New Patriotic Video from J4

My nieces and nephews’ band–J4–just released a new video for a song called, “To Be an American.”

Jeddi wrote this catchy call for his generation to get back to the Constitution and remember what it means to be an American.

Worship Service Schedule @ Journey

Someone on Facebook just asked me: What do your Sunday meetings look like? Do you have more than one service? Do you start with the communion service or with Sunday School? I am trying to find a way to organize our Sunday meetings better.

Currently we have three services on Sundays: 8:15, 9:30, & 11.  On September 12th we’re launching a fourth service on Sunday evenings @ 5 pm.  This service will be exactly like the previous three services.  We also have two services that target specific demographic groups.  On Wednesdays @ 10 am we have a service for adults called Vintage Church and we have a service for young adults on Sunday nights @ 7 pm called the ROCK.

Here’s a typical programming schedule for our Sunday services (although we have been known to change things up a bit).  I’m going to include the songs we did last Sunday so you can get a feel for the style of music we’re currently singing at Journey.

Welcome: Matt Estrin

Everlasting God

Christ is Risen

Message: Arron Chambers

Communion & Prayer--We use communion stations.  We have four stations in the corners of the room.  People are told that they are free to get communion at any time during the next few songs.  They are encouraged to take communion as families, as couples, as groups, etc, and to feel free to use the front of the stage as an altar.  We moved to this extended communion and prayer time so that 1) we could emphasize communion as a time of worship; 2) give people more time to worship through communion; 3) so that we could have more time to pray with and for people.  We will also have Elders and myself available at stations for intercessory prayer during this time.

How He Loves

You Never Let Go

You Hold Me Now

Offering–(Lights are raised) This is when we give joyfully and cheer loudly.

Take It All

Send Off: Arron Chambers “At Journey Christian Church we want to go to Heaven and take as many people with us as possible, so…enjoy the journey, but don’t enjoy it alone!”

Yes, that’s cheering you’re hearing during offering!

At Journey we love these verses:

2 Corinthians 9:6,7

⁶Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And we take this teaching seriously, so we give joyously.  Very joyously.

At Journey many people have started cheering when they give their offerings.  Yes, I mean cheering…out loud and joyfully!  It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced in the Church…ever.  We end out service with an upbeat song and we pass the offering baskets while every one is standing and singing…and cheering.  Men, women, and kids all around the auditorium can be heard cheering out loud at their opportunity to worship God through giving.  It’s unbelievable, very inspiring, and such a blessing to hear each Sunday.

Every week more and more people are cheering as they give their tithes and offerings and I love it!  Every cheer makes me smile and I’m sure it makes the Lord smile too.

I love the people at Journey and I love how the love God.

Here’s what we believe at Journey:

1) God expects us to give.  We don’t apologize for asking people to give some of God’s money back to Him as an act of worship.  I talk boldly about giving because 1) I believe in giving; 2) I’ve experienced incredible joy in giving; and 3) I don’t want to deprive the people of Journey of the opportunity to experience the joy that can only come from giving.

2) God expects us to give sacrificially.

3) God expects us to give joyfully.

So, the next time you drop your offering in the plate, just let out a loud “Woohoo!” & let me know what happens.

Some people may not love–or understand–your expression of joy, but I promise you that God will…because He loves a cheerful giver.

Hey Florida…EWS is coming to your state!

My team and I are conducting an Eats with Sinners Seminar on the campus of Florida Christian College (Kissimmee, Florida) on Wednesday, September 29th from 9-1 pm.

Eats With Sinners Seminars are one-day events designed to equip participants to be better evangelists by teaching the primary lessons of my  book Eats With Sinners in a high-energy, dynamic, interactive, and memorable way.

Here’s some feedback I received from attendees of a recent seminar:

“It was very motivational, getting us thinking about how we can energize our church.”

“Arron’s passion for reaching the lost came through loud and clear. The material covering the required ingredients for building relationships was great.”

A hundred percent of those surveyed said that they would recommend this seminar.

The cost is very affordable.

The cost is only $15 for individuals or $50 for Church teams (price includes lunch).  If you register as a church team you may bring as many people as you want to bring from your church.

Space is limited, so register soon to secure your spot at this exciting seminar.

Register here:  The Eats With Sinners Seminar

Do you feel mighty?

I had the privilege of being interviewed by Alan Ahlgrim–the lead minister of Rocky Mountain Christian Church–yesterday.  In two weeks, they are kicking off a church-wide study based on my latest book Eats With Sinners and they wanted to interview me on video to introduce the series.

In the process I got to sit in on a taping of Alan’s message for this Sunday entitled, “The Church is not Optional.”

It was a great sermon and it made me start thinking about the benefits of going to church.  How being active with a local church body can make us more mighty.

I came up with this acronym while listening to Alan preach:

M–Maturity

We grow up in Christ as we spend time with His people studying His word and worshiping Him.

I–Identity

We remember who we are in Christ, who we belong to, with whom we serve, and that we are God’s workmanship created to do good works.

G–Growth

Being a part of a local congregation provides many opportunities for us to grow spiritually, emotionally, relationally, financially, and intellectually.

H–Help

Being a part of a local congregation provides resources that will help us follow Christ faithfully.

T–Togetherness

It’s not about you! It’s about the body of Christ.  One of the biggest blessings of being a part of a local congregation is the opportunity it provides to build meaningful relationships with other believers and to work together for the cause of Christ.

Y–Yes! In your spirit.

My dear friend, Mark Tyre, always asks me if I have a “yes” in my spirit.  Having a “yes” in your spirit means that you have complete confidence that God is God, that He’s still on the throne, that He loves us, and that nothing is too difficult for Him.  Being actively involved with a local congregation will put a “yes” in your spirit.

I don’t know about you, but being a part of the local church makes me feel mighty.

Thoughts of God from the Oregon Coast

My family and I just got home from a two-week adventure in the Northwest.

We spent the first week vacationing our way out to Portland for a speaking engagement.  We camped at Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, stayed with friends in Boise, and spent three days in a beach house on the Oregon Coast (Gleneden Beach to be specific) as the guests of the people who had brought me out to speak.

The time we spent on the Oregon coast was so refreshing.

Every morning, the kids and I would ride our bikes down to the beach and play in the ice-cold water.  Well, they would play and I would watch from a warmer perspective–wearing a hoodie, in my chair, wrapped in a blanket.

Those mornings on the Pacific were some of my favorite moments of the entire trip.  I loved watching my kids playing on the beach.

One morning I noticed some things that reminded me of God and His power.

To my right there was a father with a young child.  I figure the child was about two-years-old.

The father was intent on taking a picture of his child next to the water.  Well, he really seemed intent on taking a picture of his child with his child’s back to the water, which was not going to happen.

The father kept turning his child away from the water, but the child would immediately turn back to face the raging sea.

There’s just something about the power of the ocean that is captivating.

There’s just something about the power of God that is captivating.

Further down the beach to my left, a family was gathered for a family portrait.

They were all dressed in variations of white and denim.  Well, all except the one young man who apparently didn’t get the memo because he was wearing a bright red shirt.  He’s probably a son-in-law.

It looked to me like the photographer with whom they were working was a professional.  He looked like he knew what he was doing from his perch mid-way up the ocean-side cliff.

The family stood with their backs to the ocean in various combinations for an hour while their pictures were taken.

The ocean was beautiful that morning.  What a beautiful setting for a family picture.

The ocean is so beautiful.

God is so beautiful.

Close to my left there’s a tree that is trapped between the beach and the ocean.  My boys and I were drawn to it on our first morning on the beach.

You can see it in this picture I took of my boys on our first bike-ride to the water’s edge.

For the past three days it’s been there at the water’s edge…getting pounded by the waves, floating out just a little bit before another wave reminded it–powerfully–that it’s days floating in the open sea were no longer and it was destined to be shored for the rest of time.

My kids and I are fascinated with that old tree.

How did it get here?  Where did it live before it fell into the sea? How long has it been trapped on the shore?

People keep taking pictures of that tree.  They’re fascinated by it too.

The power of the ocean is fascinating.

The power of God is fascinating.

All my kids wanted to do–all day of every day at the beach–was play in the water.  It was too cold for them to swim, but they didn’t really want to swim in the water.  They just wanted to play in the sand at the water’s edge.  They waves would crash on the shore and my kids would try to stay just ahead of the cold water as it raced up the beach. When the water caught them, they weren’t too disappointed.

To them it was a grand adventure.  The power of the ocean was so exciting to them and they relished in the chance to get close to such power without consequence.  Truth be told, it wasn’t without consequence.

Their encounter with the power of the ocean left them really wet, really tired, and really fulfilled.

Our encounters with God are not without consequence either.

When we get close to Him we are changed in significant and really fulfilling ways.

I’ll never forget my time on the Pacific shore.

I saw God like I’d never seen Him before.

Greetings from somewhere close to Mt. Hood

I’m in a Starbucks in Washougal, Washington (with a view of Mt. Hood) catching up on email, checking vmail, and writing a quick blog.  I haven’t had internet access for the past week, which was actually really nice and kind of liberating but I needed to “go to town” this afternoon so I thought I’d hit the closest Starbucks for an iced cinnamon dulce white mocha and get online to take care of some business.

I’m here because I’m speaking at a dynamic youth conference in the hills about 15 miles North of here called New Life Northwest.

The young people at this camp are so refreshing. They love God passionately so the worship services have been unlike anything I’ve experienced at a youth conference before.  Their joy is palpable.  I wish you could be here.

This has been one of the best conferences I’ve ever been a part of.  It’s also nice that my family is with me.  My kids are enjoying playing with their new friends and riding their bikes all over the campground all day long.  It’s been a great week with my family but we’re eager to head back home tomorrow.

I need to get back up to camp, but before I go let me share a bit of exciting news with you:

The race directors of the Silverman (the Ironman-distance race I’m doing in November) wrote an article in their last newsletter about my efforts with Kylee’s Kids. You can read the article by clicking here.

A Book to Read & an Album to Buy

On a recent flight from somewhere to somewhere else, I read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller.  I was profoundly impacted by the book.

The gist of the book is that our life is a story and God wants us to live a better story.  The book is well-written, full of humor, and convicting.  I put it down and wanted to be a better man of God and I resolved that both my family and I would have a better story.

We’re going to devote 8 weeks this fall at Journey to this theme, Story and challenge our people and our church to live a better story.  With that in mind I’ve asked my staff to read the book and I’m going to read it again while on vacation for the next couple of weeks.

I highly recommend it.

I also want to take a moment and share a post with you from Donald Miller’s blog about Andrew Peterson’s new album, Counting Stars.

Here’s an excerpt from Miller’s post about this album:

These days, musicians are releasing what should be a record of b-sides with one or two decent songs. I don’t blame them. There’s not much of a commercial reason to stick a bunch of hits on one album. But Counting Stars is not such a release. From the first track, I stopped working and turned it up and leaned back in my chair. It felt like a record I’d heard before, something immediately familiar. It’s the record you are searching for for a long night-drive in the country. It will make you want to cut the roof off your car so you can see the stars. And if you’re driving with friends, forget talking. You’ll just feel together.

You can read more here.

My daughter was in a flash mob…& I think it’s cool :)

Last Friday, my oldest daughter was asked if she wanted to dance in a flash mob event at the Greeley Arts Festival.

A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then disperse.

My daughter’s friend is a member of a local dance studio.  The dance studio learned the dance to Michael Jackson’s song “Beat it.”  They practiced for this event for weeks.

My daughter was asked to join ten minutes before the event, so she learned the dance in ten minutes and then participated in the spontaneous event.

The Greeley Tribune did a story on the flash mob and posted the following video.

My daughter is the cute blond on the left next to the other cute blond (her friend) in the red shirt.

There is no real spiritual value to this video.  I’m not going to make some great spiritual application.  I just think it’s cool that my daughter participated and is on the video.  I’ll also point out–with pride–that she got her dancing skills from her Daddy!

Join The Party! NACC Special for the Eats with Sinners Download

My team and I at Journey are so excited about what God is doing through the program we created last spring based on my book, Eats with Sinners.

Many churches are joining the revolution and downloading The Party Program and I can’t be more excited because I know–from experience–that this program can help reach people for Jesus.

The Party Program is a church-wide evangelistic program based on the book Eats with Sinners designed to help your church reach your community for Christ.

I believe in this method of evangelism. This program led to a revival in our church with 52 people getting baptized on the last day of this church-wide program! Our average attendance grew from about 463 during the month before we started the series to an average of 558 during the last month of the campaign. We baptized 82 people during this church-wide event, and we’re still baptizing people!

Download a sample of the series study at this link.

The program consists of The Jesus Series 13-week Church-wide Campaign, plus The Party 6-week Church-wide Campaign.

This program also includes:

• Access to the audio for all 19 sermons (available online)
• Full text of 19 sermons.
• PowerPoint presentations for 19 sermons.
• Small group lessons for 19 weeks (13 included at the end of every chapter of Eats With Sinners and 6 lessons in The Party series).
• Big Ideas for each week to help you communicate the message.
• Outreach ideas for each week of the program.
• 1 signed copy of Eats With Sinners*

The program normally costs $199, but in recognition of the North American Christian Convention, every church that downloads The Party Program in July will receive a $50 rebate (You will need to pay full price up front and your rebate will be sent out as soon as your transaction is processed).

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get this program for your church for only $150.