This week we are launching our new series called “Simple” and I am pumped up about it. We are going to be looking at the three things Ridge Stone is about:

Loving God

Loving Others

Serving Others

From day one that has been our focus. This week we will share with you how that affects your every day life and how it determines what we do and don’t do as a church. You do not want to miss this series!!!

On top of the great topic, we are busting out one of my favorite songs EVER!!! Trust me it is a song you never thought you would hear in church

This blog has been good to me the last two years but today I am officially moving to WordPress and my own domain. I have had the domain directed here for a while but in the future that will be the only way to check out the blog.

Update your bloglines, feeds, and all that other stuff I don’t understand.
The new blog is www.garylamb.org
We still have some tweaking to do to it but it is live!

Shout out to Ken Wilson for hooking me up with the new blog!

See ya over there!

After hearing the band freaking NAIL the Daughtry song “It’s Not Over” to end our 4 Better 4 Worse series I had now choice but unwind tonight listening to Daughtry.

Great CD with some great songs on it. Of course you can never go wrong when you have a song featuring Slash ripping on the guitar.
I honestly thought the song today could not have been better to end our marriage series.

Allow me to give a disclaimer before posting: About 2 hours ago I bent over and I had a pain run through my back like I have never experienced in my life. It literally knocked me face down on the ground and I could not move for about 5 minutes. I am in such pain that I can’t be responsible for anything I write below if it doesn’t make sense.
Today was AWESOME. I personally thought it was the best service of the series. The crowds were GREAT, the worship was GREAT, and I thought the message was pretty good as well. This will go down as one of my favorite series without a doubt.

I found out today that we have given out over 500 message CD’s in the last four weeks!!!! This series hit a nerve and I think that is awesome. We also added some very cool families over the last month. We have grown a little over 200 people in the last month and that has been awesome as well.

Next week we launch a series called Simple and we are going to look at the three things we do as a church. We are going to be talking about Loving God, Loving Others, and Serving Others. Should be a great series as well.

I have grown to love Saturday nights.

I remember sitting at the ChurchPlanters.com conference last year and hearing Bil Cornelius talk about how protective he was of his Saturday nights because the most important thing he does is Sunday.

It convicted me. DeAnna and I decided that we will not do anything after 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays. I mean nothing. My extended family has got mad a few times about it but the greatest thing I do is teaching on Sundays and Saturdays nights I need to start to unwind and focus on the awesome responsibility of Sunday.

I have had to turn down a lot of good things like Georgia games to make sure I am ready for the greatest thing which is Sunday.

I usually spend about 4:30-6:30 with the family and then DeAnna settles down the house. She gets the kids off, bathed, and to bed and I spend the rest of the evening looking over my sermon, listening to music and chilling out.

I have learned as the church grows I have to become more protective with my time and Saturdays are non-negotiable on my calendar.

Tonight I am sitting here getting pumped about tomorrow. I am excited about the message, I am excited about the people who walk through our doors need to hear the message, I am excited about our regulars who are having their lives changed by what God is doing, I am excited about the person who doesn’t even want to be there but will leave looking at God and church in a different way after leaving

On the iPod tonight is the latest offering from The Desperation Band.

Mark Batterson is the Lead Pastor of National Community Church in D.C. and is kind of a forerunner in multi-site church and church in the movies. Met him last year when I got to be on a panel of speakers meeting in a movie theater at his Buzz Conference. He is a sharp dude.

Just read on his blog that their theater flooded and they are scrambling to relocate for Sunday. That is rough.

You can read it here and THAT is why I say church planting is the extreme sport of ministry.

I love church planting!!!!

Had a great lunch with Michael today. They are so far ahead of where we were in regards to systems and junk then we were at that stage that it is crazy. He is doing a good job. They are outgrowing their theater and it made me very thankful for our MONSTER theater that we have. Having a movie theater that holds 600 is overwhelming when you are trying fill that joker up, but it is nice when you need space.

Drove down to West Ridge and spent about 30 minutes with Brian. Honestly one of the highlights of my life was being on staff at West Ridge. To be part of a church that was running 3,000 and still meeting in a high school gym stretched my vision BIGGER then I thought possible. WRC doesn’t get the pub a lot of churches get but they are 9 years old running 3500 and they are getting it done. It has been cool to see my relationship with Brian evolve from him being my boss to him being my peer and mentor. I have said it a thousand times but they have dealt with a lot of heat for things we have done and they have not always agreed BUT they have alway supported us. Talking to Brian today about some of my insecurities and struggles as we grow was huge. It was worth the drive.

Then I got to hang out with my family the rest of the day. Like never before I appreciate and value my time with them. As the church grows I have to balance my time with them to insure they are my #1 focus. Today we took Ashlyn to Nana and Papa’s for the weekend and then I came home and painted Thomas The Train pictures with Avery and watched Toy Story. It was a blast.

I just got done looking over my notes for Sunday and I got to tell you it is going to be off the hook!!!! We are wrapping up our series 4 Better 4 Worse and I can’t wait to talk about marriage and money this weekend.

See ya Sunday!!!!

Yesterday and today I am in meeting mode. Had a good breakfast yesterday with a local pastor. I had a good time talking to him and hearing their story. They have plowed on for 5 years and though things haven’t went as they planned, the dude is hanging in there and seemed as pumped up as ever for his church. I like that. It convicted me on the fact that I don’t do as good a job as I could on reaching out to area church plants. If nothing else, it reminded me be praying for area churches more. I like the guy and he has asked me to come and speak to his leadership team. I am praying about it.

The yesterday afternoon I had a cool lunch with Greg Sinclair. It ended up being the entire staff and a few of a our musicians. You can never go wrong with BBQ so it was good as well.

This morning I have breakfast with Michael, pastor of Oak Leaf Church in Cartersville. They are getting it done and I am looking forward to hearing what God is doing there. Michael and I probably could not be any more different but we both have the same vision and that is to impact our communities with the gospel. I am looking forward to it.

THEN I am heading down to West Ridge to meet with my pastor, Brian Bloye (can’t link to him, no blog) and having lunch with Jim Akins who is over their church planting efforts. I don’t get down to see our momma church very often anymore but I always enjoy my time down there.

Lot’s of meetings the last few days but they have been good and I enjoyed the break from the norm.

If you have come to The Stone for any amount of time you have seen the red headed guy who looks like a postmodern grizzly Adams working at the youth booth. Also if you have kids you probably have HEARD Taylor because trust me she is not quiet.

Both of them are vital members of RSC and will probably be coming on staff by the end of the year.

Anyway Chris FINALLY did the smartest thing he has ever done since accepting Christ and that is pop THE question to Taylor last night. She was not as smart because she said YES.

Congrats guys!!! You guys are going to make an awesome team for God.

Headache gone. Now head is just sore from having such a bad headache.
I think this is the last day of the pain from no sugar and caffeine. I am looking forward to having energy and starting to lose weight will be nice too.