Sunday Rewound – Midtown Edition

As I write this tonight I want you to know one thing: I Love Doing What I Do! Today was no exception. I had the enormous honor of speaking at the Midtown Campus in both services today. Then at 3:00 we had Drenched, our Baptismal service, in which we baptized 9 people. What an amazing day! The other side of the coin is that I missed my West Side Gang. I have an amazing staff and team of volunteers so I knew everything would be fine, but the “manager” in me was still a little nervous. Cut me a little slack, I did not even call them constantly to “check on them.” They are trained, and I let them do what they do. They really are a great group of people to lead. So today I will be giving you Sunday Rewound – Midtown Edition!

·      The place looked amazing! We kicked off the new series “Carnival,” and Pastor Scott and his team did an unbelievable job making the theater posses a carnival feel. All it needed was a few elephants and popcorn and it would have been eerily close. I am not sure people grasp how deeply talented Pastor Scott is.

·      Pastor Jerad and the band went with an acoustic set, and they did incredible. There was a definite anointing on them as they led us in songs that were both moving emotionally and spiritually. Kathy Stock led a prayer in both services and this is one anointed young lady. I had read some of her writings on Facebook, so I knew she was a great writer, but then her prayers brought a real side of her to life. She has a genuine faith that is birthed out of an authentic relationship with Jesus. Truly inspiring! The band operated with a tremendous sense of spiritual unity that was easy to follow in worship with.  This is another example of the level of leadership that Pastor Jerad has been gifted with.

·      So as I prepared to speak today, I have to admit I was a little nervous. I was faced with the task of  being the morning speaker in a church that is accustomed to Pastor Brian Hunter, who is a truly gifted and anointed communicator. Of course I was afraid people would compare us, to which I would lose, and I hate losing! But I decided to speak how God has wired me to speak and when I figured that out, the nerves went away.

·      Today was the first time I have spoke the same message in back to back experiences. Felt weird. Both experiences felt different, and so did the messages. I went WAY too long in the first and tried to do a little better in the second.

·      I kicked of our series “Carnival,” which is a series focused on developing families with a God-centered focus. The upcoming weeks will be life-changing for many families.

·      I spoke on the topic of breaking the cycle of sin in your life, and during the teaching I admitted that my most memorable carnival experience as a child was being frightened by a Bearded Lady Midget! That’s a true story.

·      Being at the Midtown Campus reminded me how amazing our church is. While Midtown was having their moment with God, most reports say that West had another good day! Our church is making a difference in Tallahassee and we have just begun. God is up to something amazing through us and I am honored to be a small part of it!