some time to talk with the staff and cast vision. This is always great for all of the staff members. I love to hear Gary pour into us and more than that - HE loves it. His number one strength is Communication (followed closely behind that is significance!)
Following this we looked at everyones org chart for 1,500 people. This is something we have never done at the stone. Finally having an org chart is great. Having an org chart for growth is great also. Seeing all the same names in those boxes lets us know that we need to invest in our volunteers and help them start leading more areas at the stone. This was a time where we looked at everyones area and tore some of them apart and kept some of them the same. It is good to see an organizational structure on paper.
LUNCH - we went to a place called "The Cabin". Slow service. Great salad bar.
(we were a little behind schedule when we got back - 22 minutes because of the slow service)
After Lunch we started looking at every one's big picture. Our staff who lead ministries got to talk about where they want to go and how they plan on getting there.
Next we looked at a master calendar from now until the end of the year. Once again this is something we have never done at the stone. It is amazing to see all the ministries on one calendar. We are a simple church but we do a lot. Those churches who are not simple churches are crazy!
Next was the survey that we had our people fill out three weeks in a row. Very interesting results and fun conversation. That really helped us see what our people are like and what we should be looking at changing. We are here to reach the people of our community and this survey is going to help us do that better.
Finally we discussed hot button issues. This was a Q and A time for everyone.

Overall is was a good day. The staff worked really hard getting ready for the day and I want to say thanks to all of them.

BTW - thanks for your prayers!

focus

2007-07-02T17:30:00.001-07:00

The staff is going away tomorrow for a one day staff retreat. We are going to be talking about organization, structure, the calendar, the big picture of our minitries, and other things. I think this is going to be a great time for the staff and a day we will look back and remember as a turning point for the church. This is the most organized we have EVER been for a staff retreat and it is going to be productive. We are going up to Blue Ridge for the day so if you think about it, say a prayer for us.

Sunday Update...

2007-07-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

What happened at the stone today?

There was graffiti on the walls of our worship center (theater 8). David and Michelle were great. She said that graffiti removal would get it right off. I said "who would have something like that?" And she said she does in here garage - and she sent her husband David to get it and she cleaned it up. I love those guys.
After she cleaned up the theater smelled like paint thinner. John Pence ran to the store and got some fabreeze and started spraying. I love the attitude of people at the stone. They will do whatever it takes to help people feel welcome (and not die from the smell).
We had to be out of the lobby by 11 am today (because of the rat movie). The crews were together to make it happen. We were actually torn down by 10:45.
Satan was attacking everywhere today. No joke - there were unusual problems in every ministry.
It was dark in the theater for a long time until Joseph went and turned the side lights on. Thank God he knew how to do that.
I love Gary's green room. Seriously - it helps him focus on the message and now worry about all the stuff he would naturally worry about.
Gary's mic screwed up again today! If he continues to use hand held mics he is going to become a TV preacher.
Our people are giving. Gary challenged them to give and they are starting to. They are going to be rocked by God if they are faithful.

Sunday Update...

2007-06-24T14:22:00.001-07:00

What happened today at the stone?

1.) Gary preached about tithing (very quiet up in the joint)
2.) Gary hit someone in the head with a head of lettuce (seriously)
3.) The message was GREAT! It was in the top five of all time for Gary and the stone.
4.) New Spring has an killer and incredibly cool video camera.
5.) The creative props were off the chain today
6.) Every time someone eats a salad they are going to think about tithing
7.) The people who tithe at the stone thought the message was great. The people who don't tithe at the stone did not think the message was great!
8.) The band did "Crazy" today and a lot of our people thought it was crazy
9.) If you are a Christ Follower and don't tithe after hearing that message today then you are crazy!
10.) The lobby looked great - I loved the new signs
11.) The signs on the road were huge - I think you can see those from outer space
12.) People loved getting lettuce seeds.
13.) Seriously, you could hear a pin drop during the message
14.) I have a lot of new stuff to write on my white board
15.) I am going to Elevation with Amy July 8 and I can't wait
16.) Our July 4 hang out at the office parking lot is going to be a blast
17.) I love being a part of the stone
18.) We are about the blow the doors off Canton and north
19.) This is just the tip of the iceberg
20.) Structure is about to take the stone by force and because of that we ARE going to grow!

Sunday at the Stone!

2007-06-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Not every Sunday can have the best run through. That was the case today. This went wrong and that went wrong but the service came off pretty good until.....Gary got up to preach. His mic made one of the weirdest sounds I have ever heard. I thought the system might blow but they killed it before it did. Gary grabbed a hand held mic and somehow preached he message while holding his Bible (he does not use a stand so he holds his Bible). Today he held his Bible and the mic and was not even able to wipe the sweat away. I guess that is life when you are portable!

If you're a fool...

2007-06-14T03:49:00.000-07:00

If you're a fool don't come to church this Sunday! Listen - this Sunday is truly going to be "off the hook". Anytime Gary is away from the Stone he comes back ready to go. And this Sunday is Fathers Day. So you KNOW the message is going to be awesome you KNOW the band is going to bring a killer song. Get there and get ready to rock with a song you are going to know (unless you have lived under a rock for the past 20 yrs) and then get ready to hear Gary bring a message to the men of the church!

What a day!

2007-06-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

What a day at the stone. I had a GREAT time preaching a message based on the song "Best of You" by the Foo Fighters. Gary asked me to preach and I consider that a huge honor and blessing that he would allow to preach to our people. The band and Tim did a killer job on the song and our people dig this series. All the messages are stand alone and the band get to rock out with some rock tunes. I am stoked to hear Gary next week bring a message for Father's Day. You don't want to miss the message or the song the band is doing. It's a song that I am positive you've heard a couple of times!

Killer day!

2007-06-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is going to be awesome at the stone. I LOVE this series we are doing called Ridge Stone Rocks. We look at "secular" songs and talk about the Biblical and practical meaning behind them. This week the band is going to be playing "Best of You" by the foo fighters. I can't to here them rock it out. It is one of my favorite songs and it is powerful. If you have never heard it shoot over to itunes and check it out. You DON'T want to miss the message tomorrow - it is going to be powerful and you will be able to take it and apply it right after you here it. Get there anyway you can!

Wow!!

2007-06-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Today's service was awesome! The band NAILED "Under Pressure" and Tim's stage performance and presence for that song was his best to date. He did a GREAT job! The crowd was up and they were into that song BIG TIME. It is amazing what a "secular" song can do for your crowd. If they know it they feel right at home. And they really get into it!

Gary preached a message on how to deal with pressure and it was super. He made some excellent points and the crowd was really lively today. It was a good job all the way around.

I can't wait till next Sunday!

just kidding....

2007-05-29T13:27:00.001-07:00

It looks like we had 85 people baptized Sunday!!

81....Amazing!!!

2007-05-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

WOW - What a day! We baptized 81 people!! That IS why we do what we do. We want to see life change happen and today was a real example of that. We serve a BIG GOD and it was GREAT to be a part of something like today. I was honored that Gary asked me to help baptize with him. Today was the first day I baptized ANYONE and I must have baptized 35+! Amazing! I just hope and pray this is only the beginning and God allows me to baptize a whole, whole lot more next time!

I want to say a special thanks to ALL the volunteers who made it happen today!!! Thanks - it would NOT have happened without you!. So many of you came together to make it happen and the staff says a HUGE THANK YOU!!! You guys are the best volunteers in the world. To see how much you are ALL sold out to Christ truly humbles and amazes me. Thank You!

This is only the beginning of the HUGE things GOD has in store for us at the stone.

Hold ON!!!

Pirates 3??

2007-05-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

I went to see Pirates 3 last night with the crew from the stone and here is what I can tell you about it......not much because I did not GET IT!

It was very confusing but it was great visually and creatively. So go see it and tell me what in the world was going on!

Don't Forget!

2007-05-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

Stoners - Don't forget to bring a 12 pack of drinks for the RSC Tailgating service this Sunday (NO ALCOHOL)! We are stoked about this Sunday. Last year when we did baptisms is was a great day. It truly is awesome to see people commit their lives to Christ publicly. God is doing some great things at the stone. If you want to be a part of the baptisms and get dunked shoot me an email. See you Sunday!

It's not too late....

2007-05-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

If you want to be baptized then it's not too late. Let me know and we'll add you to the list and dunk you Sunday!

If you have any questions please call the church office 770-345-2737 or email me! (malcolm@ridgestonechurch.com)

We need your camper!!

2007-05-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Stoners - as you know we are doing an outdoor service this Sunday. During the service we will be baptizing folk. If you have a camper we would love to use it this Sunday. Please email Amy if you would like for us to use it amy@ridgestonechurch.com

Thanks - and we'll see you Sunday!

Message Based Curriculm (May 20)

2007-05-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

H2O

Gary’s message this week addressed one of the most controversial issues in the Church today – Baptism. The subject of Baptism has caused church splits, family splits, & been a component in the formation of denominations. The most amazing part about this, is that Scripture is very clear about:

Who should get Baptized
The method of Baptism
When a person should get Baptized

As with most things in the Bible, the Church has done a very good job of complicating an issue that is very clear in Scripture.

Read to start:

From the early days of Christianity, water Baptism was used as a public confession of a changed life. Prior to Jesus arriving on the scene, John the Baptist Baptized people in the Jordan River as a public confession of Repentance from sin (See Matthew 3:1-12, & Luke 3:1-3). Even Jesus went to John the Baptist and was water Baptized (See Matthew 3:13-16 & Luke 3:21-22).

Acts 2:37-38 (NIV):

37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Commentary on Acts 2:37-38:

Peter calls upon his audience to change their opinion of and attitude toward Jesus and to be Baptized in the name of Jesus as a public acknowledgement that they had accepted Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Baptism in and of itself is not a means of forgiveness and salvation. For the early Church, however, there was no separation between ritual and reality. Coming to Christ and being Baptized were mutually inclusive.

Discussion questions:

Who should be Baptized?

Christ Followers, those who have willfully and deliberately made a decision to repent and place their faith in Jesus and follow Him.

Read:

One of the most disputed areas in the disagreements about Baptism is in the method. Some believe Baptism is as a child by being sprinkled, some believe Baptism is after salvation by being sprinkled, some believe you get Baptized 3 times, some believe you get down in the water, some believe the pastor has to get down in the water with you. There are many different beliefs in the method, but let’s see what the Bible has to say:

Matthew 3:16 (NIV):

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water…

Acts 8:38-39 (NIV):

38…And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he Baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water…

Commentary:

It seems clear from these 2 passages of Scripture that both the Baptism of Jesus and the Baptism of the eunuch were done by immersion. The early Christians were Baptized by immersion, meaning their bodies were in the water, went under the water, and came up out of the water. The Greek word for Baptism – Baptizeo – means to wash, immerse, dip under. The word in and of itself literally means to immerse oneself. At RSC we believe and practice Baptism by immersion.

Discussion question:

What method of Baptism do you subscribe to or were you raised with?

Obviously answers will vary here, but the discussion could be interesting.

Read:

Another hot spot in the Baptism disagreement is timing. Many people were Baptized as infants and young children before they were even able to comprehend who Jesus is or what He has done for them. There is nothing wrong with being Baptized as a young child, but it is simply a nice memory for your family and holds no Biblical backing.

Acts 8:12 (NIV)

But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were Baptized, both men and women.

Commentary:

Every instance of Baptism in the New Testament is AFTER someone becomes a follower of Jesus (See Acts 2:41, 10:48, 22:16). Baptism is our way of telling and showing the world that we have chosen to become a follower of Jesus. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward condition.

Discussion question:

When does Scripture teach us a person should get Baptized?

Baptism is the 1^st act of obedience after repenting and placing our faith in Jesus.

Conclusion:

Why do I need to get Baptized?

Baptism let’s the world know I am a follower of Jesus Christ

Colossians 2:12 (NIV):

…having been buried with Him in Baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Baptism illustrates my new life as a Christ Follower

Romans 6:4 (NIV):

We were therefore buried with Him through Baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Baptism demonstrates my obedience to Christ

Matthew 28:19 (NIV):

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, Baptizing them…

As humans, we don’t like to be told what to do, but Christ tells us to be Baptized.

HT Leaders:

Ask your group if anyone is getting Baptized next weekend and ask them to share why they have chosen to get Baptized now.

RSC Jasper!!

2007-05-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

If you are a Stoner you know that we are headed to Jasper. I am stoked about being the Campus Pastor up there and helping lead our launch team for RSC Jasper. God is doing some great things at the stone and I can't wait to see what he does in the future (at Canton and Jasper). If you have questions or if you want to be part of the Jasper launch team please email me or call the office and we'll chat (770)345-2737.

Membership Class Cancelled!

2007-05-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Our membership class for Friday May 18 has been cancelled. Look for announcements for our next membership class coming up in September. We look forward to seeing you at our next class!

RSC Tailgating Service!!

2007-05-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

Our RSC Tailgating service is going to be Sunday, May 27 at 10 am. We are going to be dunking people left and right (literally). If you want to be baptized sign up now by emailing me - malcolm@ridgestonechurch.com.

This is going to be a fun day filled with baby dedications, baptisms, and food! It's going to be a blast and you don't want to miss it.

Here's what we are asking you to bring - 12 packs of drinks (no alcohol). We are going to slap them in some coolers and enjoy some grilled dogs and chips after the service. Your kids are going to have a blast on the inflatables. If you would like for your child to be dedicated that day email our Family Pastor Preston Porter at preston@ridgestonechurch.com

We look forward to seeing you Sunday May 27 for the RSC Tailgating Service! It's going to be a blast!

Multi-Site Questions

2007-05-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

Gary has a great post helping answer your multi-site questions. You can check it out here.