2008's top scuds

Dwight has fired some doozies throughout the course of the year. Here are what I consider to be his biggest scuds of 2008:

• If you're not planning in investing in people and inviting them to church...and if you're not planning on serving at NewPointe, then I'd encourage you to find another church. Because if we get too many of you around here, we'll end up becoming the kind of church you didn't want to attend in the first place.
• Many of us depend more on our money than we do our Heavenly Father. How can I tell? By your giving.
• Most of us are more interested in hearing about Christ than we are willing to share about Christ.
• One of the lies we believe is that people are not interested in Christ. We think that because they're not interested in church, then they must not be interested in Jesus. The reason they're not interested in church is because for too long we've lectured them instead of loved them.
• Too many of us use the "I'm not perfect, I'm just forgiven" slogan as an excuse for our lack of spiritual transformation.
• God defines your success in terms of your commitment to His church. If you choose not to get involved, the kingdom of God will still move ahead. We'll be okay...but you won't be okay.
• When we choose not to serve we're actually saying something like this to God, "God thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins. Thanks for giving me gifts and talents. Thank you for my job. Thank you for my family. Thank you for giving me so much. And by the way God, would you just continue to bless me? See, you've given me so much, that I now don't have the time to serve you by getting involved in serving at the church..."
• Good people don't go to heaven. People in right-standing with God go to heaven.
• The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. There's no other way.
• Have you ever wondered, If there is a God, why are there so many starving people in the world? It's because God's people don't put first things first.
• Why don't we have adult Sunday School at NewPointe? It's because you don't need to come and sit in yet another room and listen to yet another lesson. We're kicking you out to serve.
• The church does not exist for you. We are the church and we exist for the benefit of those outside the church.
• If you don't want to be a part of a church that's growing and leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ then you have my permission to leave.

And I expect that 2009 will be just as scud-a-licious as 2008 was. Happy new year!

christmas eve @ newpointe :: video now online

I've heard so much positive feedback about the Christmas Eve services. In addition to the music and the lights, I've received tons of positive feedback about Dwight's message. It seems as though it really, really connected with a lot of people. So...in case you missed it (or if you just want to experience it again), click below to watch the entire NewPointe Christmas Eve service.

Christmas Eve 2008 from NewPointe Community Church on Vimeo.

2009 personal goals

I'm setting some goals for 2009. Posting many of them here. There's something about making them known that causes me to want to make good on them. So here are a few. Feel free to check up on me by asking about them...

1. Read through the entire Bible.
2. Journal more. "More" is vague. More specifically: I want to journal at least four times a week.
3. Date my wife. A regular date-night with Jenny. Two per month, minimum.
4. Lose weight. Specifically? 50 lbs. Yep. In 2009 my goal is to shed 50 big ones. More on that in future posts.
5. Use all my vacation days. I didn't do it in 2008 and, quite frankly, it's not fair to my family. My goal is to schedule my days off as early as I can and use them all.
6. Leave my laptop at work at least two nights a week. Honestly, this will be tough but inevitably, when I bring it home, I end up doing work instead of what I SHOULD be doing at home.
7. Give more. Okay, that's another general one. And Jenny and I are working through the specifics of this one BUT, in 2009, our goal is to give away more money and stuff than we did in 2008.

Those are the ones I'm willing to share at this point. Prayers and encouragement are greatly appreciated!

a few pics from christmas eve @ newpointe

Thanks to Paul Rothel

What a great night! Over 4,200 in attendance. And a very clear presentation of the Good News of Christmas by Dwight.

Thanks to all of our awesome (and I mean AWESOME!) volunteers that made it happen.

Merry Christmas!

help us evaluate newpointe's christmas eve services

If you attended, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Follow this link to complete a simple survey:

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We're always evaluating in an effort to improve the NewPointe environments. Thanks!

outpouring of faith

Craving a Christmas story? A group of kids in a maximum-security lockup finished off a winless football season against a successful Texas private school ... you'll never guess what happened next.

Read the story here: Outpouring of Faith

here's what yer gettin' fer christmas...

If Mrs. Thinking Outside or any of the crazies that live at the Bunn house happen across my blog within the next 36 hours, they're going to find these terrific hints about what they're getting for Christmas.

Below are actual photos of some of the actual items that are presently wrapped and underneath our Christmas tree!

Oh...I need to mention...they're partial photos.

Think they'll figure anything out?

For Jenny Bunn...

For Natalie...

For Natalie...

For Naomi...

For Naomi...

Good luck with those! :)

Anyone care to guess?

andrew's advice for michael vick

Andrew and I watched the Vikings-Falcons game today. This was our conversation about midway through the first quarter:

Andrew: Daddy, how come #7 isn't playing quarterback for the Falcons?

Me: Because #2 is their quarterback now.

Andrew: On Xbox #7 is the quarterback.

Me: I know. The Falcons have a new quarterback now.

Andrew: What happened to #7? (In case you're uninformed, #7 would be Michael Vick. You can read about him by clicking here).

Me: He doesn't play for the Falcons anymore.

Andrew: Did he retire?

Me: No. He's in jail.

Andrew: WHY IS HE IN JAIL?

Me: He got in trouble...did some bad things.

Andrew: What did he do?

Me: He was mean to animals. He hurt some dogs. Killed some dogs.

Andrew: Why did he do that?

Me: He listened to the Devil...and did bad things.

Andrew: Who's the Devil? Do I know the Devil? Wait. Is the Devil one of the guys in Bethlehem? (What?)

Me: No. The Devil is someone who doesn't like God. And he doesn't like you.

Andrew: If I see the Devil, I'm going to tell him, "I'm not going to listen to you because you will try to get me to do bad things."

Too bad Michael Vick doesn't chat with Andrew more often.

"straight from the planet Awesome"

Talking about NewPointe's Christmas Eve services:

"Christmas Eve services are going to be straight from the planet Awesome."

Saw a sneak peek of some of the creative elements on Saturday. Based on what I saw, I'd say Dave's right. Can't wait.

Three identical services at 2:30, 4:30, and 6:30.

See you there.

sunday's scuds (december 21, 2008)

Sunday Dwight continued NewPointe's Christmas, What's the Pointe? Series. Today's message was all about dealing with the weirdness in your family at Christmastime. Isn't it true that there's at least a little bit of dysfuncitonality in everyone's family?

As usual, Dwight's message was very timely and right on the money. Here are the scuds:

• If you think your family's messed up, you should check out Jesus' family.
• If you've been living your life hoping that your good will outweigh your bad--that your good deeds will get you into heaven...it won't.
• Grace always requires a death. If you're going to extend grace to someone it will require you to die to some of your "rights."
• You'll have to die to: Your pride. Your rights. Your demands. Being able to get "paid back." Your expectations of others. The need to be right.
• God didn't give us what we deserved. He gave us what we needed. And what we needed was a Savior.
• Death always precedes grace.
• Our tendency, rather than extending grace, is to offer a gift...with strings attached.
• Perhaps the reason you haven't extended grace is because you expect something in return.

Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That is what he wanted and what pleased him, and it brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One he loves. In Christ, we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God's grace, which he has given to us so fully and freely. Ephesians 1:5-8

take the lee ann challenge

The other day my friend Lee Ann called me and shared something with me that's worth sharing here, on my blog. She told me she'd been praying for me and during her devotional time, she came across a prayer Jesus prayed based on John 17:1-26. The idea is as though this is Jesus talking to His Father about me. Once you read it, you'll probably begin to understand how it impacted me.

Father, John is my personal glory. I glow when I think of him. That’s because I love him as if here were the only one in all the world to love. I believe in his potential. I see so much in his life. I’m excited about all you have in store for him.

Keep him close to you, Father. Help John to realize that you and I dream big dreams for him. I ask you to take extra good care of him. Those days when he feels like the whole world is against him and no one understands, let him sit in your lap – just like a child. Wrap your strong arms of love around him and wipe away his tears.

Sometimes, Father, he doesn’t show his tears. Sometimes he does all his crying on the inside. Help him feel comfortable enough around you to act on what he’s feeling.

He can be so hard on himself. There are times when he’s his worst enemy – beating himself up over not meeting someone’s expectations. Teach him that your expectations are what’s truly important in life.

He’s so much fun, Lord. I love laughing with John. Sometimes we just talk about daily stuff. And you know what? I love it! I’m glad he knows there’s absolutely nothing too big or too small to pray about. I’m thrilled he knows that you and I care about everything.

Now read it a second time and substitute your name for mine. This is what Jesus thinks about you.

Thanks, Lee Ann, for praying for me. And not just that, thanks for being thoughtful enough to call me and encourage me in this way.

So here's the Lee Ann challenge: Call a friend and read this prayer (using their name) to them. Someone you know needs encouraged right now and God wants to use you to do it!

newpointe staff christmas party

On Monday night a group of tremendous volunteers treated the staff, the leadership team, and the trustees to an unbelievably great evening.

They rolled out the red carpet for us. As we arrived, they had the atrium set up with all kinds of games (foosball, air hockey, bubble hockey, board games, you name it). There were signs that read: "Enjoy family game night until the doors open at 7."

We hung out, played games, and mingled until the doors to Studio 56 opened. We went in and sat down and enjoyed a ridiculous feast.

The main entertainment for the evening was...US! Each table took turns competing in a NewPointe version of Don't Forget the Lyrics.

And here are the pics (thanks to Christy V.)...

Kevin and his crew bringing it...

Oh man...this is an instant classic. I didn't know Chad took singing so seriously.

"Oh Holy Night...."

 

 

 

 

 

 

A truly great time was enjoyed by all.

A great big thanks goes out to everyone who worked so hard to give a Christmas party to remember. It was a hoot (and I'm still full)

jenny bunn makes people look good on tv

And that's saying a lot considering who she had to make look good for an upcoming episode of Amish Country Living with Lee Ann Miller. Wait till you see who Lee Ann's guest are...

Applying blush to Matt Beres?

Good luck knockin' the shine off that noggin!

Looks like Matt got penalized for an illegal substitution in the kitchen. For the record though, on this episode (which airs in late January), Matt whips up his now famous Buffalo Wing Dip. Yes I sampled it. Yes it's very, very good. He scores big points with me for that recipe!

Jenny poses with the star of the show...

You can check out more of Lee Ann's show by clicking here: Amish Country Living.

sunday's video

A great big "shout out" to Brandon Bunnelle for doing a bang-up job with this video that set up my message brilliantly on Sunday. Thanks Bwb!

Christmas Frustrations from NewPointe Community Church on Vimeo.

new stage set

The gang did a great job with the new "Christmas, What's the Pointe?" set design. Grant Snyder leads the visual arts team responsible for the set. Wendy Gray is kinda like the chief operating officer of the team. And then there's Dave Beachy who spends hours upon hours wiring the whole thing.

I stopped by the church on Thursday night as they were constructing the set. At least a dozen people were running around makin' it happen. Awesome job guys!

the most wonderful time of the year...really?

Sometimes I wonder. I mean, I love having some time off to spend with my family. I love giving gifts. I love celebrating the birth of Christ with at home and at NewPointe. But let's face it...Christmas is crazy!

When I venture out to retail world, I'm amazed! People everywhere! Traffic jams, long check-out lines, no parking places...is it really the most wonderful time of the year?

Jenny did the Black Friday thing with my sister a couple weeks ago. Crazy. They got to Wal-Mart before 5 a.m. so they could get in on some doorbuster deals. By the time Jenny got to the spot where the item she wanted was located...they were all out! (By the way, I can't yet divulge what the item was because my kids read my blog). Anyway...she spotted a lady with two of this particular item in her cart. Jenny approached her and asked her if she was going to be purchasing both items. The lady said that she thought she would  but then offered to sell Jenny the right to buy the item for $10. Are you kidding me?

Yeah...that's the Christmas spirit!

My hope for my family this Christmas is that we'd get Christmas right. What's it all supposed to be about? How has it evolved to what it is now? And what can we do about it?

We'll talk about it at NewPointe tomorrow as we kick off the new Christmas series: Christmas, What's the Pointe?

stay out of the doghouse this christmas

Brilliant video from the folks at JCPenney...

keep right, pass left, it's the law

Exactly! Finally state legislatures are cracking down on slowpokes who think they own the left-hand lane (read the MSN article here). Honestly, drivers who choose to cruise in the left-hand lane are my biggest driving pet peeve.

Apparently the governor of Pennsylvania feels the same way. Gov. Ed Rendell, weary of having his limo slowed down by such left-lane pokes, ordered the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission install signs a few years ago reading "Keep Right, Pass Left. It's the Law."

So, if you're one of those people who think you're entitled to drive in whichever lane you choose...beware. It could cost you.

So what's your biggest driving pet peeve?

 

a boxful of bubba

Here's an interesting pic from KidStuf on Sunday.

In case you're curious...I was cooped up in that box for over 20 minutes while waiting to make my entrance.

attend church in your pajamas on december 28

About 150 people watched NewPointe live via the web Sunday. There's this cool little online community from, literally, all over the world that regularly "attends" NewPointe on Sunday morning via the Internet.

If you ever want to check it out, here's the link: watch online.

This is especially important considering the fact that on Sunday, December 28, that's the ONLY way you'll be able to attend NewPointe. That's right, the building will be closed that Sunday but we're still having services...online, that is. Virtual church. Gather your small group together. Gather your family, your friends, and jump on a computer and worship and learn with us online on December 28 (in your pajamas if you choose to).

worth another look

You may remember this NewPointe video from a couple months ago. I stumbled across it today and thought it was worth posting here on my blog. I love hearing stories like these...

training day

This a photo from NewPointe's First Impressions/Service Programming training day from a few weeks ago. Over 140 volunteers came to learn and grow. Man, I love these guys! They are so amazingly committed to helping us carry out our mission of leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. They create relevant, inviting environments every Sunday morning. If you wonder why NewPointe is reaching people so effectively...it's because of the people in this photo (and I couldn't even fit all of them in the shot).

Training day was awesome. We met a 3 p.m. as individual teams all over the building. At 5 p.m. we all enjoyed a fantastic meal together. And then we wrapped things up with a large-group teaching/training time. It really was a terrific evening. I'm looking forward to the next one!

here's your sign

I'm in my office right now putting the finishing touches on a talk for tonight's First Wednesday. It's going to be an amazing time of worship, reflection, communion...I really expecting God to show up in an amazing way.

Tonight we're going to explore the "sign" that the angels gave the shepherd when they appeared and said, "This will be a sign...you will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

What's the sign? Well here's what we're talking about tonight:

The king of the universe, the alpha and the omega comes into human history in a little bundle, wrapped in obscurity, poverty, and humility...because that's his signature.

Because there is no place he won’t go. There’s no thing he won’t do. There are no depths to which he will not descend to in order to bring God’s grace and peace to anybody who wants it.

This will be a sign to you about this Jesus: You will see God in a messy place.

It doesn't matter to Jesus how messy your life is. Because he started his life in a mess, dressed in rags, laid in a manger and he ended his life in a mess wrapped in rags, hanging on a cross.

Here's your sign: You'll always find Jesus in the messiest of places.

weekend design team

One of the questions that was asked of me more than once at The Sticks conference a couple weeks ago was this: Who is on your creative team at NewPointe? In other words, we have what we call a "weekend design team" that brainstorms ideas and creative elements for each Sunday service. The folks at The Sticks wanted to know: What is the makeup of that team? Here's a quick snapshot of our team:

Me: I lead the brainstorming meetings. I feel that one of my strengths is creativity and bringing ideas to the table. I love playing a role in designing a service that is going to engage people and connect them to their Heavenly Father.

Danny: NewPointe's music director. Not only is he ridiculously gifted musically, he's ridiculously gifted creatively. Really. He's amazing. And he has a keen eye for design and programming.

Dawn: She's our service programming coordinator. She's basically the one that can make our crazy idea come to life. She finds ways to make things happen.

Carol: Drama point-person at NewPointe but also so much more than that. She always brings fresh ideas to the table. Carol also tends to be the voice of reason (at least to me) in the meetings. She's a stabilizer. Logical. Smart. Practical. And creative at the same time. She recently wrote an original drama that we'll be using in our Dec. 21 services.

Lee Ann: The most outrageous, willing to try anything person on our team. Lee Ann will find ways to get things done. She's not afraid to make a suggestion. She's not afraid to make a phone call (and boy do we have some stories). She's wildly imaginative and she knows a lot of people. Huge asset to our team.

Craig: The dude who knows more secular songs than the rest of us. He pulls stuff out of mid-air sometimes. Craig also knows a lot of people...which is huge when it comes to finding people who can help us pull things off. Craig also brings a fresh perspective to our ideas.

Interns: when we have interns in the SP department, we include them in our weekend design meetings.

And, of course, there are many times when we'll pull other people into our meetings based on their area of expertise, their knowledge of the subject matter, etc. Often we'll ask Dwight or someone else who may be communicating on a particular Sunday to join us for a while so we can better understand what we're going for.

So there you have it...the NewPointe weekend design team...some of my favorite people in the world.

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