Vacation...

Last week I had the privilege of taking my family away for a week to the beach for vacation. It was a much needed rest for us and a wonderful break. If you don't like being around a lot of people I highly recommend going the week before Labor Day. It was a ghost town.

Had a lot of time to think...process...pray. It's amazing what God can do in your life when you stop and rest and allow him to speak to you. One day I actually floated out on a raft for about an hour in the ocean (the kids thought Daddy was headed to Mexico). It was one of the best prayer times I have had in a while. I know...I wasn't in a "prayer closet", but it still rocked.

Anyway, thought I would share a few of the reflections I had while I was down there.

* When God speaks of a day of rest and worship...He means it. Maybe we need to listen to Him more about REALLY stopping each week to allow our bodies, minds and spirits to be rested and refreshed.

* Stress can ruin you. It's amazing how NICE we all can be by removing a little stress from our lives. Get rid of the stress and "cast all of our cares on HIM". He's man enough to handle them! It will change your life.

* Family time is a lost art. Sure, we can justify our crazy schedules with "it's not quantity time but quality time". Although there is a degree of truth to this, extended time with your spouse and children can not be replaced with a forced dinner together or a quick few minutes in the car on the way to school. IF YOU ARE A PARENT...FIND TIME TO BE WITH YOUR KIDS. IF YOU ARE MARRIED...FIND TIME TO BE WITH YOUR SPOUSE. Your family is the greatest gift God has given you in this world. Value it.

* God created a beautiful world. Still can't figure out how some people can think this thing called the world all happened by "accident".

* I love my church! I know because I am the pastor I am supposed to say this, but it's so true. I missed the people...the worship...the opportunity of seeing guests come in. I love the opportunity to create a church where unchurched people want to come. It's such a challenge...but so rewarding!

So, there they are. My random thoughts from vacation.

Well, that's it for now. Have a great week and if you are in Chattanooga, come join us for the conclusion of "5 Things God Uses to Grow Your Faith" this Sunday. You won't regret it!

Heath

Volunteers...WE LOVE YOU!

Now I know we are in Tennessee and it's easy to associate the words "VOLUNTEERS" with that team up in Knoxville. As much as I know some of you would like for this to be the case, that's not who I'm speaking of. I'm talking about the amazing volunteers who jump in to make Rock Point happen every week. You are the backbone of this church. Between setting up (which is very physically taxing)...to welcoming people with a smile at the door...to leading a small group of children or students...to setting up that entire stage (that's right, when we arrive on Sunday morning that stage is bare)...our volunteer teams continually amaze me. Serving is not easy. It does take sacrifice because you are giving up time and energy to make this happen. But you all have caught the vision of this church and realized that creating a church where unchurched people would want to go is hard work...but so worth it. I realize that you don't do it for the pats on the back and the hugs...but I wanted to give you one anyway. So here it is...



Volunteers at Rock Point...you are appreciated and loved! Thank you for all you do and continue to do.

If you would be interested in joining one of these incredible teams at Rock Point, head to our volunteer page on our website to express your interest. A staff member will be with you soon thereafter!

Have a great weekend and we'll see you Sunday!

Heath

North Point Online

OK, so long time since my last post. Sorry about that. Lots of great stuff happening at RPCC the past couple of weeks and has kept me busy. Wow...I'm so blessed to be the Lead Pastor here. More on that later...

For now, I'm going to express my absolute joy about a very cool thing happening with North Point Ministries. As many of you know, we are a part of the "North Point Network" being a strategic partner. This is exciting for us as we not only get to experience great resources from North Point but to know we are part of something greater than just Rock Point in Chattanooga. There is a movement amongst churches all over the country who desire to create a church "where unchurched people would want to attend." We can learn from each other as well as celebrate with each other. So...onto the REALLY cool part of this.

Beginning this coming Sunday, August 16, North Point Ministries is launching "North Point Online". This will be live streaming of the evening service at Buckhead Church in Atlanta, GA. The beauty of this is that people from all over the country...even the world...can experience a relevant church experience from their computer screen. I could go on and on and describe what this will be like, but you just have to experience yourself.

Check out the website here: http://northpointonline.tv/
They also have a facebook fan page with updates: http://www.facebook.com/northpointonline
(I just became fan 3,400)

So get online this Sunday evening and check it out.

Heath

Baptism & Football

This past Sunday was a memorable one at Rock Point. To begin with, we were fortunate to have the entire UTC Football Team join us for our 10am service. It definitely added to the "size" of the service. I loved seeing those guys there and thanks to the FCA guys for helping us get this together. It was a real treat seeing them filling up (literally) the first 3 rows.

Following that we experienced our first live baptisms at Rock Point. If you weren't there, you really missed out on a special moment as each of those baptized videoed their story and we were able to show that before the actual baptism. Fortunately, with the magic of technology and the internet, we're able to show you one of those stories.

Here is the story of Garry Rodgers and his baptism. (Please excuse the focus on Garry at the beginning and the audio following. This was our first time attempting live baptisms and we had a few "hurdles").



What a story...what a privilege to experience that with Garry. Lauren his wife and Jolynn Linder were the others baptized and we'll post those later.

Thanks to all who helped make this past Sunday possible. God is doing great things at Rock Point and I am blessed to be a part of it.

Heath

Going Global

This past Sunday was a very memorable service for me at RPCC. We announced our relationship that we are beginning with Compassion International and had over 20 children sponsored that day. What an awesome thing to see with God's people stepping up to help others in need, even when they are in another part of the world. Kevin Meyers from Compassion dropped by for an interview and helped us understand what Compassion International is doing around the world.

I am so excited about this partnership with Compassion as we will not only be able to sponsor children from here in the states but we will be able to take trips to Lima, Peru to assist with what Compassion is doing there. The mission of Compassion is to "release children from poverty in Jesus' name". Very simple mission, but very impactful organization. After witnessing first hand what is taking place through Compassion in Lima, I am thrilled to be able to partner with them in not only assisting children with physical poverty, but spiritual, economic and social poverty as well.

Thanks to all those who agreed to sponsor children this past Sunday. If you weren't able to come by the table Sunday and are interested in sponsoring a child, you can either drop by the Compassion table this week at Rock Point or go to our website to pick up a sponsor packet.

Can't wait to see you all this Sunday at Rock Point.

Heath

Random thoughts...

Do you every have random thoughts that go through your mind? I know I do. Sometimes these make sense, but other times, it might just mean that the way the mind that is sending the messages is a little off. (See, that doesn't even make sense)

I've been thinking about the following things here and there....off and on. Let me know your thoughts.

* Why does the church have the best message in the world, but often times we present it in the worst possible way?

* As a Christian, is it more important to be "in the world" or "not of it".

* Why does the culture in America get a bad rap but culture is embraced in other parts of the world with the intent of "reaching the lost"?

* Why is it so easy for us to spend over 30 hours a week watching TV but so hard to give 1 hour a week to serving at your church?

* If Jesus was so concerned with the needs of others...why is it so often that we want our needs addressed first and then we'll worry about "them"?

These are just observations that I have been making over the past month or so. Not jabs...not aimed at any religious group or person...just general thoughts about the church today. Been in church work for a long time...plenty of time to build up some questions. What are yours? Are you thinking about God's Kingdom work here? I hope so.

Heath

TEXTing

OK, so most of you when you read this post title, you thought of texting via your phone or handheld device. But I'm using this phrase in conjunction with our series currently going on at Rock Point. The series is called TEXT and we're talking about diving into the TEXT that God has given us...His Word...the Bible. I personally believe that the Bible is not just a compilation of a lot great writings from a lot of great people. I believe that it is God's written word for us...even thousands of years after it was penned. It is incredibly rich with wisdom...poetry...drama...redemption...love...etc. TEXTing in this context means to read the text...the Bible...which doesn't always mean you totally understand it. Anything that has ever stretched me or I have grown after reading, was not completely comprehendible the first time I read it. But it was so worth it when I immersed myself into it.

This book...the Bible...is alive. It will change you if you read it. So how about it?
If you choose this challenge, let me give you a few places to start.

Step #1 - Get a Bible. I recommend something that is readable in our language today. I prefer the NIV version, but there are a lot of great translations. Yeah, the "thees and thous" from the KJV are very poetic, but I don't know how many of my friends speak like that today. (FYI - that version is a translation as well.)

Step #2 - Pick a time and place. Just like reading a good book, it's probably not the best idea to try and read the Bible with a lot of distractions.

Step #3 - Read it. Below are a weeks worth of reading if that helps you know where to start. All Bibles have a place in the front which helps you know where the individual books are found. (Ex. Matthew, Isaiah, Psalms, etc) Use this. It will help you if you need it.

Monday: Psalm 1

Tuesday: Psalm 119:9-16

Wednesday: Psalm 119:33-37

Thursday: Psalm 119:97-104

Friday: Proverbs 2:1-6

That's pretty much it! Now you can take this as deep as you want to, but for those who have never even given the TEXT a try, this will help you get started.

So pick it up...read it...you won't regret it!

Heath