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Good Friday.......Great Sunday

Welcome to the new BLOG.....You may never see this that I am writing. Why? Because I am not sure how to use the style just yet! HA HA


Easter is this Sunday! We need all Team Church regulars that will be here for both services to park in the new upper parking on the hill or to park across the street at the warehouse parking.

We need all Team Church regulars to sit up front and close together in the auditorium. Lets leave the back for our guest who may want to slip in and grab a back seat.

Tomorrow, tons of volunteers are driving to be a part of our Easter Egg Hunt and family day for the launch of Team Church, Lancaster Co. We are expecting huge crowds on Saturday and Sunday for the official launch of our new campus. This will be a great weekend for both campus locations.

Today is Good Friday. The day we remember the brutal death on the Cross of Jesus. Today is Friday....but Sunday is coming!


Luke 23
Jesus’ Trial before Pilate

1 Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. 2 They began to state their case: “This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king.”

3 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

4 Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, “I find nothing wrong with this man!”

5 Then they became insistent. “But he is causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes—all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!”

6 “Oh, is he a Galilean?” Pilate asked. 7 When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.

8 Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. 9 He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. 10 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. 12 (Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before, became friends that day.)

13 Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people, 14 and he announced his verdict. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent. 15 Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty. 16 So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”

18 Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.) 20 Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

22 For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”

23 But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded. 25 As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished.
The Crucifixion

26 As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. 28 But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ 30 People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’ 31 For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull,[e] they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The Death of Jesus

44 By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

47 When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” 48 And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. 49 But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.

New Look & New Site

Our new Team Church website has been up and running since January. Each month we are able to add new aspects to the website to better serve YOU! One of these new aspects is the ability for new BLOGS by a few staff members. Our Student Ministry and Kids ministry each have their own BLOG to help keep YOU updated and informed. Rick Faulkner, our Executive Pastor, will be using a BLOG format to keep you posted on the "Business" side of the church and I too have a new site. It is just Kennyhibbard.com Tag that site and replace the old one so that it comes up automatically. (my other site had the word blog in it and was not linked to our website.)

Have you been to our website and clicked around? You should go and see all the cool stuff. The site is not full of stuff that is useless information that is hard to find. KC Clark did a great job in designing the site to be easy to navigate and only have needed info on it. Moreover, you can use it to peak someones interest in Team Church by having them go and learn about the different ministries we offer, or our 10 for 10 anniversary project that is impacting our city in ways that is shocking people in this economy!

Maybe you need to keep up with what is happening at our new campus in Lancaster Co. The website is something you should save as your computers home page and make sure you keep up! Things at Team Church happen fast and this is a great way to stay involved and current with what is going on.

Who are you inviting to Easter? It is going to be great as we celebrate Easter and launch our new series.


Luke 22:47-71

Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested

47 But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. 48 But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49 When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” 50 And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear.

51 But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? 53 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.”

Peter Denies Jesus

54 So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. 55 The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. 56 A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!”

57 But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!”

58 After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!”

“No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted.

59 About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.”

60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

61 At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 62 And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

63 The guards in charge of Jesus began mocking and beating him. 64 They blindfolded him and said, “Prophesy to us! Who hit you that time?” 65 And they hurled all sorts of terrible insults at him.

Jesus before the Council

66 At daybreak all the elders of the people assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. Jesus was led before this high council,[a] 67 and they said, “Tell us, are you the Messiah?”

But he replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. 68 And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand.”

70 They all shouted, “So, are you claiming to be the Son of God?”

And he replied, “You say that I am.”

71 “Why do we need other witnesses?” they said. “We ourselves heard him say it.”

A Lesson on Obedience and Patience

Peyton, my eleven year old, is getting to old for me to use him as much for Sunday morning message illustrations anymore. The older he gets the more in tune he is to what is said on Sunday and of course he now dislikes it when someone says something to him that I said on Sunday....so I have stopped telling as many stories.

However, he does not read the BLOG and most of his buddies do not either. So....the WWW is free game for a little while......

Last night as I was getting ready for bed I heard a scream and some crying. Peyton came limping into our room saying he had hurt his foot and it was bleeding. I took him into the bathroom and by this time Kelly had also joined us. Sure enough he had two toes bleeding and they look cut and smashed all at the same time. He will probably lose two toe nails and be limping for a day or two. While getting ready to take care of him....I asked him...."how did this happen?"

To make a long story short....He had a friend over to stay the night (Spring Break) and wanted to show him his picture album project from his trip to Williamsburg last year. His friend had just got back with his school last week. Peyton had asked his mom where it was and could he get it. She told him it was in the top of the closet with a bunch of stuff on it and that she wold get it in the morning. She told him NOT to try and reach it himself and just to wait until in the morning.

While listening is usually something he will do, patience is not a virtue in his vocabulary. His lack of patience won out and he tried to get the album himself. While doing this, a heavy wooden item fell and "smashed his toes." My empathy for his smashed toes quickly vanished as I learned the reason why it happened.

In our last series I mentioned how easy it was to understand why God says to us No, Slow or Go. It is easy to understand why God does a lot of things when we just think about why we do what we do as parents. Moreover, it is easy to see why we sometimes get wounded and smashed in life.....because we disobey our Heavenly Father. Or, because we simply are not patient. It really is pretty simple.....

As Peyton stopped crying, but was still feeling the pain of throbbing toes....I thought I would help him have a teachable lesson from his memorable experience. I told him with a hint of humor:

1) Always remember....."if you do the crime....you will do the time."
2) "Your sins will find you out...what is done in the darkness will be brought to light."

He looked up at me with a "you have got to be kidding me" look. I kissed him on the forehead and jokingly said to him as I went back to bed and left him with his ice pack...."bet you wont do that again?" HA HA




The next three days I will give you the verses to help you prepare for Easter!

Luke 22

The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.

Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, “Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat it together.” “Where do you want us to prepare it?” they asked him.

He replied, “As soon as you enter Jerusalem, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table.Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”

Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”

He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”

After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.

Stage Is Set

On Sunday afternoon Team Church volunteers began the process of tearing down the old stage design and building the new one. Yesterday I saw it almost complete.....and it is incredible. It will be a great way to help celebrate Easter and kick off our new message series called Uncommon.

I love the fact that our Sundays are so creatively driven! It only happens because of our great staff and volunteers who oversee the stage, tech, lights, video, worship and even the look of each service. Great job!

As I said on Sunday.....we will make sure Easter is a great experience for all who come. Moreover, they will experience the power and grace of God in a special way. One of your responsibilities is to invite and bring a a friend, family member or even an enemy to church with you. At Team Church we say that we have One Purpose and a Shared Responsibility! One of those Shared Responsibilities is to Share Christ with others. You can do that by inviting to a Sunday service. Easter is great time to do that! Lets all Team up this Sunday and bring someone who needs experience Jesus Christ in a new and fresh way....those of us who are responsible for the service will do our part!


"Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.
The Last Supper

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.""Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked.

He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there."

Luke 22:7-13

Big Baby!

What a great Sunday we had yesterday! The Green Light message was a great way to end a very good series. We are set and ready for Easter coming this coming Sunday.

However, it was the end of the second service that I really liked. I walked by the Crisis Pregnancy Center display that we had put in the information kiosk area and noticed that there were only about 15 bottles left. As you know, this is our 5th service project out of 10 for our anniversary. We are asking people to fill these baby bottles with change and then return it to our display at the church. At the end of this month we will take the filled bottles back to the center. Yesterday we filled the crib with 400 baby bottles. Again, after only one Sunday.....all but 15 were gone. We will get more for next week!

We chose the Crisis Pregnancy Center because of the great work they do fro unwed ladies who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant and in crisis mode. Too many times the church in America speaks out against abortion but does not do anything to help in the time of crisis. We don't want to be a church that stands against something, yet does not offer solutions and help. Our new Presidential administration supports abortion and is giving federal aid to support it here and in other countries. Like no other time we must help support agencies that will give moms a better option.

I can't wait until the day that Team Church will have a Crisis Pregnancy Center and Adoption support system on our campus. The need is great and will now only get greater! Great job Team Church!

Don't forget to pass out the Uncommon Easter cards and to use our website to invite people this Sunday to Easter!

Building In Use

Last night was a great night for the vision and mission of Team Church.

In the main auditorium 60 parents gathered to begin a 10 week video/group discussion Home Team called Grace Parenting. This is led by Clint Newton, our Kid's Pastor and Lisa Grant, one of our staff counselors who specializes in family matters.

In the upstairs auditorium there were over 40 people from Champion Christian Center. They were here for their monthly church leadership training. They do not have a church facility of their own...so we Team up with them to help them accomplish their mission. Moreover, to fulfill our stated vision when we built this great facility....as a church...they can use the pace for FREE! It is our privilege to help them!

Down stairs in the kids rooms were to more Home Teams that were meeting. One really cool group is Wild At Heart group. This is a group of dads who are learning how to raise boys who will be men of God. They are learning what boys need and what specific challenges their sons may have! Great idea!

I love sharing these kinds of things about our church every so often.......why? Because just over a year ago we stated that our desire was that this incredible campus would be used as much as possible to help reach our community, teach and train our kids and teens, and that this 60 acre campus would develop into a place of destination for thousands of people to have their lives changed. We stated that we believed that kids, teens and even adults cannot grow into fully devoted followers of Christ if they just show up here for a "great service" once a week. Especially for kids and teens....in this culture....they need more avenues of growth, encouragement and learning. This past Wednesday night our Student Ministry had it largest night ever for Pursuit. Word is getting out in the High Schools that Team Church Wednesday night is AWESOME!

We cannot have a life that revolves around the claims of Christ if we only check into a Sunday service once a week. Now, of course, that is a great way to start for many at Team Church. These days we are having more new people each week. However, full devotion is just that.....Full Devotion! Moreover, it takes serving each other and our community to make a lasting difference. I love the fact that we have taken serious the call of Team Church by getting involved in the community! I talked with a guy yesterday who told me that every time he turns around he sees where Team Church is "doing and working" in the community to help others. Faith in action!

Team Church will be in full force tomorrow morning at the Porter Ridge Athletic Association opening day. We will have volunteers there to help run the whole morning! This is a great way to help an association that helps kids!

Great Job Team Church.....We are truly Reaching & Impacting our city in real ways that are changing lives here at our church and all over the city!


What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

James 2:14-18

Team Depot & Team Church....Equals A Great Team!

Yesterday at around 5pm I got the call! Home Depot has agreed to Team up with us in our efforts to serve the Howell Center as we restore their indoor therapy pool area, build some outdoor playground sets and clean up the outdoor play area with new mulch and plants. Team Depot as they call call themselves.....has agreed to send out volunteers to work with us and will also donate $10,000 worth of supplies! That is awesome!

In the last three months since we have gone public with our new name Team Church...we have had the opportunity to Team up with many public and religious organizations. People are coming out of the woodwork to Team up with us to do many great things in our own church and of course in the community. It has been amazing how people will offer to help us do creative and life changing things.....when they don't have the perception that we are a church that is only looking for what we can do to serve ourselves and get more people to sit in our seats on Sunday morning. We have always had this value....but our name is very unique and very open with what we are trying to do in our city, state, country and world! I believe that people in the community are looking for churches to reach out and make an impact that does not affect them and their bottom line or their Sunday morning count. When they find such churches.....they agree to serve along side in a way that radically changes our city in a way that only a church full of fully devoted followers of Christ can.

On May 16th hundreds of volunteers from Team Church and Team Depot will join together and help make these special people have a better place to call home and a place to swim and play! When we are complete that day it is estimated that we will have provided the Howell Center with things that would have cost them about $350,000 to have done professionally! Beyond Home Depot we are receiving supplies and labor from Meridian Homes, England Custom Homes, Kurt Wood, Jeff Ross Plumbing and a few others who attend Team Church that are freely giving of their special talents in such areas!

Team Church.....new name, an old concept of what the Bible says the church is about, a proven strategy of how things get DONE WELL! Team WORK!

Here is one of my favorite stories in the Bible of Team Work!


"Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?”

Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!”

Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!

When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall. But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm.

Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!

We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard. I also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day. During this time, none of us—not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me—ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water.

Nehemiah Chapter 4

Panthers Sign Jay Cutler! Yipeeeee

For all you non-football fans.....Jay Cutler is the current QB for the Denver Broncos who asked to be traded. He is very good young QB. For all you football fans who knew that...I am only kidding! April's Fool Day!

A fact that is not an April Fools Joke is Team Kid and Pursuit start back tonight!

A fact that is not an April Fools Joke is that we are having larger attendance than ever before and we need many of you to help with our parking challenges. This is especially true for second service. If you are here for two services we need for you to park in the upper grass temporary parking area, the warehouse parking across the street (for those reading who are wondering....we do have permission from the businesses there) or please make sure you park in our far back right lot. Thanks!

A fact that is not an April Fools Joke is that we are looking at style of seats and the cost to complete our balcony. Please be praying that we can very soon make this a reality.

A fact that is not an April Fools joke is that our septic/sewer system is working again. So come Sunday ready to drink all the coffee you want!

A fact that is not an April Fools joke is that Christa, our awesome preschool director, is redecorating each room to make them look more fun and creative for Sunday morning. IKEA is a great place!

A fact that is not an April Fools Joke is that our great Kid's pastor has 70 people signed up for his Parenting Home Team called Graced Based Parenting. This video and group discussion led series will take place on Thursday nights in the main auditorium.

A fact that is not an April Fools Joke is that next week on Easter we officially launch Team Church Lancaster County. We mailed out over 25k mailers to the area. Volunteer teams are passing out Easter Egg Hunt invitations door to door in some neighborhoods. Next Saturday we will have another HUGE service project there as we have an Easter Egg hunt, games and jump castles for the kids and plenty of free food! It is a great way to let that area know we are starting a new church! Steve Miller the Campus Teaching Pastor and Scott Whaley the small groups and spiritual Development pastor have the troops there fired up and ready to go!


A fact that is not an April Fools Joke is that Team Church impacting our city and beyond in amazing and impacting ways. Great Job!



“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father."

John 15:5-8

10 year anniversary service project #5 this Saturday

As most of you know.....a huge part of every suburb and town in our area is sports for our kids. Every day of almost every week has tons of kids playing sports in our area. Kids play, parents coach, parents cheer (sometimes inappropriately) and everyone has a good time. It is as American as Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chrysler ....I mean Fiat!

To have a well organized local town sports association it takes money and volunteers. Many times those are exactly the two things that many places are short on.

Enter...Team Church!

The Porter Ridge Athletic Association is having their Little League Opening Day fair this Saturday. This is a great day for kids to ride rides, play, eat and have fun. It is also a fundraiser for the association to help cover the cost of running such an organization. A few months ago we heard from some of our parents who live in that area that this would be a huge help to that community if Team Church would use this as one of our service projects. We agreed. Here is the info straight from our web site:

Porter Ridge Athletic Association Opening Day

Saturday, April 4 | 8:30am-11:00am

Team Church is partnering up with the Porter Ridge Athletic Association for "Opening Day". The PRAA will hold their baseball Opening Day on Saturday, April 4th. The event is at Hemby Bridge Elem School fields. Team Church volunteers will be helping with parking, selling baked goods, picking up trash, coordinating teams for the parade and photos and making sure all the kids and families have a great time! This is an easy, but important outreach to families in the Porter Ridge area and is one where you can participate in just one area or in several areas throughout the day. Be on the look out for sign-up information on Sunday mornings.

Most important though, is we need people to bake cookies, brownies, cupcakes, anything that is quick and easy to eat. The association will be selling these baked goods at the opening day. We need these goods delivered to the church by Friday noon.

If you can serve for 1-3 hours this Saturday, please contact Kathy Shephard at kathyshephard@gmail.com If you live in the Hemby Bridge/Porter Ridge area this is your backyard. We would love to have you "represent" and serve those who will recognize you! If your kids play in this association....this is a no brainer.

Here is the link to our website 10 year anniversary.




“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

Matthew 5:33-37

When God Says SLOW

By the end of the last service my voice was gone......but everything went great. Huge crowd and great energy! Moreover I think the worship and message hit home for a lot of people. It is never easy getting the answer to our prayer as SLOW...WAIT....CAUTION.

However, when we get those answers......we can explore what it is that God wants us to do, to know and experience while he gives us the SLOW yellow sign. Remember, when go does not give you a clear NO or Yes....it is because their is something else going on. God is far more concerned with your heart, character, obedience and the process of your life than He is in just making you happy for a moment.

Here is what we learned yesterday.....

God may say SLOW....when the timing of your request wrong!

God may say SLOW ....when YOU need to Grow.

* You may need to grow in your faith, trust, or just maturity.

God may say SLOW.....when you have un-confessed sin in your life OR you are choosing to live a sinful life.

God may SLOW....when you need to gather more information because you are going to have to make a decision based on the Wisdom of God and not the Will of God.

If you are getting SLOW from God.....check and see if any of these apply! Also, a few people asked about the book I referenced. It is called he • Contrarian Guide To Leadership by Dr. Steve Sample. It is also on my recently read book list.

Never make a decision today that can reasonably be put off to tomorrow. Learn To think gray. Don't form opinions if you don't have to...until you have to.

Dr. Steve Sample

"CANDY CANDY CANDY"

As you know we will officially launch our new campus in Lancaster County, South Carolina on Easter morning. After a few great "pre-view" services we are ready to go!

On the Saturday before Easter we are hosting a community-wide Easter egg hunt and family fun event at a park in Kershaw, SC. This will be a HUGE event for that area and we are making it one of our anniversary service projects. Hundreds of Team Church volunteers will be there to make this Saturday event a great success.

However, we need candy! Tons of it! SO here is your chance to help support our big Easter launch for our new campus. Just bring some candy with you to church this Sunday. It needs to be packaged candy with a wrapper on each piece so that it can be placed inside plastic eggs. We will be stuffing thousands of eggs with this candy....so bring as much as you can!

Look for the sign and the drop off bucket on Sunday morning!

Also, on Sunday you will see our brand new Welcome Center! This is a rolling info desk platform. This will be for all our new guest that continue to show up. If you are a regular at Team Church this area is not for you. Lets keep it clear for our guest who need quick info on where to go and where to take their kids. Thanks!

See you Sunday....hopefully we wont need an Ark to get to church this Sunday.


“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."

Matthew 6:1-3

Summer Camp....help your kids experience something different

I believe in Summer Camps for kids and teenagers. As a youth pastor I saw hundreds of teenager's lives changed at summer camp. I am talking about changes that actually lasted....not emotional decisions that don't make it past the first day home! The last two summers at Team Church we have also seen great success at summer camp.

Summer camp is a time for our kids to get unplugged from all the ridiculous technology that floods their lives....IPOD, XBOX, Facebook, Phones, Internet and the beat goes on. In and of themselves these items are not evil...however, a week away from them can do a lot of good. Camp is a time to get unplugged from the media that does affect their mind and morals.

It is a time to be a kid! To run, play, climb, fall, swim and the like. (It is unbelievable to me that we have to have government and other campaigns that encourage kids to "get out and play.")

It is a time to have great Bible learning and worship every evening so that they can learn that this alone can help them live the best life possible as they strive to be all they can be! It is a time to have caring adults build into their lives at this crucial stage of their maturation process. It is time to be with friends! It is a great time!

Sign up for kids and teenager camps are happening now. You can even sign up now and start paying a little each month as we lead up to Summer.

Kids Camp is June 21st - 24

Student Camp is June 28th - July 3rd

Email clintnewton@teamchurch.com for 3-5th grade.

Email bradsaab@teamchurch.com for 6th - 12th grade.

Also, if you don't have kids that age but would like to help a kid go to camp through helping with scholarship money...let them know that too.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Waiting On God

Have you ever been praying to God for an answer and yet He remains silent on a clear Yes or No? He seems to be saying that you should just Slow down and wait. Sometimes the Slow down or "not yet" answer is harder than a clear No. Why does God do that? Doesn't He know that we have things to do, places to go and waiting just does not help? Or does it?

This coming Sunday I will be teaching on this most frustrating of all answers that God gives to us. Many of us have been praying for a clear answer on something for many weeks, months and even years.

When I think of God not working on our time table and forcing us to have patience as he continually told us SLOW.......I think of our church's journey from eight people and owning nothing to where we are today. God seemed to never be working on our time table. However, through this 10 year journey we have learned so much and grown in our faith.

If you have been at Team Church (CSF) for a number of years you know that many times we pray for something to happen quickly.....and it happens slowly. We pray for things to happen smoothly and without any challenges and we have had hurdles around every corner. From the early days of this church where we prayed for a place to meet and our first choice was always delayed, to the buying and then selling of the first piece of property, to finally having God allow us to purchase this beautiful land....we have had God say to us "not-yet." Even since owning this land and building our first building we have been faced with many obstacles in our pursuit of what we believe God has for us to do here.

However, along this journey of faith we have always seen God come through in the end. At the end of each challenge we could see why God did not give us a quick Yes and allow things to be easy......but many times gave a Slow. The challenges have made us stronger. The delays have only made our resolve and faith more steel like as we trust in God. Going through SLOW times, challenges and having God not to allow us to have things easy only makes us enjoy and appreciate what we have even more! As this campus develops and grows we will enjoy what we have all the more! From the many sports fields, walking trails and expanding buildings that will be alive seven days a week with people from every age..... God has given us a great place to help reach and impact people with the message of Christ. As we move forward into the next 10 years we fully expect more challenges and Slow prayer answers ....however, we know that God is in control. He has been in the past and He will be in the future.

My guess is that you have been praying too....and God seems to be saying SLOW. This Sunday lets explore the why of that and what we can do about it.

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome."
- Booker T. Washington

Look To The Ant!

On Sunday all the toilets in the our beautiful church building stopped working during the second service. Not good......

Luckily, none of them "back-up" and over flowed causing any real mess. It was quickly determined that one of the large trucks that were here on Saturday for the work day must have run over the sewer line leading out to the septic tank area. On Monday he search began for the crushed line. After digging around no crushed line could be found. Then, by chance, one of our volunteers who was working with our facilities manager checked the electric box that runs the pump at the septic tank area. This pump keeps the "stuff" flowing from the lines, to the tank, to where ever the final resting place may be!

Sure enough the electric box that runs the pump had its lines damaged, fried, blown and cut in half. They noticed that millions of ants had invaded the electric box, dug under the earth and came back out the conduit holding the wires and had eaten the plastic around the wires, the wires and everything else causing it to blow and short circuit. Fried ants everywhere! However, millions of other ants we loving their super charged new home.

Take a minute to think about how long it took those little tiny ants to do that. Think of the hard work and the team work. Think of how many died in the process so that the "task" could be completed for their little nation of ants. The Queen must have been real pleased with all the little ants that worked so hard.

Is it no wonder that the Bible implores us to look to the ants to see how hard they work. How dedicated they are to the task. How they are not afraid of sacrifice for the greater good and how they work as a Team.

Proverbs 6:6-11

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!

It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?

A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-
and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs 30:25
Ants are creatures of little strength,yet they store up their food in the summer;

In a crazy but very biblical way I want to be seen as an Ant! I want our church to be known as a Team of Ants! One Purpose, Shared Responsibility, Personal Devotion!

click on that link and read again what we are about here at Team Church! We are reaching and impacting our city like never before!

When God Says NO!

Yesterday was a great start to what I believe will be a life-changing series for many people. When we pray God will always answer.....His answer will basically be three different answers....NO, SLOW and GO! We learned yesterday that there are reasons why God will say NO to our prayer request. He does this as a loving and all knowing God.

When does God say No to our prayers?

God will say NO when our actual request is wrong!
* When our request goes against God's Moral Will....he will always say no!

God will say NO when our motives are wrong...even though the request may be okay.
* When our Motives and heart are impure as it pertains to the request...God may say No.

God will say NO when the request goes against what He has set in motion as His Providential Will.
* We live in a "cause and affect world" and one that has things that are just going to happen and our prayers may not change those things.

If you have been praying and getting a NO answer....check it against the backdrop of these reasons. Then move forward trusting God.


Yesterday afternoon we had a HUGE group show up to do the Demolition at the Howell Center. We finished the whole demo project in 2 hours. Over the next few weeks crews from Team Church will be going in to do the electric, plumbing and new drywall. Then in May we will have another large group service project day there as we complete the task. I was so proud of the people of Team Church yesterday....that was hard and dirty work! Great Job!


My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord.
And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

First Day Of Spring!

Don't let the cool temperatures fool you....Spring is here!

What do you do when you have prayed for something to happen and God's answer is NO! Do you get mad? Do you stop praying? What do you do? This Sunday we explore why God says no to some of our prayers and what we should do about it.

Speaking of prayers that were answered "No" by God....tomorrow I will be leading memorial service for a 44 year old healthy wife and mom. She first came to our church last week. Four days later a virus attacked her heart and she died on Tuesday. Her family prayed all weekend for God to save her. They prayed for her to be alright and live. Again....we are doing her funeral in the morning.

Why did God not answer their prayer? If you listen to the non-sense preaching on TV it was because they did not have enough faith. Or, maybe their was un-confessed sin in their life. Or, maybe they did not send in enough money to the TV preacher and lay their hands on the TV screen and really believe. Those guys and gals are hucksters who prostitute the gospel for a Charismatic teaching that does not, nor has ever, been in the Bible. If the name it and claim TV preachers could do what they say they can do....then their would be no need for a Howell Center for people like my daughter and others who have serious medical issues that they were born with and God has answered our prayer of healing and normalcy every time with a "No".

We live in a fallen and sinful world that has sickness and death. We live in a cause and effect world that sometimes hurts. We live in a world where things happen and we don't have any good answers....except God loves us and in the end, and for eternity, we will live in a perfect body in a perfect world with Him....Forever.

Pray for Team Church as we minister to this new family at the funeral and for the coming months.

"Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love."

Martin Luther King Jr.

Huge Crowd....25 Baptisms

As my son would say....."Last night was Beast!" It was great to listen to the stories of all those who were baptized. From those who had never really been in church to those who went as kids but stopped going after high school...to some of our kids who have recently confessed Christ....all the stories were great.

I personally had a great time as I was able to baptize another boy that I have been coaching on our football team for three years. The bonus was that his dad, who also coaches with me, was also baptized. Even the older sister was baptized. Other coaches, leaders, and players from MARA who have also been impacted by God at Team Church were baptized too. It was a great night!

This Sunday starts a great new message series. It is a small 3 part series that will help to answer the questions that surround God's answers to our prayers. As you know, God answers prayers. However, not always the way we had hoped or not in the time frame we desire. Why is that?

When we pray....God will answer NO, SLOW or GO! How do you know the answer? Why does God answer in such ways. How do we know the will of God when we pray? We will be looking at this over the next few weeks? Here is the link on our website that you can look at and share with a friend!

Bring a friend....and we will see you Sunday!



“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.

Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:4-13

You Thought I Had Forgotten!

We have been receiving thousands of emails and calls about the fact that my BLOG was not posted by noon! People letting us know that a year and half ago I promised to BLOG daily by noon every day....M-F. Of course as you know....minus vacation or Holidays I have NEVER missed a day in almost two years! Until today....my computer crashed and I could not get to another computer until now. ( I spent the morning at Billy Graham Evangelistic Association leading the chapel today and then helping Champion Christian Center with some details in their newly purchased warehouse!)

Okay.....maybe not thousands of emails....but at least a few people thought I had finally forgot to BLOG as promised. Nope.....just no working computer. Everything is back to normal now.....

Baptism & Communion Service tonight at 7pm!



Also, Here is a note from Kurt Wood the volunteer leader for our HUGE Howell Center Project:

"Ready…Set…Demo! This Sunday is the start of yet another Team Church service project. Please be at the Howell Center @ 1pm to begin work. We are scheduled to be done by 6pm. With a good showing of willing hands we could be done sooner, so don’t be afraid to bring help. There are no age restrictions, so if you feel your child is able to help out with the following feel free to bring him/her along. (10+ years)

Come ready to tear out and haul away dry wall, duct-work & insulation. If you have any of the following please bring them with you:

Wheelbarrows
Step Ladders
Crowbars / hammers
Shovels
Brooms
Work gloves / safety glasses

The Howell Center is located 11950 Howell Center Drive Charlotte NC 28227!

You can drive yourself there or meet at the church at 12:45 to follow others over.

Computer Failure

I know, I know.......my BLOG is late. I have a good reason. My laptop is broke. It is down for the count.

Hopefully it will be up and running tomorrow.

One thing....a man just came into the church office. He introduced himself and said that he and his family have come here once. They came last week. He then said that his wife has had a virus attack her heart and she is now on life support and not expected to make it through the week. Wanted to know if we could help as this was going to be the church they chose after coming once.

Of course, we told him yes. It was one of those moments that i hate as a pastor......then I reflected on Sunday's straightforward message. WOW.

Please pray for this family even though I will not yet give their name.

Third Project Exceeds Goal!

Hundreds of volunteers worked hard and also brought stuff to be sold in our special garage sale this past Saturday. As you know, all sales were for Christ Our Shepherd Ministries here in Matthews. In talking with Christ Our Shepherd they had shared with us that they were in need of supplies and materials for the ministry that amounted to needing just over four thousand dollars. So that is the number we set for our goal.

It was cold and rainy on Saturday. So volunteers cleared out the auditorium and every inch of the atrium area on Friday night. Many volunteers worked till Friday and then came back very early on Saturday to get "stuff" set up. By 8am it was pouring rain....but people were flooding into our building looking to find a deal.

Deals were found and stuff was bought. By noon much of what was brought had been sold and we exceeded our goal for them. Today we will cut Christ Our Shepherd a check for $5,000! The people there could not believe it and were very thankful and excited. In these tough economic times places like Christ Our Shepherd have their request for help go up.....but their giving goes down.

Great job Team Church! This is the BEST way to celebrate our 10 years as a church in this community! Doing what we have always done.....Reach and Impact those who are not in church and those who are need.

This event was spearheaded by our Home Team Ministry and the Newton Home Team won the prize for making the most money! Great Job!

This coming Sunday we have a BIG work afternoon at the Howell Center. We need strong, tough and gritty men, women, boys and girls to be a part of the demolition crew that will rip out the ceiling, dry wall and other things in the indoor therapy pool area. This job will not take long if we have a bunch of strong backs! Plan to be at the Howell Center in Mint Hill at 2pm THIS Sunday!



"I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their position in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your who you are in life—this is indeed a gift from God."

Ecclesiastes 5:18-19


One more note: Sport fans everywhere are excited! March Madness is here. That's right all over the country College fans are pumped! This is a great month! Spring Football practice has started on College campuses everywhere! This is truly a great month for college sports. It is the official start to the 2009 college football season!

Cold & Rainy .....Ministry Still Goes On

Well... the Spring like weather is gone. It is cold and rainy and will be that way all weekend. The mountains are even getting snow again!

Some may think that we will cancel our third mission event in our ongoing 10-year anniversary celebration. If you think that....you don't know the people of Team Church very well! We have promised Christ Our Shepherd Ministries a HUGE yard sale where they will get all the proceeds! We are going to deliver!

If it is raining in the morning......the entire yard sale mission event will be held in our building. We will clear out the chairs, turn on some music and let people shop-til-they-drop! If we have to we will use the Atrium area, the up stairs kids area, the hall way and every square foot we can. It will seem like a morning at IKEA...minus the Swedish Meatballs! (ADHD moment....have you been to that place. What a ingenious concept. One way in...One way out. You have to walk through the whole place if you want to buy one thing. Of course that means.......you are tempted like a kid in a candy store for the two hours that it takes to traverse the mammoth place. I felt like I was in Epcot center going to different "Rooms" in your house.....thought over!) Please make sure your Home Team knows, your church friends know, your neighbors know and that everyone knows.....the largest Yard Sale in the South Charlotte area is on tomorrow morning! Christ Our Shepherd Ministry is counting on us and we will be there to help them raise a ton of money as they continue to help those in need in Matthews.

Do you have a friend that you have been thinking of inviting and bringing one Sunday? This is A GREAT Sunday to bring a new person who does not have a personal relationship with Jesus! As a matter of fact....everyone should make it a goal to get at least one person here this Sunday. I promise, just like every Sunday in our Graceful series....this one will be talked about! It will change lives!

Use our web page WWW.Teamchurch.com

to invite people and share the excitement about Team Church. They can read about Team Church, watch powerful videos, watch and/or listen to Sunday messages and learn about our other great ministries.

Also, be praying as we have our third preview service at Team Church Lancaster County. We are getting ready for the big launch on Easter! You can go to our website and click on locations on the top of the opening page. This will give you the option of clicking on the Lancaster location.

See you Sunday!

New Life In Christ

I watch the news. I read the news. I keep up with what is happening in politics and our country. (I am always frustrated by adults who complain about something in our country but do nothing to help it or worse yet......they are CLUELESS about what is really happening. They don't know what is happening in government or in the world.)

Because I keep up with what is happening I found myself a little irritated and sad this week when it comes to what is happening in our country as far as the continual decline of Christian values and morals. I see current government trends and fear for the country that we will turn over to our kids. Things spiraling down and out of control while many Christians just pretend that nothing is happening adversely to the moral fiber of our great country. They seem clueless to what is happening and are only concerned about what they are doing this weekend and will the rain affect it.

In this mental state I drove onto our church campus yesterday afternoon. At that moment my mental state began to change......I was reminded again of what we are doing here at Team Church and that it is making a difference. I walked into the atrium area and saw teenagers and college kids setting up for pursuit. They were serving with a smile and enthusiasm that only comes from dedicated teenagers! I stepped in and saw the "all-high school" band and tech teams warming up for Pursuit. Those kids are good!

While standing and waiting for my meeting that was to start at 6:30pm....I watched as younger kids came in with their orange Team Kid T-shirts on and were running upstairs with their parents in tow....excited about the night. Then I had a Baptism talk with a man from our church who will be one of the many being baptized next Wednesday. His story of where he has been and where he is now reminded me of why we do what we do at Team Church. He thanked me for what Team Church is doing for his family....I should have thanked him for letting me hear his story. As I walked out of the office heading for my Home Team I saw teenagers hanging out eagerly waiting to get into Pursuit. This site gave me hope that all teenagers are not just what we see on T.V. At our Home Team I sat with young families who are reading, searching, and studying about how to raise their kids in a godly way in a culture that is fast becoming more ungodly in values and legislation.

That night I came back to the church to pick up my son from Team Kid and had a teenager come running up to me to say that she is getting baptized next week and wanted to know if I would be the person to baptize her? She was smiling from ear to ear and excited about her faith, her church and life.

I got in my Jeep (top off) drove home with my son and a friend's daughter and listened to them talk about Team Kid and how they can't wait for the next "Season" to start in three weeks. With the moon shining down and the stars lighting up the night.....I heard God whisper in my ear: "Things are not all how they should be....but the joy and excitement about New Life in Christ you saw tonight is the Hope that made this country great and will be the only Hope your kids can count on for the future of their lives and the future of America."


Team Church has never been about resting and just watching the world go by.....we are involved, interactive, engaging and willing to meet culture where it is and lead it to where God wants it. We are not afraid of our culture nor are we antagonistic toward it.....but where we see it going astray we are willing to hit it head on and stand up for what is right. To make a difference that is positive in our neighborhoods, city, state and even country.

I am glad you are a part of this life-changing place we call....Team Church.


If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.
2 Chronicles 7:14-15

A big day in a boy's life

Yesterday when I got home from work I was privileged to share in my oldest son's big day. A coming out party of sorts for a boy........he got to mow the yard all by himself. I personally hate yard work. I don't enjoy it all. I like a nice yard but I really don't like "working in the yard." However, at age 11 Peyton was looking forward to it. He could not wait to crank up the mower and set out on the yard. The grass only needed mowing in a few places but I let him mow the entire yard for practice. I told him he had to figure out the best "plan" in covering the whole yard. I walked with him to show him how to line it up straight with each "swipe". I showed him how to let the auto drive off while turning it and how to set it back straight before engaging the tire again.

When he was done, it really looked nice. The best part for me was watching his face as he turned off the mower, dumped the grass and rolled up the cord from the edger. He looked satisfied. He felt like a......well...he felt like a "man". He had the look of accomplishment that comes from when you complete something for the first time that you have been looking forward to doing.

Now..... I know their will soon come a day when he will not see mowing the yard as a privilege. He will see it as another thing in his list of chores. However, for a little while, he sees it for what it is to him. A right of passage. Something fun that makes him feel BIG. Their will be a day ( I hope for his sake it is at least a year) that he will not want to do it....for now he loves it and asked how long did I think it would be before the grass would grow and he could do it again.

In thinking of this and then also listening to Mr. Clint (our kid's pastor) I love the fact that at Team Church we have a kid's ministry that does all the normal church things that happen at many places. However, we also have a Kid's pastor who is a man, an ex Air-Born army guy, a sports guy who loves kids and lets boys be boys. In a day and culture with so many single parent homes and little boys who don't get a chance to be "little boys" our Kid's ministry is a great place for boys. I know this Sunday afternoon a bunch of them are going back into our back 40 acres to spend the afternoon in the woods doing what 4th and 5th grade boys love doing. They will climb trees, make forts, jump the little creek, have contest of who can do certain things that go along with being in the woods. They will have a great time and they will be doing it as part of a "church" event.

Our kid's ministry of course does all the normal stuff like crafts, games, Bible learning, stories and the like. However, I know my son has always enjoyed the extra life skills and more boyish practical learning about how to be a boy who will be a man in this ever changing and sometimes "anti-boy" culture we live in. Great job Clint and the entire Kids Ministry Team.

Team Kid and Pursuit have their last night of the Winter Season tonight. Don't let your kids miss it!

"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years." - Mark Twain

10 Year Anniversary Project # 3 this Saturday

This Saturday in the church parking lot hundreds of people will be bringing their good used stuff to sell at our HUGE Home Team's Yard sale. Here is the best part.....ALL money made from EVERY sale will go to Christ Our Shepherd Ministries in Matthews. This is a place in need of money as they help serve single moms and their kids here in the Matthews area.

Each Home Team is setting up their tables and will take care of their own "Stuff" coming and going. If you are looking for some great buys in challenging times.....this is the morning for you. Please tell your neighbors and friends about this event. I know that many people at Team Church are bringing nice stuff that they were going to use in their own yard sale....but instead are bringing here to sell with their Home Team for the good of Christ Our Shepherd. Click Here for details.

This is a perfect example of Teaming up with our community! We will have it rain our shine.....

Speaking of shine.....what great weather we had the last three days. I went bike riding on Sunday afternoon with Peyton and some friends at Col. Beatty Park to enjoy it. That place was packed. From the bike/walking trials to the play ground. It reminded me of one of the reasons we purchased and got rezoned all 60 acres. It would be great if we could very soon get our playground installed along with our walking trails. The playground we have planned and rezoned for is like the ones you see at such parks and would be greatly used by Team Church folks and those in our community. I know these are tough economical times....but I am trusting God to allow us to get that playground in....sooner than later. What about you?

Their is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
French Proverb

"There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in mind that in the end the choice you make...makes you!" Legendary Coach, John Wooden

I have never done that before

On Saturday I was thinking of what could I possibly do to get across the importance of Grace Giving. At 2am on Sunday morning I awoke with idea confirmed in my mind. I hope the site of me on the stage with with a suit on with no pants or shoes is forever impressed on your mind. (Now of course....the checkered shorts I had on was just that....they were shorts and not boxers)

Let me remind you today that Grace Giving means that we discover joy, pleasure, excitement and thanksgiving when we give back to God from what He has given us. I hope everyone took home some of the fake money we had printed (almost like what the government is doing...) and will look it over every time you pull it out of your wallet or purse and see that it says "Everything Belongs To God", "In God We Trust" , 2 Cor 8:6 and a few other reminders. Here is what we learned yesterday:

Biblical View Of Money/Stuff: Everything belongs to God, comes from God and is distributed by God.

* Joyful giving comes from a heart that is thankful for what we have been given!
* Joyful giving happens when I TRUST God completely.
* Joyful giving is easy because I know God will bless me.
* Joyful giving comes when I KNOW that it Blesses Others.
* Joyful giving flows from being obedient to God.

Today as you leave this BLOG...say a prayer for all those who are really struggling today in these economic times.

Pray for the church in St.Louis who had a gunman walk into their early service and shoot the pastor while he was preaching. Pray for the pastors family as he leaves behind a wife and 2 kids.

I hate it.......but need it

It is 5:30am and I am getting ready to leave for my work out. I really hate working out. I like the results of being healthy and all that comes with a good workout regiment....but I don't really enjoy it. What I would rather be doing right now is still be in bed sleeping where it is warm and cozy. Hmmmmm....I think there is a spiritual lesson here. Can you draw your own spiritual lesson from the above statement. C'mon....you can do it. The teacher in you wants to draw the parallel.

As I get ready to go....it is still pretty cold out side. This reminds me that THIS Sunday all of our winter Team Church clothes will be on sale. Sweatshirts and jackets will be $10 and everything else will be $5. (In the voice of those crazy sales guys on car commercials) EVERYTHING MUST GO....TO MAKE ROOM FOR NEW SPRING/SUMMER STUFF!

Also, as I get ready to leave I am reminded that TIME CHANGE is this Sunday. We will be Springing Forward. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead! Trust me you do not want to miss this Sunday's service......it can change your life even in these hard financial times.

Well.....time to hit the cold weather and get to my workout. Yipeeeeee


See you Sunday. Come ready for a great day, bring a friend and lets get ready for a great Spring at Team Church.

Big Plans For The Howell Center

This time last year, my wife and I made one of the hardest decisions of our lives. We placed our mentally and physically handicapped daughter in a home. We believed it was best for her and our family. One year later....it is always hard to know that your daughter lives in a "special home" and not your home. We miss having her with us....but we know that it is best and she loves being there.

The Howell Center is located off I485 and only minutes from our home. Over the last year while going to visit Ellie I have noticed that the Howell Center is in need of some outdoor playground equipment and other such things. Knowing that we were having our 10 serving projects to celebrate our 10 year anniversary...I contacted the Howell Center about us serving there and providing some clean up and some new outdoor play areas and just nice sitting areas for the people who live there. They were of course delighted. However, they wanted to know if we could first focus on their largest need....that being their indoor therapy pool. The roof had started leaking 5 years ago and other things went wrong too. So, they closed the pool down 5 years ago. As you can imagine, for many people there who can't walk and live their lives in a wheelchair this has taken away their only means of free movement. It also is a great physical work out for people with physical disabilities.

Once they asked us to look into it......I brought some Team Church members who work in this kind of area over to the Howell Center to see if they thought it was possible. As expected, they said this would be hard. It would be challenging. It would cost lots of money. It would take a lot of volunteer hours.......SO..."YES! Let's do it!" We have set our goals to redo the indoor pool room AND do the out door recreational areas. BIG GOAL....BIGGER GOD!

So started what will be a five month process. As you read last week a Middle School Home Team went over and cleaned the pool area. We have a Team Church lead crew that has made an attack schedule for the next few months. We have also caught the attention of a local store that may help with some material donations. We have had other companies that are represented by our volunteer crew to chip in with some free or at cost supplies as we have to completely redo the inside of this pool room. Everything from sky lights, to dry wall, to a new bathroom. Ty Pennington would be proud.

Next week we will release the workday schedules. Here are the days to be looking for 3/22 , 4/5 and the BIG day is May 16th. Not all can do each day we have...but maybe you can hit one.

For now I need to put out the call for a professional electrician. We need someone to monitor and advise in this area. Please email Kurt Wood for information.

When this is done.....it will be the single greatest volunteer project we have ever accomplished......and it will be for people who will never sit in our great seats at our church. This is what I love about all 10 of our service projects. They are truly mission focused and it is costing us where it hurts....our time and money.

In these hard economic times people like the ones we are helping can't count on a Spending Bill from the Government....nor should they. They can and should count on local churches like Team Church to do the job of the church.

Great job TEAM CHURCH


Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
- James 1:27

Did Team Church Make That Music Video?

The service ended on Sunday with a powerful song and video. Since Sunday I have talked to people who thought that the video of the shadow figures behind the screen was something we purchased. Nope.... that was Team Church actors being filmed on Tuesday night up in the room where the projector is located and shines onto the the big screens. Brad, our production pastor, filmed them from the opposite side of the screen and made the shadow figures. What you saw on Sunday was a video of the actors dancing. It was pretty cool!

Throw in the song and it was a moving experience at the end of the service. For those who were not there or those who want to show others the video.....we will see if we can get it up on our website or facebook.

This past Sunday was a perfect example of what we aspire to do each Sunday. Give you truth that can be used practically, an experience that is memorable, worship that is meaningful and an overall service that taps into all your senses so that you leave with a powerful impact from God. Of course this happens each Sunday with people who are Christians and those who are not. Why? Because Team Church is place where people who do not know God or who are far from God by choice come to explore the truth of His amazing grace for their life.

Each Sunday our auditorium has many people who are spiritual seekers in it. They have come as a guest to see if this God thing is real. They have come because their life is a mess and they are maybe now ready to give God a chance. They have come because they see the difference that God has made in a friend's life and they want to see what all the "good change" is about.

People come for many different reasons......and we are all there on Sunday! We are all there and hundreds of people like the "shadow dancers" Team up and use our unique gifts as we gather as the Church on Sunday.

This Sunday will be no different.....it will be another Sunday you wont want to miss!



Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 1 Corinthians 12:14-18

Don't forget tonight is Team Kid and Pursuit. Doors open at 6:30pm for pizza, ESPN, Ping Pong, chat time and time to just relax and be a kid. Each group starts at 7pm

New Home Team Format

(Yesterday morning we had about 10 different families out sledding on the church hills. It was great. Everyone was taking pictures too. If you went out and did something fun in the snow...send us ONE picture that is your favorite to KCClark@teamchurch.com and we will post them on our Facebook.)

Did you see the Home Team ad in the Sunday Handout? We have made some changes to how we run our Home Teams. I want to encourage you to go to the Home Team page on on web site and read about it. I really like what Aldyn and her team have come up with as we continually seek to make Home Teams a viable option for all people. The best part is that you have the option of staying with a Home Team forever and ever.....or you can switch when your life setting changes, you want to study something different or you just want to meet some new people on a different day.

This new format will allow all the new people who are coming to Team Church to quickly get in a Home Team because every "Season" we add many new ones and all the old ones are available. I know I personally love the fact that the Home Team "Season" run with our very popular Team Kid and Pursuit for Students. Many parents are taking advantage of having all their kids in one of these groups on Wednesday nights....then they join their Home Team on the same night. Having all of this in 8-10 week "Seasons" keeps it fresh and key volunteers get 3-4 weeks in between to catch their breath.

Whatever you do....don't stay on the relational sideline and not get into a Home Team. They are fun, vital to relational growth, very important to Biblical growth and the best place for true Fellowship and care. For those who are parents....there is nothing better for your kids to see you setting time aside to being involved.

"Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you!" Robert Fulghum

SNOW DAY

What a great GIFT God gave us this morning. Yesterday we talked about making our kids a priority, making sure they know that you want to be with them and making sure you make memories. I hope that you will take some time to get out this morning and play in the snow. It wont be here long.....

My guess is many of you are like me, after the roads are clear you will need to get into the office, so....that means you have a few hours before you have to leave.

The Hibbards are eating breakfast now and will be in the snow by 8:30!

The auditorium was full of tears yesterday. That is good.....if those emotions actually determine some change in your life. If not.....just a wasted cry fest.

Have fun in the snow!

Problem With Porn

Warning....I am about to go off! If you are easily offended when someone tells you the truth..you may want to not read this BLOG today!

This past week I have had way to many conversations with parents or leaders about the on-going and rising problem that many of our boys and teens are having with Internet pornography. This week we heard from some elementary boys (4 & 5th grade) that they had seen porn on their computers at home while doing research for a school project. Others in that group said they had been to a friends house and saw it there. Unbelievable!!!!

The issue is definitely huge with high school boys and we still have picture sharing on phones between girls and boys that of course gets passed around to all their friends. This is crazy......

If you read this as a parent of a boy......you should understand that your kids will at one time try and view porn at your home. They just will. So what is a parent to do????

You should do what we talk about here at least 5 times a year! GET A DARN INTERNET FILTER ON ALL COMPUTERS IN YOUR HOME! There are plenty of ones to choose from....but get one NOW! Not having an internet protection filter on ALL computers in your home is like spreading poison all over your house in every corner, on every seat, on every dish, spread all over the carpet, sprinkled on every toy.... and then hope that none of your kids will be poisoned.

Beyond basic filters, if you have teenage boys, you need to make sure that all computers have password safe entry so that the real tech smart ones can't beat the filter system. If the computer can't be turned on.....they can't beat the system. I know some families that have instituted that their computers are not allowed to be "on-line" after a certain hour at night and this is regulated by a pass word.

Some parents think....."I have a good kid who does not do those things.." Perfect, that is the kid you want to help. Remember the old saying..."Locks keep honest people honest." That is the principle here....you are helping your kids who really want to do the right thing to do it! The teenager who wants to view porn and has a car...can drive anywhere he wants and get online for it. The at home safe guards help the boys and DAD stay away in those tempting moments.

Moreover, letting your kids go to some one's house to stay the night and not checking if that home is "safe" is irresponsible for any parent. If you ask someone that you are sending your kid to their house about the use of the computers in their home and they get offended.....then that is a great sign you don't let your kid stay the night there or even hang out there all day.

Parents.....C'mon we have to start using our heads and start being the parents in our homes. Trust me, your kids may not tell you "thanks" for all the protection you provide against the evil things lurching around on the Internet....but inside they are thankful that you care enough to help them do the right thing.

Here some ones you can go online and look at for help:

Safe Eyes

Total Guard

Christian Internet Protection

There are many on line....go get one.

Lets not let our kids become addicts to porn and all the junk it does to their mind as it completely distorts their view of men/women relationships, what is appropriate and sex in general. It is an epidemic...you have the cure!

One more thing....most kids and teenagers at Team Church don't read my daily BLOG. So, please don't run to your kids and ask them if they are the ones who we are talking about. Trust me....your kids are the ones we are talking about. My son is the one we are talking about! All kids are the ones we are talking about. They don't need to know that you and I had this little talk. We want them to keep sharing freely at church!

Do You Remember?

March is almost here....unbelievable! However, it is very true. It has been four months since we announced during a Sunday service that we were changing our name to Team Church. It has been two months since we made that a public announcement at the first of this year along with a short message series reminding us all of who we have always been as a church and how we were now mixing it that with our new name.

I wanted to use today's BLOG to remind you of those statements and then ask you how you are doing as you internalize the mission and game plan of your church...Team Church. Here you go...

One Purpose: Reach people where they are and lead them to full devotion in Christ.

Shared Responsibility:
• Love one another in fellowship
• Serve in the Church
• Give to God through the church
• Share Jesus with others

Personal Devotion:
• Pray
• Know and use the Bible
• Worship

Game Plan:
• Reach & Impact the Crowd
• Train & Empower our Players


Very simple....very clear....life and community changing. Every person that calls Team Church home should know the verbiage to this simple and distinguishable mission statements, values and Game Plan.

Easily described in our church tag line.....One Purpose, Shared Responsibility, Personal Devotion.

"Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can...To all the people you can, for as long as you ever can!" John Wesley

Sick Kids Everywhere

It is 5:30am and I have been listening to Brady, my 3 year old, cough for the last 2 hours. Poor guy sounds horrible! I know that many many families have kids that are sick and that it goes from one family member to the other and then from one family to another. I heard of one school somewhere that had so many kids and teachers sick they just canceled school for two days to stop the spreading and because they could not get anything done.

This all reminds me to remind you of our "sick kid policy" at Team Church. As much as we love to have your kids in church on Sunday....if they are sick......please leave them home. If you have any questions about what we ask you to do go to teamchurch.com/kids or email Christa or Clint in the Kids Ministry. This week we have cleaned every toy, table and the like with disinfection Lysol spray! This place is clean!

Speaking of kids.......don't forget to bring your 1-5th grader to Team Kid tonight or your Middle and High School to Pursuit. Their will be over 200 kids here tonight...I hope one is yours!

"Tis great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults, greater to tell him his!"
- Benjamin Franklin

Graceful Living

Sunday we talked about Graceful Living....or....Living In Grace. I shared with you that the Bible is very clear that the "way we get into a relationship with Jesus Christ is the same thing that sustains us through our life." That of course is Grace!

It is through this ability to live daily in grace that we are able to get over our past and not feel shame and guilt in our current lives because of something we did or did not do....in our past. Since the service on Sunday, I have heard many great "take-away" truths that people told me really helped them. I thought it would be helpful to share a few of those in today's BLOG.

When we live in Grace we can walk around each day knowing that we are continually accepted by God and we do not have to worry about trying to earn his love, favor or acceptance. I compared this to great joy to going into an amusement park and having an arm band that allows you to enjoy every ride that you want as many times as you want without worrying about what the cost of each ride may be. This is way better than having to pay an amount of tickets for each ride and watching your tickets get fewer and fewer with each ride. In Christ we have freedom to enjoy this world....inside the boundaries of the "park" and in keeping with the rules of the park.

When we live in Grace we only have to live up to God's expectations. No one else! We have an audience of One....the only One who matters. God expects us to live in Grace and Truth when it comes to obedience and forgiveness.

When we live in Grace we can get over our past because God said he has wiped the record of our wrongs away. It does not matter how you feel.....your feelings are many times wrong. We have to let the truth of what God says about forgiveness transform our feelings. Many of us have to still live with the consequences of our actions. However, just because the consequences are still here and maybe painful, does not mean we have to live in continual shame or guilt. We cannot attribute our continual consequence to mean that God still holds that wrong against us and therefore we are still guilty and should feel shameful.

Grace.... it is amazing! It is the only way to live. It helps us move on from our past and helps us fore a better future as we learn from our past and resolve to live in freedom and truth.

This Sunday we will take the principle of Grace and she how it can transform our parenting! This Sunday is Graceful: Parenting. Start now thinking who you can invite to this incredible and life changing service.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain

What Our Teenagers Were Doing Yesterday

I have always challenged parents to get their teenagers involved in our student ministry as much as possible. In today's culture, teenagers need more than just an hour on Sunday. They need a place to be encouraged in their faith, challenged to not give into common traps, learn what God says about life and to also serve others in God's name......all of this while having fun that is designed for their age and sometimes gender.

What was your teenager doing yesterday afternoon? playing video games? texting? watching TV? "just hanging"? Sleeping? complaining about being bored?

Here is what I witnessed a bunch of our teenagers doing yesterday afternoon:

* I went with a group of 6th grade Middle School boys and their Home Team to the Howell Center. They spent two hours cleaning, tearing down old stuff, throwing it in the dumpster.....and "sweeping" to get the indoor pool room ready for our church to renovate it this Spring as one of our anniversary service tour projects.

* On our church campus another group of 7th & 8th Grade boys had their Home Team far back in the woods of the new church property. They had their Bible study and discussion time mixed with exploring the woods, jumping over the little river back there, doing crazy things in the woods that boys like to do and planning a camp-out.

* Our High School band was practicing for Wednesday night at Pursuit....where they use the entire stage, lighting, multimedia and everything else we use on Sunday morning for a great service each Wednesday night. It is amazing to watch all of this technology being used.....by teenagers. Moreover, the entire band and tech crew is made up of Teenagers. Four different kinds of guitars (I have no clue) drummer, keyboard and a few singers. They are awesome!

* After the band rehearsal they actually had student auditions to play or sing in the band. A group of high school boys and girls were sitting in the atrium area waiting for their time to try-out. Very professional..very American Idol.

* In other areas of the building other Home Teams were gathered too. Each Sunday they may do something different...but when they meet it is a great time to be together and accomplish what I talked about at the start of this BLOG.

Today those middle school and high school students will go back to school. They will be faced with pressures that you and I cannot even imagine....because our culture has made a huge swing away from the morals and values we hold true as Christians. They are growing up without implications of authority and they are being raised in a culture that lets them believe they are entitled to the best with out having to earn it. Moreover and most alerting is that what is common now in the minds and actions of teenagers is different because of the technology that was not here when I was in High School 2 years ago. If you think "oh, it is the same." you are kidding yourself or very uninformed. More than even when we started (CSF) Team Church teenagers need constant involvement in that which is pure, good, and godly. They need a place that loves them but won't let them settle for spiritual mediocrity. They need a place that challenges them to rise far above what is now common in their culture.

Academics, Athletics and other pursuits should be gone after.....but should never be seen as more important than their pursuit of God's best. Parents are the ones who set the tone and more importantly set the weekly schedule.

So....what was your teenager doing yesterday afternoon?

"Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it." Prov 22:6