Easter Celebration!

After the dust has settled at our Easter Celebration at Rock Point, I wanted to give you all a quick snapshot as to what all occurred on this incredible day. Easter is the greatest day of the year for followers of Christ and it was awesome to be able to celebrate that day with so many at Rock Point. Our God is so good!

* First of all, we could not have done this without our amazing volunteers. You guys continue to amaze me. From the time people pull into the parking lot until they leave, you guys strive to create excellent and irresistible environments for them. On Sunday, the atmosphere was electric and children, teenagers and adults of all ages were all engaged. It was fun to be a part of! Thank you all SO MUCH!

* Sunday we had our highest attendance ever at Rock Point. We are the first ones to admit that numbers aren't everything, (as life change isn't about how many people are sitting in the seats), but you have to be excited about almost 100 children and 440 adults and teenagers on Easter Sunday. I wholeheartedly believe in what we are doing to create environments to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and we got to do this with over 500 people Sunday. That's exciting stuff!

* At the conclusion of the service we gave anyone who wanted to, an opportunity to trust Christ as their Savior. I witnessed from the front multiple hands go up in acknowledgment of giving their lives to Christ. What a special Easter for those people! I'm praying for them and their new found relationship with Christ. I hope you will do the same.

I am committed that Rock Point will not be just an Easter destination for some people. I desire for this to be a weekly destination for people from all over Chattanooga each and every Sunday. I believe that our relationship with Christ should be contagious and church on Sunday is a place that also should be contagious. I hope and pray that you will join me on this mission...to capture this vision...and be a church for EVERYBODY!

FYI - We've got an incredible new series coming up called, "Losing Your Religion". It begins this Sunday. Know someone who might have had "religion" at one point but gave it up because it failed them...or maybe never gave it a shot because "religion" seemed to be filled with too many holes? Maybe this describes you. In this series we are going to take a look at the significant difference in a "religion" and a "relationship" with Christ. It's VASTLY different. We hope you will join us for this series and invite some folks whom you believe would benefit from a series like this.

Can't wait to see you Sunday!

Heath

Feb 28 - 2010

Sunday at Rock Point was a very LONG day but an incredibly rewarding one. We began a new series called, "Staying in Love" where Andy Stanley discusses what it means to stay in love. Falling in love is easy...STAYING in love is a totally different deal. We kicked off with "Faithfully" by Journey (yes, the Journey hit from 1983). Crazy in that I was talking with a teenager after the service and told them that this song was written way before they were even born...and their response was, "Man, I love that song!" That's right...a timeless hit.

We ended the day with ELEVATE - A Night of Worship. The design of this night was simple...elevate God for who He is and what He has done in our lives. Rock Point is a church that unashamedly focuses on connecting with those outside the walls of our churches. We desire to be a church for everybody, and that includes those who are sleeping in or sitting on their couches on Sunday morning. (Honestly, the group that is often forgotten in most churches). But ELEVATE is a little different for us. It's a time for those who call themselves followers of Jesus to come together and remember Who it is that gives us life.

I know for me personally, this recharged my batteries...but they were recharged to accomplish God's mission for our church. Our video crew (led by Matt Stevens) put together this nifty little video to help remind us about ultimately what we are about. To share the incredible love relationship we have with our Savior with those we come in contact with every day. If you missed the video last night, here it is.

Vision Video 2010 from Matthew Stevens on Vimeo.

God loves us...He loves Chattanooga...His son died for this city. There are countless people who will not dawn the doorsteps of a church unless someone reaches out to them. Unless there is a church that welcomes them.

I love creating a church for them. How about you?

Heath

Conclusion of Balanced

This past Sunday we wrapped up our latest series at Rock Point, BALANCED. In this series we have been taking a look at our personal finances and determining whether or not we truly are "balanced" with our books. I have to be honest...when we looked at doing a 6 week series on money, I got very nervous. Many people associate money and the church in a corrupt way. Just recently I have seen 2 reports of ministries/ministers who have exploited others for their own personal gain. So, as we moved forward with this series I was a little reluctant to "promote" the topic as I wasn't sure how it would be perceived. Wow! Was I wrong how it would be taken.

During the past 6 weeks we have heard incredible reports of people who have begun to get their financial lives in order and others who have realized that their money isn't just for them. They have really begun to understand, "Where your treasure is, there is your heart also." That God is the true owner of everything and he has just given us what we have as a "steward". That will really change your perspective on stuff.

This past week (the conclusion) was incredible as Andy spoke about 3 areas where our money should go. He listed them in this order:

1. Give (to further God's Kingdom)
2. Save (for the future)
3. Spend (with what God has blessed us with)

Basically, we should give off the top for God's work not with what is left over. Now, we can discuss and debate all day about whether that should be a percentage for the local church...or parachurch organizations...or supporting missionaries. That's really not the point. The point is, most often we have reversed the order. We often put our immediate needs/wants first, followed by building our own kingdom and then finally giving to God's work what we have left over, (which usually is very little). It was very eye opening as many in the audience could relate with the reversal of this order and why it important for us to put them in the right order. I really can't do it justice in a blog, so here is the link if you want to catch any previous sermons in this series. I really believe you will be glad you did.

Although the series is over for BALANCED, we have a lot of work to do. Many of us need to continue working on our financial "books" so that we get out of debt and are no longer "the slave to the lender". Many of us need to reprioritize where our money is going, while others need to find a percentage to give outside of themselves. This is an issue we all face...have faced...or will face at some point.

So...where does your money go? Take a look at your recent bank statement. It tells a lot about what we prioritize.

For more helps with the BALANCED series, click here.

I hope you all have a great week and don't forget our new series beginning this Sunday, February 28th. - STAYING IN LOVE

Heath

Stories of Life Change

This past Sunday was an incredible experience as we witnessed the baptism of 4 individuals and got to hear their stories of life change through a relationship with Christ. They were so genuine and heartfelt. There is no better way at Rock Point to share the new life that comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ than through baptism. I was honored to be able to share this experience with these individuals as well as the opportunity to baptize them.

If you missed this past Sunday, here is a video of one. You might need a full box of kleenex for this one...



Wow. If you are wondering if this guy is normally emotional and "soft" the answer is NO! Adam is your proto-typical tough guy who has just met his Savior face to face and He has changed his life. These emotions he couldn't hold back. It was incredibly moving for me.

Also, a huge thank you to Shelley, Tyler, and Andria. It was so wonderful to be able to baptize a Mom and her 2 kids on the same morning! Thank you for your stories and for your hearts.

As you watch these videos, enjoy their stories...but more importantly...enjoy the God of their stories. He so much wants to have this kind of relationship with you.

Heath

Perspective

Last night I received a call about a friend whose father was on his way to the Hospital. As I got off the phone I called people, sent text messages and emails to friends to ask them to pray. Those people in turn asked others to pray. My son even prayed while praying for our meal at dinner time. I felt confident that we had a small army of people praying and that everything would be OK.

An hour later I received a text that he was gone.

All of a sudden I was flooded with emotions. One because I was taken back to 2006 when I lost my father suddenly. The story was eerily similar. We were all praying for Dad to come out OK and the doctors would know what to do. But then I got the call. Dad was gone. My heart went out to my friend because I personally knew his pain.

But I also felt this sudden tension to ask the question, "God, why didn't you take care of that situation? Didn't you hear your people calling to you, asking you to do this one thing for us?" I felt this all night long. I knew the right answers but the right answers don't always take away emotions and pain. I know my friend hurts. I know that his pain can be eased but not removed. So, I asked one simple question, "Why?" I didn't see a burning bush or God writing across the sky, but I was reminded of a few things about God and us.

* God has a plan that I don't always see. His ways are not my ways.
* He is the only one who can truly comfort and ease our suffering.
* He longs to see His children bear one anothers burdens.
* Prayer isn't a magic formula to bend God's arm but to line my heart with His heart.

I don't know why God allowed my friend's father to pass away last night. But I do know that He was and is present. Sometimes I find myself asking the wrong questions in times of trouble and despair. A friend once told me, "Peace is not the absence of chaos or trouble but the presence of God in the midst of that chaos."

Today my prayer is that my friend knows the peace of God. That's really all I can pray for.

Heath

BALANCED

The past 3 weeks we have been in a series called BALANCED. In this series we are discussing the importance of having a financially balanced life. A realization that all we have is from God and we should treat it as such. We don't have money or stuff just to blow it on ourselves but to USE it wisely. When we utilize our money wisely we avoid the stress that comes with lack of margin, we experience freedom from the shackles of consumer debt, and we have greater opportunity to live generously. Sounds like a great place to be...and it is!!

Money is important to God. How do I know this? Well, Jesus (God in the flesh), spoke about money more than Heaven & Hell combined. He knows the power of it...for good...and for evil. I should say that God is more interested in how we HANDLE our money than the actual money itself. Because "where our treasure is, our heart follows". (Matt. 6:21) He's concerned with how we spend it...how we save it...how we waste it...and how we share it. It's a big deal to Him and hopefully it is a big deal to us!

So if you have missed out on the past couple of weeks, check them out here. And if you are in Chattanooga this Sunday, join us for a brand new sermon for a brand new topic for many of us...generosity.

Speaking of generosity, 2 weeks ago the people of Rock Point helped raise over $1,800 to send to Haiti. Thank you for being so generous!

See You Sunday

Heath

Operation Christmas Child

OK, so it's been a while since my last post. The past couple of months have been a little crazy. But this one is LONG overdue! There are some great things going on at Rock Point and over the next few days I'm going to be highlighting some of them.

I would like to start out with our UpStreet Kids (K-5th grade). First of all, 2 weeks ago we had our largest attendance in UpStreet ever!! I was fortunate to be in there during their time together and the feel of the room was incredible. I want to personally thank our volunteers and staff who make that environment fun and engaging for kids each week. It's fun to see kids WANT to be at church. (I know I didn't when I was a kid).

Also, I was proud of our kids for their contribution to Operation Christmas Child. Each child was asked to put together a box for another child who was less fortunate. It's through Samaritan's Purse, an incredible organization that helps those who are in need all over the world. I was told by our staff that they were hoping for 25 boxes from our kids...which would have been a great number to send. But when the dust settled, our kids ended up bringing 49 boxes to ship off!! That is awesome! Way to go UpStreet Kids! I love seeing God using kids for His work. Looks like they could teach us adults a few things.

Look for a post later on about a few who got to share their life stories recently at Rock Point and other cool stuff that God is doing...

Heath