Christmas Weekend... behind the curtain
I just got done looking over the spreadsheet for this weekend's attendance and as you probably know we are totally freaked out about attendance. The space is so limited that we hav…
Writing from 2008
Looking Ahead
It is amazing to me that 2008 has already come and for the most part gone. I don't want to rush into 2009, with the best days of 2008 still to come, but it is impossible not to be …
Get Jesus out of your yard and into your home!
Okay, here comes a rant, so be warned. All over people are putting statues of baby Jesus all over their yards. People I never see leaving for church on Sunday mornings have spent l…
Who Am I Casting Crowns
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Welcome Snowbirds!
Just in case you needed a reminder of why you live in FL. Enjoy! I look forward to seeing you at church this weekend, and yes flip flops will be in order for Saturday Night Service…
The Church Advances as the World Retreats
One of the things that is obvious in almost every segment of society is the new value of security against global economic collapse . The papers and news channels are full of storie…
WoW!
I was listening to a good friend, Paul Heier, speak recently and he said his favorite word of worship was "wow." Wow, is a word you say when words escape you or they can do little …
Seriously Funny
What is amazing about this cartoon by John Bogenschutz is that nobody ever thought of this before! What a great idea! Life no doubt has its dangers and for many of us we are afraid…
Seriously Funny
Christmas is just around the corner and we are excited to begin practicing for our special Christmas services on the weekend of December 20th and 21st. I heard today that retailers…
Planting Churches Cross Culturally
I have been reading a book for my Master's work in church planting that I want to reccomend to all those who are planting churches. Cross cultural church planting is in fact a real…
Vomiting
The 2008 election has reminded us of a valuable lesson. Politics is sickening! Last night President-elect Obama won the election by making no apologies for being the most liberal p…
Trunk or Treat
Last night we held our third Trunk or Treat event at the Four Corners Elementary School. In short, it was the best event ever done by our church. By the numbers we had 30 cars, 82 …
Seriously Funny
One of the hardest things for us to realize as a church was to be content with the way that God has made us. This Sunday we will be looking at how to have Joy in the face of Povert…
Partisanship is Key to Leadership
After we were married and before we had kids, Amy and I went out one Friday night. Our plan was to try out this place we had never been, but when we got there it was obviously not …
BIG Money
Last night at our prayer meeting I found out that there is a group of ladies who are specifically praying for God to give us 9 million dollars for the next stage of ministry here i…
Seriously Funny
Again John Bogenschutz makes a great point about how easy it can be for people to misunderstand and misapply His commands. Thankfully, God has given us His Word. The Bible not only…
Matt Staver Interview - Part One
One of my pastor friends, Greg Peters from Parkview Baptist Church in Palm Coast Recently interviewed Matt Staver, the author of Amendment 2, to show in his church. I hope you find…
Matt Staver Interview - Part Two
One of my pastor friends, Greg Peters from Parkview Baptist Church in Palm Coast Recently interviewed Matt Staver, the author of Amendment 2, to show in his church. I hope you find…
Seriously Funny
Life is full of surprises, however many times there has been some level of warning that we have or have not thought worthy of our attention. Here are some areas that we often ignor…
Online Meeting Place
One of the things that fascinate me about today's church culture is that we are able to be so much closer to one another than generations past. For instance, On Tuesday night I wat…
Skoobalon
I ran across this great toy called Wordle.net that takes a document and summarizes it in a beautiful word cloud. I plugged in my notes from this past weekend's message and voi'la! …
Seriously Funny
My good friend John Bogenschutz is one of the most creative people in our church. He is not only a good neighbor, but a great dad and has a daily comic strip that I truly enjoy. In…
How Moving!
In the next 90 days Cornerstone will be moving from the Elementary Lunch Room, over to the Middle School. Community of Faith is completing their building and we are hoping to be mo…
How to Give During an Economic Downturn
There is little doubt that people world round are suffering financially. I have talked with pastors all across the nation who have seen quite an impact on offerings, and on Tuesday…
Curiosity, Crisis, Cry, Convinced
Peter walked on water. I really understand how, but I know why. I mean who would not want to walk on water so when Jesus showed up Peter could not wait to try it out. Curiosity was…
Snuggie Blanket's for Would-be Monks
Have you ever wanted to know where you could buy one of those wonderful robes that monks wear? Now, as Seen on TV anyone can own one. Snuggies come in several colors and even have …
Political Fatigue and the Separation of Church and State
Lifeway, a branch of the Southern Baptist Convention is out today with an opinion poll on how political pastors should be in view of the upcoming election. According to the poll th…
Elevated Now What?
Last year this time we saw a very disturbing trend at Cornerstone. Our attendance had increased from 2006 to 2007 by a whopping 1/2 a person for the month of August. As you can ima…
Storms and Suffering
One fact of life is that like those in Galveston, we all will experience suffering. Storms are simply a fact of life. The church in general tends to focus a great deal of attention…
Celebrating Recovery
In life as in football fumbles are made. While making one's way towards the goal, you drop the ball. Dropping balls is never part of the strategy of any team. In fact, you will fin…
No Business Being Here!
I once attended a meeting where there was no meeting. Now before you jump to conclusions, most of those in the meeting thought that the point of the meeting was meeting. There was …
Fantasy Football
We had our FFL draft last night and I won. You see for the last two years I have been the very last pick and this year I wasn't the very last pick. I moved up 3 spots to #9! I feel…
Brother's Keeper - I Saw Heaven
Gabe you got moves!…
Don't Miss Church this Sunday!
I am usually one for hype, but it has been a long time since I have been this excited about starting a new series. This weekend we kick off a new message series on finding JOY in t…
Bigfoot Seen Fleeing as Hurricane Fay Approaches
Like it or not, our modern culture revolves around stories. TV, movies, even the nightly news and the Olympic games revolve around the narratives we are so desperate to hear. So wh…
Doubters Welcome
I am currently reading a book for a course in theology in which the author seems to have written in fear that technology will somehow replace God in society. His basic premis is th…
Blogging Fast Ect...
A lot has happened in the last month, and I had decided to take some time off of blogging to get perspective on why or if I should blog. Here are some of the decisions I worked thr…
26 Cents and a Skinned Knee
At the end of the day many times we will look back to see what we have to show for it and looking back on yesterday, I can honestly say that all I have to show is 26 cents and a sk…
Electrified
I am up in Nashville today with Gabe and Camp Electric . All I can say is it is electrifying 24/7! With 1,000 students and over 100 artists, it is non stop. I am having a blast wor…
Good Bye Bartletts
Today I say farewell to Mike and Susan Bartlett. Our best friends from college will be moving back to NC after moving to FL 6 years ago to help us launch Cornerstone. Our families …
Camp Electric
The sign of a great leader is how well he leads in his absence. Our worship pastor, Gabe Dunlap is at Camp electric in Nashville TN checking 1,000 students into their specialized w…
Disney Closes Nightclubs
The Orlando Sentine l has an article today announcing that Disney will close six clubs in Pleasure Island. As a parent and a pastor in "West Disney" I could not be happier. I have …
Getting Things Done
My friend Ben suggested this book to me and I may be late to the parade, but this is one of the most helpful and easy to read books on organization that I have read. I like it so m…
Update from Jeff and Heather Blum
Many of you will remember Jeff and Heather Blum, (They were our original singles ministry until they decided to turn it into a young married's class) Here are some pictures and an …
So Amy and I painted the house...
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Dad
Let me tell you about my dad. He did not grow up in the same kind of home that I grew up in. His parents did not take him to church and pray with him and read the Bible. He came to…
Lucky Number 13
Amy and I have been married 13 years and last night we went out to celebrate. The funny thing is that neither of us got each other a card. What we have learned in 13 years is that …
Krispy Kreme Employee Attacks Church Plant
Davenport FL. - Worshipers were gathered on Sunday morning for the 8:15 Classic Worship Service, and the Pastor, Joel Johns of Four Corners was delivering his message when he notic…
Incredible Journey
Here is the Trailer for our Kid' Program beginning next Wednesday night.…
The Pitch
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6 Ways Church planting is like School House Romance
1. Awkward - Church planters are so self conscious of how they are perceived. It is like junior high when every part of your body is out of proportion. You are so self conscious. 2…
Thanks for Praying
Thanks to everyone for praying for Linda Dickey. She cam through surgery fine and is recovering. I am sure she and her family will be grateful for your continued prayers as she rec…
Favorite Weekend Quote
Last week I shared a favorite quote. It was fun, so let's try again. My favorite quote this week is... " I came to know Christ in 1978, I came to trust Christ in February." Other h…
Oprah Winfrey: Jesus Did Not Come To Die On The Cross
Here is the video I referenced in this weekend's services for those of you who have not yet seen it. - Thanks, Joel…
I Miss My Snowbirds...
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Ever Google Your own name?
I know it is a bit egotistical, but this morning I was reading some blogs and typed my own name into the search box. I always thought Joel Johns was a bit of a unique name but mayb…
Swarm Theory and Church
Scientists have been studying swarm theory for many years, and today I came across this article dealing with how they are now applying that same theory to human behavior. I want to…
Truckin
Got a truck. It's a 2005 F-150 with 4 doors. I bought it because trucks are cheap right now due to the price of gas, and without a commute I don't put many miles on. Also, as a chu…
Some quick thoughts for Tuesday
I am consistently amazed at the things we blame on global warming, but now they have gone too far! Find you inner geek here. (No comments please) My brother and I were pondering th…
It was funny to me....
So Andrew and I were at the convenient store waiting behind an Animal Control Officer getting a slurpy and two hot dogs. My sarcastic mouth started talking before I realized he car…
3H
No, I am not talking about some knock off farming club for kids, or the pro wrestler HHH, or the gas guzzling SUV. The three H's refer to how I approach my preaching. Around 3 this…
The Deconstructionist's Ethic
I am having a conversation right now about some fundamental changes occurring in fundamentalism. I am not ready to go public with the story because I believe it to be at a very sen…
Steven Curtis Chapman's Daughter Killed
I awoke this morning to learn that Steven Curtis Chapman's 5 year old daughter Maria was accidentally run over and killed by her brother. Our prayers are with the Chapman family du…
Time of my Life - American Idol -
Pastor Gabe told me tonight at church that his friend and producer Reggie Hamm was flown out to L.A. for the American Idol Song writing competition. I hate that the show went long …
Boy! I Missed Cornerstone
Yesterday, my family and I went to St. Petersburg to speak to Park Street Baptist about the things God is doing at Cornerstone. It is always a fun thing to go back to a church wher…
Teach my smart phone a lesson
I have a pretty smart phone, Motorola Razor to be specific. It can do anything. Well, I once tried shaving with it, but it was not so good. But here is my dilemma, Why don't smart …
Obama Claims He's Visited 57 States - FIFTY SEVEN!
I am trying very hard to stay out of the political scene. But here is one that we cannot overlook. Watch this video from one of the three liberals I won't be campaigning for in Nov…
Reproducing Churches
Met with some of the guys from Reproducing churches today. Learned a lot from Jim and the lessons he took away from an unsuccessful year in TN planting a church. Bottom line, he sa…
Please Pray for the Pollock Family and Bell Shoals
Word has come that both Pastor Pollock and his son were killed in the plane crash. Please keep their family and church in your prayers. - Joel…
Pastor Forrest Pollock Missing
I received news this morning that Forrest Pollock, the Pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist church in Tampa is missing. Apparently, he was flying his private plane to North Carolina and t…
Day with Amy
Today Amy took a personal day and we will be spending the whole day together without the kids! We will be going to IKEA in Orlando. It opened several months ago and neither of us h…
Good News and Bad News
I really don't know why people begin conversations this way. Especially auto mechanics who are holding your car hostage. But, after putting the mini-van in the shop for A/C work, I…
Paper cctv music video
I came across this today. A UK band performed in front of 10 "Big Brother" cameras throughout the city and then requested the film through the freedom of information act. A few edi…
Authors@Google: Tim Keller
Fan of Keller. Fan of Google. Google invited Tim Keller to speak on his book "The Reason for God." Good stuff.…
New Gadgets I am Test Driving
The busyness of the last few weeks has led me to explore some new gadgets and aps for staying on track. We already went Google a few years ago, so they have to plug in.... 1. Remem…
Iraqi Underground
Yesterday I got to meet a pastor of a former underground church in Iraq. I say former because after "Iraqi Freedom" they are free to worship Christ. Here are some things I took awa…
My New Favorite Blog
My Sister Jessica suggested that I read this blog . I added "Prodigal Jon" to my reader and he is not only hilarious, he always has something funny to say and updates regularly. Pe…
Random Friday Thoughts.
Got slammed this week. Behind on everything. Today does not look good. Up at 3: 4 5 a.m. on Friday, awake at 2 . Writing a paper on the Holy Spirit as God . Still digging out. coul…
Staples & Best Buy Come to Four Corners
Today Posner will celebrate the Grand Opening of the Best Buy Store. I plan on going there at least once today to look at the same stuff that I used to drive 45 minutes to look at.…
The Deception of Worry
BoingBoing blogged this Swedish {Correction: Dutch} insurance ad plastered on the back of a bus. It reminded me that a lot of the time I worry about things that only appear to be t…
Busy Day at Exponential
Great day today at Exponetial, My new bud Julio and I checked probably 2000 (exageration for effect) church planters in to the conference. Got in to hear Andy teach on vision. Visi…
Just another day at work.... Making Magic
Making magic is not easy for all the cast members of Disney World Resort. Pastoring a Company D church at Disney's back door has offered much insight into the kind of people who go…
Volunteering at Exponential
Worked our tails off at Exponential today. A dozen or so of us arrived at 7 a.m. to unload two PODS filled with books and other heavy stuff. Then it was off to register the first t…
Exponential Conference
This week I have the privilege to volunteer with my friends at Exponential, the National New Church Conference here in Orlando. I was able to attend last year and it is one of the …
Friday Fun
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I have no use for "Volunteers"
I met a friend for prayer yesterday. Church is exciting, plans in the works, good things happening, praises abound. Then with exasperation he mentioned his prayer request, I have a…
dog does not realize there is no glass in the door
Sometimes in life we become so used to obstacles, that we lack the faith to act even when God has removed those obstacles from our path. It is my prayer that we will step out in fa…
April's Big Give - Blog
This past Sunday our church distributed $1,000 ($5.00 at a time) to the congregation with the task of making a difference in the life of someone in our community. We believe that a…
Real Preachers of Genius - Mr. Really Really Bad Preacher
I am glad I saw this before anyone sent it to me. Best Line: "Every head bowed, every eye closed. Its not the altar call, it's you're preaching."…
On My Google Reader
If you are a regular reader of this blog or any other blog for that matter, it would be wise to set up an account with Bloglines, or Google Reader. I used to waste my time rushing …
New Look & New Features
Well, today the blog got a new look and some new features added. We changed from 2 column width to three, and dressed it up quite a bit. New features include the ability to link ri…
Update from Iglesia Bautista El Buen Samaritano
Pastor Rafael writes: "God bless you, the following is a report of the first service at Iglesia Bautista El Buen Samaritano held on Sunday March 30th 2008, there were 20 persons in…
The Lord's Prayer
Wow!…
Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana Loves Jesus
If you have a girl within 40 miles of your home you no doubt are familiar with Hannah Montana. If you can get past the first 6:30 minutes of girl talk. Miley and her best friend Ma…
Iglesia Bautista El Buen Samaritano
I just got off the phone with Pastor Rafael Riera. They will be starting Sunday services this week at the Beef O'Bradys in Four Corners. I am so impressed with Rafael and his passi…
What Genre is your Bible
I read a lot of books. I mostly read how to books dealing with church ministry stuff, but often enjoy a good biography or science fiction like "Out of the Silent Plant." I read new…
Easter Update
Hello Everyone, Thank you for praying for our Easter Services. First, I want to thank all of our volunteers who worked to make this our best easter ever. Without your hard work it …
Easter Ponderings at 4:30 a.m.
It is 4:30 a.m. on Easter Saturday. A few minutes ago I am lying in bed thinking about Easter. The main thought that consumes me is that Easter is about Christ. It is about worship…
Easter Notes
1. Lots of calls this week about our Easter services. 2. Lunch with Scott Smith from Community of Faith to talk Parking (I love that guy) 3. We are having the Easter Egg hunt befor…
Explosive
I am not a cheerleader by nature. I read some pastor blogs and it seems that they are constantly pumping the people of their church up with words like greatest and amazing. I have …
Honey...., eharmony's on the phone.....
So for the last few weeks at random, but never convenient times the phone would ring and "eharmony" would show up in the caller ID. Amy and I had exchanged many curious looks as to…
Saturday Night Worship
Our postcards are hitting mailboxes today announcing the launch of our new Saturday Worship Service. Unfortunately, my mailbox came up short. It is always a little troubling when y…
A Wall or a Door?
Everything is going great and all of a sudden, out of nowhere you hit a wall. I can't convey how often this happens in church life, or even life in general. But one thing that I ha…
Since when is being rich a sin? - um... yesterday.
It is now official; dying rich is a mortal sin according to the Pope.Failure to recycle has also been added to the list that will get you sent straight to the slammer. I don't inte…
3 Hour Challenge
I want to throw down a challenge for all the people of Cornerstone. We are expecting great things from God this Easter and have been making many plans for how we will accommodate t…
What will you do with your extra day?
All of us complain that we never have enough time to accomplish the things on our to-do list. We whine and complain about wanting more hours in the day, more days in the week ad no…
E.R. discovers the flaw of post-modernisem
Powerful! My favorite line is when he cries... "I need someone who will look me in the eye and tell me how to find forgiveness 'cause I am running out of time."…
A Great Prayer
Today as I responded to emails from our online ministry. A woman named Esther from Nairobi who just accepted Christ wrote "Give me, Lord, what you know is good for me and that whic…
Insight
See your destination in your mind. “When you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” – White Rabbit…
Untitled
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Fusion
This weekend we are launching stage two in our Elevate Campaign. Fusion will be a four week series on building intentional relationships. We will begin this Sunday as we examine th…
Vic Sees the Light
I know many of you have been praying for Victor to regain his sight after his most recent surgery. Just now I received this email from Arlene Murray. Sunday Elaine told me that Vic…
Sunday Surprise
Wow, it has been a crazy couple of weeks as we prepare for taking commitments this Sunday. We will be having our missionary to Sweden Todd Witte, who will share a bit of what God h…
Marriage Ammendment Passes but....
Not to get too political, but we were able to acquire enough signatures to get the FL Marriage Amendment to the ballot. This is great news and we should celebrate the definition of…
Tim Hawkins - Cletus Take the Reel
Reminds me that I need to spend some quality time with my very own Cletus. What do you say Uncle Mike!…
Million Dollar Posts
Dan Burrell has an awesome article here with some great tips on living smart when it comes to money. and Craig Groechell has a funny video here on the same subject.…
Out of Africa, for now
Due to the rise in violence in Nairobi, we have been forced to postpone our trip with World Hope to Kenya. Over the weekend the violence returned and incidents as close to 15 miles…
Andy Stanley's 3 keys for Sermoneering
Years ago, Andy Stanley spoke at the C3 conference at Fellowship Church and while I did not attend, I did order the CD's and these three rules for delivering messages have changed …
The Parable of Rich and Rob
Rich and Rob were homeless. One day while looking through the dumpster behind the 7-Eleven, they discovered an unused lottery ticket. They agreed to split the winnings if there wer…
WE
One of the most valuable things in our church is the power of "WE." I think most churches have experienced the frustration of finding small group Bible Study material that is not o…
The Space Trilogy
For all you Narnia lovers out there, May 16th is coming. When the last movie came out I downloaded a PDF of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and read it with my kids. It was a …
Elevating
I have received so much feed back from our church concerning our new elevate campaign. Phone calls, emails and greeting cards. I am just waiting for the singing telegram. It is exc…
Elevate!
You heard it here first. Our theme for 2008 will be "Elevate!" It is our goal this year to take our church to the next level of effectiveness. In order to accomplish this we will s…
"I've never been to your church before but..."
This past weekend was awesome. We began our Saturday night current worship service with a great turn out of our launch team. (It is our hope to go public in February.) We had visit…
Saturday Service Begins
I am so pumped as we anticipate the first of our Saturday night services tomorrow. If all goes well we will begin advertising and our public launch in February. I want to thank our…
Marathon
This weekend is the Disney Marathon, but that is not what I am talking about. Today I will be preaching 4 times to the youth group from New Testament Baptist Church in Largo. Pleas…