• Wrappped our Confession Of A Pastor series today.  GREAT series, but I am ready to move on to the next one!
• Dana Jacobs KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK TODAY by busting out a little Brooks and Dunn.  Holy crap, she was awesome!
• We went country with the entire set today.  Tommy Dodd joined us and I dig hearing the dude on Steel Guitar.
• We had a teenager who works at the theater wrote the F bomb all over some of our signs.  That was nice.  Not.
• We had Cherie Duffy from New Spring in to do some consultating for our kids area today.  She was GREAT and even though I haven’t seen her report yet, she made it clear we have A LOT of work to do.  We WILL make the necessary changes and do whatever it takes to make that area as effective as possible.
• We start a series next week called Deadliest Catch where we will go through the book of Jonah.  I am calling an audible on the entire series.  On the way home today, God changed my entire direction for our next series.  We have NEVER changed a series like this but, next we are launching a series called…….well, you’ll just have to wait and see what we are changing the series too.
• Membership class this Friday night!!!!!!
• DeAnna is getting ready to cook her world famous, okay nearly world famous hot wings for tonight!
• I’m getting ready to cook my world famous cookies.  They come already made, but I do have to put them in the oven.
• Jennifer starts FULL TIME tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Lifehouse is coming.  DeAnna and are going with this couple and it is going to rock.
• I have a LONG LONG week ahead.
• Super Bowl tonight!  I think it is going to be a lot closer than people think and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants pull the upset.
• I love our church!!!

• FUN and INTENSE service today!
• It was fun to have service again!!!
• Lot’s of new people. Lot’s of new people leaving with their jaws dropped after the message.
• Anytime you have an excuse to play Keep Your Hands To Yourself by The Georgia Satellites it is a fun day.
• I was as open and as honest as I have EVER been today. It actually made me uncomfortable, but I think it was a message that was needed.
• We had about a 65/35 split between the two services today. Considering we are normally about 85/15, I’ll take it.
• Even with all the new people moving to the first service, we were about 80% full in the second service.
• Patrick had someone who reads my blog attend his first service today. My understanding is they use to live in Canton and read my blog. But they didn’t attend Revolution when they lived in Canton. Shame on them.
• VERY nice having a sound consultant in the service today. I think there was a big difference in the sound. Our guys are all new and sold out and with a little more experience they are going to be great.
• The theater manger called and said someone named Wendy grabbed my Bible today. Thanks Wendy! If you read this blog, I need that before Sunday.
• We had a lot of people talking about the Unleash Conference today. If you want to go, we’ll pay your way. Simply hit the CONTACT button at the top of the blog and sign up.
• I am gone Wednesday and Thursday this week at a pastor’s roundtable. This group of pastors is actually going to meet 3-4 times this year. I am looking forward to it.
• One more week of our Confessions Of A Pastor series. It has been a great series, but I am sick of confessing. I want to get back to pointing everyone else’s faults out, not mine.
• I hear rumors of a Guitar Hero tournament at ChurchPlanters.com Conference. Interesting…..
• I’ve got postal workers in Acworth, Canton, and Cumming. I love getting the scoop on what other churches are doing in terms of marketing.
• As I walked around today, it literally seemed like everyone in our church either had a newborn or was pregnant.
• I preached on Staying Sexually Pure Is Hard Work today. I told the church I was thinking of calling the message, I like boobs. I guess there is a shirt that says that and I only had about 15 people tell me they were getting me one. Only at Revolution.
• We are trying to improve our children’s area to help it get to the next level. We have some great volunteers in that area and next we have a consultant coming so I am excited about that!!!! That area is to important to not run awesome.
• I am thinking we are going to take our entire staff over to Mountain Lake next Sunday night just to see someone else in action.
• Brian is coming over tonight to help us train our dog. He trained K9’s in the military. He is multi-talented. He works security and will shoot you on Sunday morning and trains dogs at night.
• We got a lot of stuff to move this week out of all our storage places. NOT fun.
• I love the excitement our Jasper crowd has. They are ready to get started!!!!!!
• Have you seen the new Revolution signs around town? They look great!
• A ton of pastors in town are now blogging. I like reading them and it makes me laugh as I read their blogs and they are acting nothing like they are in real life. Guys, just be yourself!!!
• Next week you can start signing up to help us put on the biggest Easter egg hunt in the history of Cherokee County.
• I am trying to work in a road trip where I can go hang out with Perry for a day and with Steven for a day. Things are jus so busy it is hard to get away.
• It is weird not have football on today.
• Today was a GREAT example of why we don’t allow children in our services.
• Get your friends to church this week!!! If they are skeptics and doubt God, this will be the message for them!
• Anyone got any good music they are listening to?
• I’m going to play Guitar Hero with Ashlyn. See ya!

• No church today
• I literally slept all day. I slept till 9:30, then went back to sleep at 1 and woke up about 3:30.
• My voice seems a little better. Hopefully by next week I will be 100%
• For some reason I have been very dizzy all day. I think I am dying.
• It is freaking COLD outside.
• The Pack and Giants are playing tonight and it is supposed to be below zero
• It feels so weird not having church on a Sunday
• Got to decide if we are cutting one week off of our Confession series or if we are going to go a week longer since we didn’t have church today. I’m leaning towards going a week long
• This has been a week of finding out interesting stuff. Can’t go into details, but it has been interesting.
• Our boxer thinks he is a lap dog
• Next week I am hooking up with 10-12 other pastors for 24 hours to do nothing but talk shop and share ideas.
• We have managed to keep a fire going for two days now.  I’m impressed.
• Next Sunday will be insane.  I will have sat on this sermon for two weeks and I will be more than ready to bring it.
• GET your friends to church this Sunday.  Let’s pick up right where we left off last week.
• I’m going to watch some football and probably going back to sleep.

You are going to have to deal with lists over the next couple of days because I got a lot of thoughts on my mind.

As we get ready to launch our second campus, here is what is running through my noggin right now:

• I think the multi-site model of ministry is GREAT for a church like ours that has a desire to go into smaller towns where church plants might never go.
• Tonight we find out if we get to start our build-out at our Jasper location.  If we get the go ahead, we start construction tomorrow.
• Multi-site is all about branding.  I am blown away by the response in Jasper from people that already know about our church.
• Campus Pastor is the KEY role in the whole thing.  This person has to be a leader, but also a team player.  To be a campus pastor you have to be a very unselfish person.  You are leading, but you are not the primary teacher or vision caster.
• Worship is the second big role.  God has blessed us so much musically that we are fine for the short-term.  However, we need to bring another worship leader on staff asap.  Finding that person is such a key hire.  They will be under Tim’s leadership and have to fit in our with our team.  Artsy, Fartsy guys need not apply.
• We will probably NOT assign a worship leader to a campus.  Instead we will rotate them among all our campuses.
• Creating a buzz BEFORE you launch is EASY and IMPORTANT
• Doing a build out on a budget is stressful.  I think IF possible it is best to go portable.
• I think the second one is probably the hardest and most expensive one to launch.  As we launch our 3, 4, and 5th campuses, we will already have the video recording equipment so we will only need to buy equipment for that campus.
• Your mindest changes to leader reproduction quickly
• Reproducing has to become a core value in all aspects.  We are saying we have to reproduce EVERY aspect of everything at every campus or we won’t do it at any campus.
• I’m excited to see us change North Georgia with the gosple of Jesus Christ!!!

• Another awesome day!
• We popped around 1000 again.  Haven’t seen total numbers, but it looked equal to last week.
• I literally, I mean literally lost my voice teaching today.  It is shot.
• Yes, I compared prayer and sex.  The comparison worked in my mind.
• Fantasy Football Party tonight. I’m in a keeper league so we have to announce who we are keeping. You can keep four players and you lose the round they were drafted.
• I only allow myself to subscribe to 30 blogs at a time. Today I deleted about 15 and added 15 new ones. Some of the ones I bumped, I have had since I started blogging. But, for whatever reason they aren’t connecting right now.
• We got to nail down our 2008 conference schedule this week. I want to take the entire staff to one conference together. We do Unleash and I am thinking of the Drive Conference as well.
• With staff changes comes staff office shuffle. Preston moved into Malcolm’s old office and took all of my office furniture. Adam moved into the creative meeting room and has set-up shop. It makes me laugh watching everyone move offices for about the 100th time since we started.
• HUGE meeting with Pickens County concerning our Jasper build-out Monday night. We have already had the HOA of the neighborhood around the building call and let us know they will be opposing the rezoning. Bummer. They are mad at the landowner over some other things, not us. Still sucks.
• Ashyln has discovered Hannah Montana. Kill me now.
• Our dog got this “boys” cut off last week. He has been pretty hyper since it happened. I thought it was supposed to calm him down.
• Adam is heading up 85 this week to pick up our video equipment we have been given. Nice.
• Friday night I am teaching at the Men’s Conference at West Ridge Church. I’m looking forward to it.
• We have all our teaching series nailed down until June. We got some cool things planned.
• I ate an authentic Cuban meal today.  Cuban pork, black beans, rice, and yuca root.  It was awesome.  Bob, do you know what a yuca root is?  It freaked me out at first.
• I know a teenager that is about to BLOW a great opportunity because he wants to do things “his way.” It breaks my heart how stupid he is being.
• I am ready to launch our Jasper location!!!!!!!!
• Watching the Packers last night was the way football should be played. I love Favre.
• I’m so tired, I have nothing else left on my mind.

Got a lot on my mind so here goes:

• Christmas was GREAT!!!!  We went nowhere.  We just stayed around the house in our PJ’s till about 1.  Grandparents came over about 3 and stayed the perfect amount of time (about 2 hours) and then we just laid around some more.
• BEST GIFT: VAN HALEN tickets!!!!!!!  Not to just one show, but to both of their shows.  Two different people got me tickets and I am pumped!  I love concerts.
• Of course the only gift we give in this family is concert tickes so I got DeAnna tickets to Bon Jovi/Daughtery.  Should be fun also.
• Today is DeAnna’s birthday.  She is the love of my life and I thank God every day for allowing me to be married to her.  As is our tradition, we spent the entire day at the mall and I wasn’t allowed to complain.  Had a blast!!!
• Heading out to West Virginia tomorrow to teach a few hundred teenagers at the Sidekick Students Winter Retreat.  We got a good group of our kids going and my family is going.  I haven’t taught to students in probably 9 years so I really don’t know what to say or do.  I just plan on bringing the heat like I do on Sundays.  Our kids seem to dig it so I hope the other kids dig it.
• We have a 50,000 piece mailer hitting mailboxes next week and we are featured on the cover of Around Canton Magazine in January.  It all points to our new teaching series called Confessions Of A Pastor.  This series is going to be me no-holds barred.  I’m a open book already so this should be interesting.
• NO CHURCH THIS SUNDAY!!!!!!!! Enjoy the Sunday with your family.
• We’ve made a couple of additions to our team at Revolution.  Aaron Olson is coming in for the next few months to do programming and stage design (which he had already been doing since our 24 series) and we have hired Jennifer Vogelpohl full-time to come be do all our business administrative.  I’ve been trying to hire Jennifer since about 3 months after we started the church and finally with some of our people moving onto other things and her ready for a new adventure, the stars aligned.  Very excited to have her in the office.
• Seeing our people show up to deliever doughnuts on Christmas Eve was awesome.  Very proud of our church.  Loving pastoring a church I would attend even if I wasn’t on staff.
• I can’t lie, it felt weird not having our big Christmas Eve blow-out, but we’ll come STRONG next year with it.
• Still can’t believe we brought in $83,000 in our Next Step Offering.  Revolution is amazing.
• I almost bought some shoes today.  I haven’t bought a pair of shoes in probably 5 years and have only worn shoes about 3 times this year, but it might be time for a change.
• No good music out right now.
• We took the dog to a bording place today and I am not happy.  I am worried about the little fellow, but I guess he’ll be fine until Sunday.  He better be….
• I’m going to enjoy the next week off but honestly, I am ready to go back to work now.  I love what I do, but I know resting from it is good for Revolution, for my family, and me.
• I started praying some VERY specific prayers about our church a few months ago.  They included location issues, staffing issues, multi-site issues, and financial issues.  God has rocked my world by answering those prayer requests.  Some the way I thought he would, some NOT they way He would.  Either way, I am glad He is control and trust Him to build this place.
• Chris and Taylor close on their first house on Friday.  VERY proud of them.
• I wonder what God has in store in 2008?

More thoughts running through my head:

• Did I mention we raised $71,000 today!!!!
• I was rocking the sports coat today
• Swift tore it up on When Love Comes To Town
• I wish I only had one name like Swift.  How about just Lamb?  Doesn’t have the same ring.
• I got to figure out how to get our dog to quit chewing everything in the house
• Just saw a glimpse of the new Batman.  Yeah baby!!!
• DeAnna is starting to cook all the once a year goodies she makes every year.  I’m pretty excited.  The next two days I will simply eat, eat, and eat some more.
• One more week until the Sugar Bowl.  I ain’t going to lie, the Warriors worry me
• Got someone who just emailed and wants to deliver doughnuts to those working at the liquor store tomorrow night.  That’s awesome!!!!
• Had a few “old” faces back at church today.  I was glad they were back.
• I have had Zaxby’s 4 nights in a row.  Not good.
• Okay, no more thoughts for the night….

• What a DAY!!!!!
• Second service was SLAMMED!!! Highest attendance since around Easter!!!
• Hands down, one of the worst services ever during 9:00 a.m. service. We were not in the grove. #1 priority for the new year is get our mojo back at 9.
• Hands down, one of the BEST services we have ever had during our 10:30 service. The place was slammed, we made some huge adjustments from the first service, and we hit a grand slam.
• About 6 months ago, Stonecreek Church gave us a TON of stuff including some VERY nice signs. We use them every week and they are awesome. Today, we had awful weather and about 10 minutes of crazy, crazy wind and it blew the front of the sign off at the entrance. So the sign said Stonecreek Church instead of Revolution. This has never happened before.  The funny thing was Steven Gibbs, the pastor of Stonecreek was in our service this morning. The funnier thing was our people ready to go lynch someone at Stonecreek because they thought they put it in front of our theater.
• Glo-sticks. Nuff said
• The energy in the second service today was insane.
• Love doing communion.
• All is right with the world. After a week of waiting, Kathy Knight’s cookie platter showed up this morning. I have been waiting since last Christmas for that!!!  I kid you not, they cookies are all already gone.
• We are all working today at the office, getting ready for January 6th so we can be off until January 2nd.
• NO Church next Sunday!!! Enjoy the Sunday off.
• We took up our Next Step Offering today. I didn’t know what to expect with the economy like it is.
• Honestly, I had no idea and for the first time ever, I didn’t know if we would raise what was needed to purchase the needed equipment to allow us to go multi-site.
• Did I mention that I didn’t know what to expect?
• This morning, the people of Revolution Church gave
  
• $71,092.82!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME????????????? That is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!
• We are now going to be able to pay CASH for everything needed to capture videos for us to launch multiple campuses. That includes cameras, computers, and a TON of stuff I don’t even understant. We are also going to be able to make MASSIVE improvements to our Canton campus. I am literally shocked and overwhelmed by the people of Revolution. You guys blow me away!!!!!
• I am actually looking forward to hanging out with our students at the ski trip this week!!!!!
• Christmas Eve tomorrow at the office at 4:00 p.m. We got 250 dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts to pass out to those working on Christmas Eve.
• We had our staff Christmas party tonight.  VERY low key affair, but it was nice to just hang out with people who make Revolution happen.
• Ch-ch-ch-Changes at Revolution in 2008.  We got some new blood coming on staff and that is always exciting.
• I still don’t feel like it is Christmas
• SO many new people lately that it is crazy.
• I can always tell when people start buying into the vision of Revolution because they change from saying it is my church to saying it is their church.  They go from saying me to saying we.  I love that.
• I got a Stryper pillow today.  Awesome!!!
• We have some hurting people and that hurts me.  I hate to see our people going through hard times.
• Looks like I am going to win the loser bracket of our fantasy football league.  I am the king of the losers.
• God is stirring me on some big time things about how we are going to help other churches this next year.
• Taylor is filling in some huge areas right now and I am super proud of her!!!
• As people were coming down to take communion today, I just sat back and watched person after person who has have had their live changed while attending Revolution.  I’m far from perfect and we have done a lot wrong at Revolution but seeing the lives that have been impacted make it ALL worth it.
• I am worn out and I am going home and going to bed.
• See everyone at the warehouse tomorrow night!!!

• Probably one of the best services we ever had was today!
• There are some Sundays when things click and there are some Sundays where EVERYTHING clicks.  Today, everything was clicking.
• Today you saw why I believe Tim is one of the best worship leaders I have ever seen.  The music was AWESOME today.  They played “40″ by U2 as a worship song and it was off the hook.
• We borrowed Joel back from Oak Leaf (hey, he was ours first ) and he simply NAILED the song Where The Streets Have No Name.  I miss Joel, but I honestly am glad he has a church closer to home.
• Click here and you will see how Oak Leaf and Revolution are changing the world through gingerbread houses. :)  Go to the third story down.  Mitch goes to Revolution.  Brett goes to Oak Leaf.
• I have spent more time in prayer over the last few day then I have in a long time and I can really tell it.
• I think I quit leading in some very important areas over the last few months.  Trust me, that stops now.
• Through some friends and my quiet time, God has really reminded me that I am the leader of Revolution and everything rises and falls on leadership.  I will be stepping some things up big time starting first thing tomorrow.
• If you have friends who don’t know Christ, do WHATEVER it takes to get them to church this Sunday!!!!
• Have you heard what we are doing for Christmas Eve?
• Our Next Step offering is this coming Sunday!!!  I love it when God stretches us!!!!
• Adam is taking over our Tech Team at the start of the year.  I really love that dude.
• Laney and Jenna are doing a great job in the kids area.
• I just realized my fantasy team is in the playoffs.  It is the loser bracket, but it is the playoffs.  I’m losing.
• Honestly, I am flying high after today.  Love Sundays like today.  Sundays are better then any drugs I use to do.
• It is almost Christmas!!!
• I’m getting ready to head to Winterplace with Michael to teach at one of his winter camps.  Very cool.
• Zaxbys tonight.  Mmmm…..
• We have 5 former pastors at Revolution.  That’s cool.  We also have 5 kids of pastors who attend.  That’s cool too.  We also have 2 people who work for the North American Mission Board.  I dig them too.
• Man, the Falcons stink.
• Taylor gave me what might be the coolest shirt in history today.
• Two Words: Rockstar Mocha.  Yes, they have it and Yes, I have had it.  awesome!
• We are NOT having church December 30th.  Enjoy the Sunday with your family.
• Tons of guests today.
• I just saw the front cover of Around Canton Magazine for January.  We are on the cover.  Actually, I am on the cover and it seems a little weird to be honest.  The story inside is great!!!
• Several sport coats today.  See, we got a little class.
• Fire place is going!!!  Finally!!!
• Props to our set-up team for setting the place in the freezing cold this morning!!!
• There is a natural buzz right now in the church that is off the hook.
• I love my friends.
• I can’t believe I get to do this for a living!!!

• Yesterday was awesome!!!
• Our attendance, giving, people serving, and people buying into what God is doing is HUGE right now.
• I have always prided myself on the fact that we give it our all during the first service and don’t use it as a practice service like other churches I have seen BUT we have dropped the ball the last two weeks during the first service. I hit a dud yesterday in the early service.
• I’m still flying high about the stories on RevolutionaryLove.tv. Simply Amazing!!!
• Yesterday, we collected over $5500 in gift cards for the two homes from Goshen Valley Boys Ranch that attend Revolution. FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!
• This week we are partnering with MUST Ministries to help them stock their clothing closet with NEW coats, mittens, socks, and undergarmets. You guys have been awesome letting God use you, keep it up!!!!
• I’m glad my family is back.
• The Patriots are just punking people out big time.
• I ate like crap while DeAnna was gone and I am paying for it. I feel like crap.
• If you have friends who don’t know Jesus, do whatever it takes to get them to church on December 23rd!!!!! We are going to present the gospel in a clear and relevant way.
• American Gladiators is back on??? Are you serious? The writers strike has to end SOON!!!!!
• I love it when other pastors in town love our church so much they invite people to attend our place instead of theirs!!!
• It is supposed to get to 76 degrees here today!!!!  I want SNOW!!!!!
• We have some cool things planned for the start of the year!
• We are on the cover of Around Canton Magazine next month!!!!
• I got a picture of David Anderson coming to me from this last Saturday.  I will be posting it soon for the simple purpose of humiliating him.
• Still impressed with Tech hiring Paul Johnson.  I love that dude.
• I am excited about Christmas Eve this year!!  We are doing something pretty cool.
• I’m still not totally sold on the dog, but he is growing on me.
• Back to work.