AT&T Makes iPhone Suck
October 31st, 2007 by Pastor Eric
Here I am trying to put my iPhone on a family plan with AT@T and of course, nothing but problems. The only drawback with the iPhone I’d the fact you have to use AT&T.
Archive Page 3
Deep Ridiculous Thought
October 29th, 2007 by Pastor Eric
I don’t even need a Deep Thought today because what I saw on the news is so ridiculous it will make you mad.
On the same newscast this morning, there was a story of a high school that is giving out birth control pills to high school students. That alone is frustrating in that my daughter can’t even get a Tylenol at school but she can get birth control pills. Plus parents aren’t allowed to know if their kids are receiving birth control pills.
But of that isn’t enough, later in the same newscast was a story of a 17 year old boy who served 2 years of a 10 year sentence for having consensual sex with a 15 year old girl. So, let me get this straight… we are going to give birth control pills to high school students and then arrest them when they have sex. No wonder our students are so messed up… we are messing them up!
This is so absurd that it would be funny if it wasn’t such a pathetic picture of the lack of common sense in our society.
Eric
Thanksgiving Cigars and Church Planting
October 19th, 2007 by Pastor Eric
Deep Thought: If you’re at a Thanksgiving dinner, but you don’t like the stuffing or the cranberry sauce or anything else, just pretend like you’re eating it, but instead, put it all in your lap and form it into a big mushy ball. Then, later, when you’re out back having cigars with the boys, let out a big fake cough and throw the ball to the ground. Then say, “Boy, these are good cigars!”
You can tell we are moving into the fall season with the smell of dead fish in the air from the Red Tide. Plus, it is raining for 3 days straight. It just makes me long for all the church Hallo-Boo-jah festivals’ and Thanksgiving. Sitting here thinking about this reminds of all the good things going in Shoreline right now.
- Really good vibe in church right now. Attendance is up. Not a big spike, just good, steady growth. It reminds me of a book I just finished by my friend Matt Keller, Up the Middle about church planting. It is not published yet, but I read the manuscript. Great book for anybody about to or in the process of planting a church. The basic premise is not everyone gets the long, touchdown game winning bomb in the church plant world. Chris Hodges (Church of the Highlands) and Steven Furtick (Elevation Church) are exceptions to the rule. Most of us have to go for the short 6 & 7 yard passes and runs up the middle that lead to 1st downs that lead to touchdowns. If you are interested, contact Matt at www.upthemiddle.org.
- Speaking of church planting, God has opened the door for us to speak into some church planters lives. We have been talking to or meeting with about 5 different planters in different stages of planting
- Meet with Tom Longfellow of Daphne, AL who is moving their church into a Rave over in the East Bay area. He came over last Monday and we went through the Rave and showed him and his associate what we do. We then had lunch at Hard Rock. Since then, they have met with the Rave over in Alabama and things are rolling along. We got to hang out with Tom in Colorado in Feb. at an ARC pastors retreat.
- I talked with another ARC planter that is planting in Vegas. Tim Jimmerson is planting Destiny Church there. He is an Alabama boy planting in Vegas; talk about culture shock.
- I spent some time on the phone with Ryan May who is a pastor at Seacoast and he is planting in Chattanooga next year, also in a Rave. I have kin folk in Chattanooga.
- I have been playing phone tag with Kevin Lloyd who just planted in Decatur, AL. They are doing well. You can check them out at www.epicchurch.tv.
- We are very excited about the series we just started, Shipwrecked. If you weren’t there for the 1st one, you can watch it at www.shorelinechurch.net.
- This last Tuesday, we had a great Leadership pipeline with some exciting direction for our church for next year. But I can’t talk about it now. Maybe later when we are out back having cigars with the boys I can tell you.
Until then, be thankful… be very thankful.
Coughing up stuffing and cranberry sauce,
Pastor Eric
On Location Shoot for Shipwrecked
October 12th, 2007 by Pastor Eric
Deep Thought: Even though he was an enemy of mine, I had to admit that what he had accomplished was a brilliant piece of strategy. First, he punched me, then he kicked me, then he punched me again.
This week, we as a tech team had a brilliant piece of strategy. We went out filming for our series this week, “Shipwrecked”. Is your checkbook on the rocks? Well, for the next 4 weeks, we are going to look at how to get a rescue plan, how God sees our stuff and other good topics like that.
If the on location film shoots are any indication, we are going to have a lot of fun during this series.
So come on out and employ the brilliant strategy of going to church on Sunday.
On Location,
Pastor Eric
Lighthearted Epic to the Amazon
October 10th, 2007 by Pastor Eric
Deep Thought: If I ever do a book on the Amazon, I hope I am able to bring a certain lightheartedness to the subject, in a way that tells the reader we are going to have fun with this thing.
That is the way our new youth guy, Joe would do it. He has done a great job leading our high school student ministry, Epic. He brings the truth in a way that is lighthearted yet life changing. We have seen some great transformation in our students in the few short weeks that he has been running the Life Group.We have some students who never gave church a thought before, who are now coming to Shoreline as well as Epic. Then the community he has brought to the students who were already attending Shoreline has been very exciting too.
I have included some pictures of last weeks dinner at Pepitos. If you have a high school student or you are one, this may be just what the doctor ordered. Epic meets on Wednesday nights @ 6 pm for dinner and then 7 for the Life Group which includes some worship by Hunter Dawson and Michaela Partin. They meet at my home @ 101 Durango road in Destin.
Maybe we can take a trip to the Amazon with them for some lighthearted fun.
Hasta Lasagna,
Pastor Eric
Hanging With My Friends
October 8th, 2007 by Pastor Eric
Deep Thought: The old pool shooter had won many a game in his life. But now it ws time to hang up the cue. When he did, all the other cues came crashing to the floor.
“Sorry,” he said with a smile.
I never want to hang up pastoring. I love what I do and I love where I do it. The other night at my prayer Life Group, Ignite, after we finished praying which was very refreshing I might add, we just hung out on the deck and enjoyed the night. Some of us had some dinner and then just talked until 10:30 pm.
That is why Life Groups are so valuable. People doing life together. And it is even better when it is people you like. Here is a picture of some of the people who come to Ignite.
Left to right: Darlene, Christen, Melissa, Susie and Jay
We will never have to be like the old pool shooter and hang up what we love to do. That’s what I love about friends, I get to hang out with them, altough there are a few that I would like to hang.
Hanging with my friends,
Pastor Eric
Yeah, it’s an iPhone
October 2nd, 2007 by Pastor Eric
I’m writing my first blog post from an iPhone. Nice.
Boxing, Baptisms and Wild Dogs
September 24th, 2007 by Pastor Eric
Deep Thought: If you’re in a boxing match, try not to let the other guy’s glove touch your lips, because you don’t know where that glove has been.
That’s why it is important to wash you hands. Yesterday, in the service, we looked at a scripture in Luke 11:37 – 38 where Jesus is eating at a Pharisee’s house and the Pharisee gets upset because Jesus doesn’t wash his hands before he eats.
“When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal…”
That word, wash, comes from the Greek word, Baptizo, where we get the word baptize. The word was a common, everyday word in the Greek language meaning to wash, submerge, dunk, drown, etc. So, the Pharisee wasn’t upset that Jesus didn’t baptize himself but that he didn’t wash his hands.
We saw, yesterday that baptism was basically a washing, symbolic of washing away of your old life and dedicating your life in a new direction. We said it this way, “Baptism is a public declaration of a new association.” With Christianity, that new association was specifically with Jesus Christ. That’s why you cannot find infant baptism in the New Testament, because an infant cannot make a public declaration to follow Jesus.
So, some people have asked how did infant baptism come about? Well, with my limited knowledge of church history, I will attempt to explain it.
A Catholic historian, you can read it, named Brenner said this, “For the first 1300 years of church history, baptism was generally and regularly immersion of the person under water and in only extraordinary cases a sprinkling or pouring of water. The latter were disputed modes of baptism and often forbidden.” There you go, for the first 1300 years, that is the way people were baptized.
That’s also the way we baptize. Because of the diverse backgrounds of our church, I get this question, “Well, Eric, how did sprinkling come into vogue? How did that become hip?” Basically, it was a convenience thing. But if you really want to get a little bit deep, there was an offshoot of Christianity that distorted some things in the Bible. And I want to share these things with you because they are not Biblical.
The first is original guilt. This group said that when a child is born, not only are they sinners, but God holds them guilty and accountable for their sins. Thus, this group says, if a child dies, the child will spend eternity separate from the Lord.
So, with this original guilt thing going on, people started going, “Whoa, we better start baptizing babies.” So they began to immerse infants and many infants died because of it. There was a shortage of water around, so people started sprinkling because it was convenient. Then another distortion took place called Baptismal Regeneration. This group said, “When we baptize these babies, they are saved. That’s it. They are Christians.” These are distortions. You won’t find them in the Bible. Baptism doesn’t save us. What you find in the bible is that we are saved by grace.
Well, that is my little attempt to explain in a limited amount of time, where infant baptism comes from. It really is too bad that whole churches can be torn apart by something as simple as baptism, when they can be torn apart by a pack of wild dogs.
Submerging as we go,
Pastor Eric
Putting Jesus’s Skin On
September 22nd, 2007 by Pastor Eric
Deep Thought: When I heard that trees grow a new “ring” for each year they live, I thought, we humans are kind of like that: we grow a new layer of skin each year; and after many years we are thick and unwieldy from all our skin layers.
I am pretty sure that is what happened to me.
I received an e-mail this week from a pastor in Indiana about a someone he knows in the Destin area. This girl needs some help and as the church it is an opportunity to step up and be “Jesus with skin on.” So, I am including the a-mail in this blog. If after you read it, there is some way in which you would like t help, then contact the church office @ info@shorelinechurch.net.
Dear Eric,
My name is Don Billey and I pastor the Main Street Church of God in Anderson, Indiana. I received a phone call on Tuesday from a young lady who is loosely connected to our church - her grandmother went here and died this past Spring - I met the young lady during the course of visitation and services. Her name is _________________ ______________, and she is in transition from Florida to a new home in Nevada. She is currently in Destin, and is on probation so she cannot leave the county.
She has lost her home, business, and some relationships due to the crime she committed (a non-violent crime) and has reached a point of desperation. She is looking for someone not to give a handout, but to come alongside and walk with her from day to day as she makes her way through the legal system, and completes her probation.
As a pastor I searched for churches in Destin, and came across your website. Could you please have the appropriate minister cocntact her to see how you can come alongside her, and help her find agencies or ministries locally that will provide for her needs? She also has a young daughter (early elementary) that is with her. Her cell phone number is ______ ______ -________.
Thanks for your help. God’s blessings to you as you serve.
Because of Him,
Well, as you can see, she is not looking for a handout but maybe more of a counselor or mentor. This is ministry right here folks.
After all, you don’t want to build up all this excess skin. Wouldn’t you rather just put Jesus’ skin on.
Changing skins,
Pastor Eric
Membership dinner
September 20th, 2007 by Pastor Eric
Deep Thought: Darlene got offended that I used the word “puke” at the membership dinner. But to me, that’s what her dinner tasted like.
We did have a good time though welcoming our new members. Our new members include Tim and Malinda Douglas, Lisa Mills and Joe Lucero our youth intern.
When you see them, make them feel welcome.
Next time, we will have dinner brought in from Hog’s Breath.
Pastor Eric
