Amber’s Email

Mark read this email yesterday during his sermon and it’s definitely worth sharing:

Since June Jack and I have been coming to North Creek. Before North Creek and Starting Point I was lost. I didn’t realize what I was really choosing over God. Now looking back the decisions I made almost make me want to cry. North Creek changed it all for me. I feel so amazingly blessed to be a part of it all. There is truely no one else out there like North Creek. The only regret I have is having not found you sooner. I can’t thank Kayla enough for the yardsale that changed my life. For Angela who was the best example I’ve ever had and someone who I knew I could trust. Also for Jack and his parents for encouraging me to go to church. Not to leave out Michelle, Brian, and Tiffany who were there with me in Starting Point when I really made the decision to give my life to God. To surrendar to Jesus and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. There are no words to express how much everyone means to me. Every last one of you has played a part in my change from starring in my story to playing a much more special role in God’s story for me. To you, Mark and Stacy, for creating a place that changes the hearts of people like me everyday. To your vision for what North Creek is and what it is becoming. The biggest thank you in the world is not enough. May God richly bless you as he has begun to bless me. I could go on with gratitude, but this letter would be enormus so I leave you with my favorite quote, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning to dance in the rain!” God helps me dance in the rain. Thank you.

Amber

Vision Sunday Highlights

It was Vision Sunday at church, so Mark spoke a message about who we are and where we are going. It was awesome! So excited for our future and all of the great things that God has in store for us as a church. If you missed it, I highly recommend catching online in the next couple of days. It’s an important message for you to be updated and aware of the direction that we are heading.

So, here’s the rest of my highlights for the week:

Delaney made coffeechurch.com cards to pass out to her friends all on her own. She said that she hopes that her kindergarten friends don’t already have a church because they would really like ours. What a beautiful heart!

Tiffany W. joined the worship team this morning. She’s got some pipes! We have some of the most talented, amazing people on our worship team. I appreciate their humble hearts and beautiful spirits.

Lots of new faces again this morning. Did you know that we grew by 65% last year? Our goal is to grow by 100% this year.

Our children’s pastor, Kim, and her husband celebrated 10 years of marriage today! Congrats!

I had people ask about how to get involved in small groups, making espresso, and children’s ministry this morning. No problem there! Let’s get you plugged in!

Our teenagers were all back from Generation Conference. They were tired, but very blessed. God touched their lives and did some deep works in their hearts. Thank you to those of you who gave scholarships for students to go. I had a parent tell me how grateful they were for what their child experienced and said that they wouldn’t have been able to go without a scholarship.

I taught the Little Adventurer’s at 10:30. They did a great job worshipping today and belted out the song, “God Is Everywhere” at the top of their little lungs. What a joy!

Marcus and Tasha let Mark in on some of the things that are going on in their hearts…something’s brewing! We love to hear how God is molding and shaping your lives in ways that we could never even imagine. Marcus and Tasha – we fully intend to partner with you in your dreams and goals! Watch out!

Spent the afternoon at the park with my girls and my mother-in-law. It was a nice break!

Come to church. Change your life. See you next week!

Our Dreams, Your Dreams

Mark Batterson recently said, “I think church needs to be a two-way street. When you become part of a church you become a shareholder in the corporate vision. But churches also need to help individuals identify the unique vision God has for them. Churches that do both of those things have a catalytic culture that is hard to put into words. Vision becomes contagious. We believe God has called our church to be a dream factory!”

I love that imagery. It resonates with Mark and I to the core of who we are. On Sunday we will focus on numbers, goals, strategies…it’s all important. Actually, it’s vital. I’ve been a part of both types of churches – those who are floundering and those who have a plan on how to grow people’s lives for Christ. I’d choose those with a strategy everytime.

However, what you won’t hear on Sunday is a deep heartbeat inside of us to make YOUR dreams come true. We won’t announce from the pulpit specifically, but in the middle of our bigger plans lies dozens of plans that incorporate other people’s dreams. Some who want to be pastors, some who have dreams of entrepreneurship and long to start something from scratch, some who are artists, some whose dreams are to see a spouse come to Christ…we hear them all and want nothing more than to partner with you in making them happen.

Vision Sunday

Mark is talking this Sunday about where we are headed as a church and why. I think this may be one of the most important messages that he has ever had to give, but ironically it’s nothing new. Our heart is splattered through the pages of the Bible. We may have a unique plan and strategy, but it’s a simple vision when it’s all boiled down…more people in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling last night and thought about the possibilities of a people united by a cause. What if we have a New Testament church where people held NOTHING back? They gave of their time, their talents, their money. They were willing to die for the cause. They left everything to follow Christ. The result in the Bible was that people were added to their number DAILY.

What would we do if we had to add a new small group every week to fulfill the need in our church? What if we had to have Starting Point groups meeting all throughout the week to accomodate people who have questions about Jesus? What if we could not wait until later in the year to add a campus…or campuses…because there is no room for the people to come?

And then the real question…what is YOUR responsibility to make that happen? What do you need to do to unite behind a vision? Do you need to invite a friend to church? Are you faithfully tithing 10% and then asking God what else you are to give? Are you praying, reading your Bible, and fasting? Are you allowing God to mold and shape your heart so that sin does not come between you and Him?

A sacrificial and sinless church is a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Before you come on Sunday, I challenge you to pray about what you can literally DO for the Kingdom of God that you aren’t already doing. The picture I hold in my heart is a church knit together with a reckless abandon to make a difference. I can’t wait unitl that picture becomes a vivid reality.

January 31 Highlights

The church was FULL today. Fine. We’ll start another campus or a service or something! That is an awesome problem to have and I’ll take it. We are dreaming and scheming about how to accomodate our anticipated growth this year, so the solution is already in the works. In the meantime, just don’t stand in the way of the coffee…no matter how crowded it may be.

Our worship team ROCKED it today! The presence of God was in the house and they went with it! New drummer today…awesome job, Scott! Glad that you are on the team.

Found out one of our congregants goes in for surgery tomorrow for cancer. Please commit with me in prayer for complete healing. His cancer is not a highlight for me today, but his healing will definitely make the list.

Pete got some pretty high compliments said to us about Starting Point. He’s a GREAT leader and we are proud to have him in our midst. Change the world, Pete. We’re behind you 100%. And at least you’re big enough not to drop all of the people that you’ll be baptizing in your future!

I got several people signed up to Volunteer in various forms on Sunday mornings. I’m exstatic about that. It takes an enormous leadership force to lead the way that we lead. We only have our workers work one Sunday a month, which means that we need 8 people per position to cover all of our shifts. We are close to having that. Of course, just about the time that we have plenty of leaders, we’ll get another campus or a third service!

We got the opportunity to show love to someone today that made a mistake. Sometimes love is the worst form of punishment. What do I mean by that? It’s humbling when people love you even when you disappoint them.

One of the teenagers volunteered to do grounds maintenance. I could kiss that boy’s feet.

We had North Creek Orientation tonight. Mark has officially destroyed his voice. That’s what you get when you talk all day long…

Mike Krause is a great servant. He’ll give me a run for my money on trying to be the best servant in our church. Not sure what the prize will be? A crown to throw at the feet of Jesus? How about a mop and bucket?

My daughter Kennedy got to go to a birthday party today and Delaney got to go to Kyra’s house after church…they think Sundays are one big party. I hope they always think that about church days.

Adam helped me in the Little Adventurer’s today. He’s in Elementary School and he chased a one year old around for an hour. I had flash backs to when he was running around as a one year old…paybacks are awesome!

What a day! I’m fried, but glad to do what I get to do. Off to bed…

What if You Had to Preach?

I’m preaching on Valentines Day this year. I have a love/hate relationship with preaching. On one hand, I love communicating. I love words and the power that they hold. I love crafting them in a way that carries the most impact and will be the most memorable. I even love being on stage with a microphone. All of that is easy, believe it or not.

The hard part of sermon writing is asking this question, “God, what do YOU want me to say? What is on your heart for my audience (and MY life) and how can I represent YOU appropriately?” It’s a weight that I wish upon all of you because it forces the sermon writer to examine what God is stirring in our hearts and souls. If forces us to dive into His scriptures, research, study, and dissect His Word. It forces us to look into the parts of ourselves that need refining…ouch.

Another reason that I think all of you should write a sermon is because sometimes we lack clarity on how we really feel about an issue. For instance, how do you feel about forgiveness? I hear all of the time these words, “I can NEVER forgive that person.” But what if you were to preach on Matthew 11:25-26 – And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins. How can you reconcile unforgiveness when you are preaching about the fact that God can’t forgive you when you harbor unforgiveness in your heart? It’s riveting and humbling all at the same time!

I’m not going to tell you what I’m preaching about on Valentine’s Day,yet, but it’s not about sex or marriage and my text is not out of the Song of Solomon…that would be too obvious! It is about what God is stirring in my heart and the more I write, the more excited I get…not about preaching to you, but rather about the God that we serve. He’s big and I am grateful for the excuse of sermon writing to remind me of that all over again. See you on February 14.

The Most Important Servant

I was talking with my coworker at the Homeless Shelter about some of the things that I have learned during our process of starting a church. It was an interesting look back over the most valuable time in my life so far. When I got home I continued the conversation with Mark, so I thought I would take some time in the next week and share some of my favorite lessons learned.

By far, the most important thing that I have learned is humility. In the backwards world of God, sometimes the more “important” you become, the less “important” you feel. Becoming lead pastor’s and having people follow us seems like we’ve now achieved something grandious. It seems that we should be prideful, but in the midst of the last three years, I have been nothing but humbled and honored that people would give so much of who they are to Mark and I’s leadership.

I watched as people’s feet literally bled to deliver thousands of door to door advertisements to get us launched. I watched dozens of people clean, paint, and build at our new building…in the freezing cold with no heat, no food, and no hot water because the budget was too tight. I watch people lead small groups, serve on Sundays, believe in children and teenagers and give their hard earned money…mostly because they serve God, but partly because they believe in what North Creek represents. Talk about humility. All of these people could be at some other church doing the same thing, but they chose us…

Humility is an interesting gift. It makes us want to serve more, give more, believe more and dream more. It makes us want to give back because we are in awe of how much someone has given to us. Humility keeps us moving. It keeps us passionate and grateful. It makes us want to succeed, not because we will get the credit, but because the people around us deserve to see success.

My goal as a leader is not to be the most important, but rather to be the best servant. That is a high goal to keep in mind because we have some of the most amazing servants in the Kingdom of God in our church. I’m honored and blessed to be in your midst.

Teenagers at NC

Our youth pastor just sent out this list of things that are going on in our student’s lives…talk about real ministry! Next time you see Kris or her youth staff, tell them how much you appreciate them. This list is a reflection of lives lived on the front lines. Thought you would appreciate the Stories of Changed Lives:

North Creek,
Incredible things are happening with the teenagers of this church! I thought it was too selfish of the youth staff to keep it to ourselves so here are the highlights! Thanks for supporting this ministry, good things are happening every week! Here’s what some students of The Difference have done in the last few months:

…written sermons about what God’s doing in her life
…given God their dating relationship
…told a coach he needs to be at youth group even if it means he won’t be a starter
…started reading her Bible
…didn’t commit suicide after planning to
…changed how she speaks on facebook
…discovered what her spiritual gifts might be
…felt called to missions
…just told her mom about being abused after years of being afraid to
…experienced how amazing it is to give money to missions
…fought pornography
…organized a fundraiser to help needy children
…gave up homosexuality
…put on a baby shower for a young homeless mom (she was so touched she came to youth church the next week!)
…had the courage to join worship team and sing in front of her peers
…chose to believe what God says about him

What a fun job I have! God is good, and this generation is amazing. Take a minute this Sunday to tell them so…you never know what that might lead to on next month’s list! Thanks for believing in them!
Pastor Kris

Thick Skin

“The best way to avoid criticism is to not do anything significant.”

There will always be someone who doesn’t like what you do. That goes double for those of us in ministry. It’s part of life and it’s the highest hurdle for leaders to jump. We all have the best of intentions, and at the same time, we all feel the need to give our 2 cents worth of criticism wherever we go. For some reason it’s just in us to look around and decide what would be better if it was done “my way”.

The service is too short, the service is too long, the kids ministry is too rowdy, the kids ministry is too boring, the pastor isn’t funny enough, “I’m not being fed”, the lady at the door wasn’t friendly enough, the parking lot is too full and the coffee is too weak, we should have more worship songs, we should have less worship songs, we should have an altar call, and where in the world does the prayer ministry fit in?, we should have softer chairs, we should have softer music, except for last week when the music was too soft…and don’t even get me started on those teenagers…

Although this input can all be valuable and even correct, for leaders who have bled for their ministries, it can also be deflating. The key is to get some thick skin and remember WHO you are aiming to please. This is easier said than done because we are made of this stuff called flesh that is easily injured.

Ministers also think big picture, which is most of the dilemma in handling criticism. We might know that there are problems, but we might also see that one of our team members is growing in a certain area. We see the value in the growth, more than the immediate issue. We might see failure, not as the problem that someone else sees, but rather the means to an end of how God is molding and shaping someone’s life. Or we might be thinking of EVERYBODY’S need, wants, desires, struggles, and dreams, rather than just one person at a time. We might be making the best decision for the whole at the sake of the individual.

So, to all of you pastors and key leaders out there, don’t stop. Listen briefly, change what is necessary, and keep focused on what God has asked you to do. Do you best, get thick skin, and change the world…not in your perfection, but in your determination.

January 24 Highlights

Today was a great day at the Coffee Church. Here’s my weekly highlights:

Starting Point began with 5 participants, 1 leader, and 2 apprentices…LOVE it! What a fabulous opportunity to grow in your walk with Christ!

I worked 2nd hour in the nursery and got to hold Amita and Eli. I also got to hang out with Karlie, who is a beautiful teenager in our church. Talk about a great hour…babies and a teenager…all of whom go home with their parents later!

Mark spoke on Regrets this morning. YIKES! What a topic! It was a great sermon and you can catch it online early this week. I’m so glad that we serve a God who doesn’t abandon us when we are stupid…’cause sometimes we are…just saying…

I have had a very strange week. God is definitely up to something because I feel like the theme song from the Twilight Zone is playing all around me right now. Everywhere I go, providential things seem to be happening. I’m pretty sure that God is up to something.

Rachael Yonko is my hero of the day! She is an AWESOME leader with a fleet of dedicated people working along side of her. She has a tender, loving, and merciful heart, and also knows what she believes.

My blog is offically linked to my Twitter account that will post it on my Facebook. Chris Harold told me to do it.

We have some big dreams for 2010…Some of them are to grow to 300 people, continue our trend of baptizing over 20% of our congregation every year, launch a second campus, double our operating budget to allow for funds to pay our staff this year, and launch 7 new small groups this year. We are also wading through the process of becoming a sovereign church and no longer a church plant. We are praying and believing God for the right timing of a service that reaches 18-25 year olds… WOW! It’s going to be a year of growth and blessing! What part gets you excited? Find out how you can be involved in making that dream a reality.

We have great people in our church! Want to be a part of it? You are always welcome!