.Real.Greg.Lee.

I see enough marriages that struggle to know it’s a wise move to find a way for you and your spouse to get away every now and then to refresh.  From time to time, Jenny and I have gone to marriage conferences.  It had been a long time.

So this past weekend, I took advantage of a Sunday off to take Jenny to a conference called “Weekend to Remember” put on by Family Life.  Click Here for a link to their site.

Jenny and I had an incredible weekend. Mostly, because I have an incredible wife.  But this post isn’t actually about us.  It is about you.

You probably have a million good reasons you couldn’t take your wife to a weekend like this.  Heck, you probably have reasons why you would like to have a better marriage, but (you figure) it’s going to have to wait until later.

I’m just asking you to make a different choice.  Figure out a way to invest in your marriage.  Go to this conference.  Or another one.  Just don’t take the person you vowed to love, honor, and cherish for granted.  Or pretend that your relationship will just drift toward renewal.

Do something about it.  And if you are a husband…LEAD.

Posted in Suncrest

Two random numbers are going in opposite directions around here…our staff’s weight and our Jesus Mission Commitments!

Three weeks ago, 23 people on our staff (including a few spouses) became part of our “Biggest Loser” competition.  We have committed to nine weeks together of losing our extra pounds and we have 6 weeks to go until May 4.

I’m so proud of our team because so far our staff has lost 152 pounds — in just three weeks!

On the other hand, our ‘Jesus Mission’ Commitments just keep gaining.  We knew we needed commitments of $340,000 to move forward on our projects and if we can reach $400,000 it will mean the projects are funded at the levels of excellence that are difference makers.

Right after our commitment Sunday, our total was $325,000 and over the last 10 days grew to $340,000 and now to over $362,000.  I love the unselfish, mission-first response of this church.

I had a great phone call yesterday too with someone in the church who had some good and thoughtful questions about the initiatives.  I was so glad he called and we got to talk.  Right before he hung up, he said he would be making a commitment this coming Sunday.  I imagine others will too.  I’ll keep you updated.

Posted in Suncrest

Maybe the way God has been good to me more than any other is the people HE brings into my life and our church.  I’m pretty sure I’ve hit the jackpot in terms of great people coming around me.  It’s true of our staff and our elders.  Immediately guys like Randy Tempest come to mind – a key leader from Harvest Fellowship in Muncie that has opened our eyes to the possibilities in Liberia.  I have a great family…and great friends at Suncrest.

It hit me twice on Sunday in pretty simple ways:

When I walked into Hobart’s campus on Sunday, I was not surprised to see Lonnie Marsh.  He’s been there just about every Sunday since launch…first running the sound board and then reproducing himself by training new volunteers to run it.  He and his wife Tonia embody everything good about that campus and servanthood at Suncrest.  Then yesterday, I got a cool email from him celebrating what happened at Hobart Sunday with an incredible service.  Also in the email…get this…he told me he started Sunday morning at his parent’s house in Ohio and left at 4:30am just so he could be there and serve at Suncrest.  These people aren’t normal!!  But I love them.

And yesterday, I wrote a little bit about my friend John who I baptized and handed me the poker chip.  He followed that up with a cool email yesterday  With his permission (and knowing I’m blessed to have people like this in my life), I share part of it with you…

I told Diane and Anthony (his children)  this morning I can’t stop thinking about it.  It was a day I will remember forever.  Every element leading up to it and after was crafted by his grace: 

My aunt calling that morning (and later making it to the service)

The message [Way to go Wes!]

The walk ~ following a great leader (friend) to the baptism

Hearing my son call out “Daddy”

Seeing my loved ones in the front row

Affirmation of Jesus

The immersion – unbelievable [the water envelopes you…the trust…the rising]

The exchange – cashing in my chip

The embrace – Diane [It was just her and I sharing a moment– time stood still again]

The wait – Anthony waiting patiently for his kiss. Not 100% sure why Daddy was getting wet.

Maria rushing me because I was holding up the other baptisms. Good for everyone else… :  )

Sharing the details with everyone as the day unfolded.

Slept like a baby.

…John 3:16

Posted in Suncrest

Yesterday was a blast.  I got to worship with the St. John Campus for most of their 8:00 and 11:00 services and still ran over to worship with the Hobart Campus at 9:30.   Then, in the evening, I got to hang out with the launch team forming for the Highland Launch.

It was great all around. 

The Hobart Campus had an incredible vibe.  Great Worship – Love what Nash Propst is bringing to that campus as a worship leader.  A full room for worship.  Great stories of how God is working in the lives of people at that campus.  It was truly “Refreshing”.  I don’t get out there often enough, but every time I do I’m amazed at how many more people I don’t know!  That, of course, is the mission.

During the 11:00 service at St. John, I got to be part of 6 baptisms.  Each one has their story.  After I baptized my friend John, he handed me a blue poker chip.  You would only know what that meant if you were at Suncrest 1 year and 1 week before. 

We did a message called “All In” where we gave everyone a poker chip that represented our lives.  We talked about how truthfully most of us want to know God’s plan so we can…weigh it as one of our options.  But God asks us to commit to following his plan in advance of him revealing it – to tell him “yes” to following whatever his plan is and THEN asking him to reveal it.

That is John’s story.  On Sunday…in his baptism…he was “All In”.  I love that…and will share with you a few of his reflections tomorrow.

Posted in Suncrest

Last Night was fun.  It was fun for me and Abby.  She loved the dance…the cookies, the chocolate, the pictures.  I loved the time with her.

It was also fun to see dads and daughters around suncrest and form our community connecting.  I think it is a bond that can’t be underestimated in shaping a girl’s life and future and I LOVED seeing Dad’s be proactive about making memories and giving their best to their daughters. 

I’ll get better pictures from the professional photographer soon, but these are a couple I snapped with my phone.

Posted in Suncrest

Last year was Jack’s initiation to filling out his own bracket for the NCAA’s.  And, he won the family pool against his cousins, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  So he has been excited about doing it again.

We made it fun.  I took him out for ice cream to Baskin Robbins and we sat there and worked through the whole bracket.  I let him just go with his gut on 85% of them, but did try to give him some correction when he picked something I thought was silly (you know, like Ohio beating Georgetown or something).

His first round picks aren’t as impressive this year as they were last, but as a father-son thing it is just as much fun!

Tonight…a daddy daughter dance with Abby.

Posted in Suncrest

These last few weeks have been crazy for me for one reason:  I feel like we have been working on HUGE next steps for our church, but very few of them were finalized yet. 

That has started to change!  On Sunday, our commitments to THE JESUS MISSION gave us the resources we need to move forward with campuses and ministry in Liberia.  Another piece we have been working on for a while is adding to our children’s ministry team. 

Get this…before we launched the Hobart Campus, we had 1 full-time and 1 part-time staff in children’s ministry.  Today, our St. John Campus is larger than ever, plus we have another growing campus in Hobart, plus we are on the verge of launching 2 more.  And do you know how many staff we have?  That’s right.  1 full-time and 1 part-time.

That means a lot of things (one being that we have the best volunteers in the world!), but we have been long-overdue to take this next step.  So…I couldn’t be more thrilled than to introduce Debby Albrecht (pronounced “Albright” and pictured with her family) as our newest Children’s Ministry Staff member.  We feel very fortunate for her to sense a calling to Suncrest.   Her vision, her experience in large and multi-site churches, her heart for making sure kids have life-changing experiences make her the right leader.  Still, maybe the most exciting aspect is the chemistry we developed quickly in the interview process with Miss Sue, Julie, and the rest of the staff. 

Below is a note Debby wrote up about her journey and her family.  Enjoy!

My journey…I have had the privilege of knowing who Jesus is and that He loves me all of my life! When I was five years old I understood that I needed to accept Him as my Savior and as the sacrifice for my sin. My mom helped me pray a prayer and that began my relationship with Him.  While I and the people around me have not always been faithful, God has.  I love Romans 8:38-39, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.”

 I “grew into” ministry in the local church.  As I served as a young mom in Children’s Ministry it became apparent to me and others that I had been gifted to lead in the church setting. I love leading leaders who serve kids!    

 My family…Daniel and I have been happily married for 26 years and have four amazing kids who will all be moving to “the region” with us.  Daniel (I won’t give his age) works for Youth for Christ, primarily with middle school kids.  He is excited about the opportunity to continue that type of ministry in the Chicago area. Danielle (23) feels called to serve overseas in North Africa or the Middle East; she hopes to be there by early 2011. Caitlyn (21) is attending Minnesota State University in Moorhead to receive a degree in Social Work. Gabrielle (18) is also attending Minnesota State University in Moorhead and intends to go into Children’s Ministry Aidan (12) is in 7^th grade, he likes to read and play any game that uses a screen.  Anna (18) is our “temporary” daughter. Her parents, in Japan, have allowed us to borrow her while she attends school here in the States.

 Coming to Suncrest…We are so excited about what is happening at Suncrest and can’t wait to be part of it!  My husband and I resonate with your vision and desire to be used by God to change lives.  Suncrest has an amazing team of staff, elders and volunteers and I am very happy for the privilege of joining the team! 

 On a personal note…My family had the opportunity to visit with the elders and staff when we visited Suncrest and each one felt welcomed by the people who lead you.  That’s actually very high praise!

If you are interested in details, click on the following a link…a note from Miss Sue and Julie Coons to their volunteers/contributors: Letter to Contributors

Posted in Suncrest

We had a great Sunday receiving commitments to “The Jesus Mission”.  Some are still coming in, so we will wait to announce the actual total until this weekend.  This much I can say…I’m always amazed by your generosity, Suncrest!

Below is a video we showed Sunday that I think captures the heartbeat of Suncrest.  Thought you might like to see it again (or for the first time).

Click here if you can’t see it in your reader or email.

Posted in Suncrest

I don’t like the phrase “I’m busy” so usually when people ask me how things are going I just say “Life is Full”.

God has given me, our family, and our church more opportunities and challenges and experiences than I could ever truly embrace.  So, while I like to stay out ahead of things, a lot of times I’m just living in the moments of whatever God is bringing our way.

This weekend was everything: 

• Jenny was out of town Saturday, so I had a day with just me and the kids.  We had a blast whether it was Dunkin Donuts or a trip to the Library. 
• I learned Saturday afternoon that Melissa Espiritu died.  I mentioned her husband Rex in my message last Sunday…a hard loss for a good friend.  6 kids at home.
• Saturday Evening, I got to host a group of pastors form the area for an appreciation dinner for them and their wives at Kelsey’s Steakhouse.  They are from all over NW Indiana and doing great work, often in settings where they may not get the appreciation they deserve.  It was an honor to set this up for them and Kelsey’s (as always!) did a great job and gave us a great deal.
• I walked into the church building at 6:45 Sunday morning with a friend I met in my first week at Suncrest 14 years ago.  He asked if I had a minute to talk so we went to my office and he told me that his father was dying and would likely not make it through the week.  We cried together and prayed together.
• Sunday morning…it was commitment Sunday for the Jesus Mission.  I got to teach from one of my favorite chapters in the Bible (Hebrews 11). We’ll announce the total commitment this coming Sunday, but I can say that based on people’s generous pledges, we are moving full-steam ahead today with the plans to go “local, regional, and global!”
• Sunday afternoon Jenny was leading the Liberia presentation at church.  It was cool to hear the stories and see the pictures from the trip.  This team and the experiences they had are our best “advertisements” for the compelling need Liberia presents.
• It was 8:00pm Sunday before we got back to our house to start a meeting with Harvest Fellowship from Muncie about our future plans in Liberia.  We’ve found a kindred spirit with their ministry and have some decisions in front of us about the nature of a future partnership in Liberia.

Life is full.  And good.  Because God’s hand is in every blessing…and every challenge.

Posted in Suncrest

We’ve done all we can to describe the three projects for the Jesus Mission.  Our campus pastors and elders who have visited every single community group at Suncrest have LOVED the chance to dialog about it in such a setting.  Now, this Sunday is the day for our financial commitments. 

This was an interesting chart to me that describes how weekly gifts can add up to a lot over nine months.  It made me take a second look at our commitment.

Weekly Amount                                               Total Pledge

$300                                                                       $11,700

$200                                                                       $7800

$100                                                                       $3900

$75                                                                         $2925

$50                                                                         $1950

$25                                                                         $975

$15                                                                         $585

The other thing that has inspired me are the stories of ways people are approaching the sacrifice.  I put these in the weekly email to suncrest, but I think they are worth a reprint here:

• One family that has struggled to tithe (give a full 10% of their income to God) in the past is using this period to commit to that step for nine months.  They currently give about 3% already so their Jesus Mission Commitment will be 7% of their income for the next nine months.
• One family talked about struggling to give out of their cash flow so they are selling something very valuable and giving that money.  The inspiration came from the book of Acts one chapter after Jesus announces the mission.  Acts 2:45 describes a church living with the newness of the Holy Spirit:  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
• My favorite story goes back to the “poker chip” we handed out one year ago when we talked about going “All in”.  The sermon was about finding God’s plan for our lives and recognizing the key thing God asks of us is to decide in ADVANCE that we will do whatever God asks us to…and then ask him.  That is so often when clarity comes.
• There are other stories…Some giving up a month or more of our salaries…people doubling their tithe for this 9 month season…people who have very little to start with just wanting to make sure they do SOMETHING so they can be part of this effort.

As you might imagine, every story is inspiring to me.  Each of our stories will be powerful as long as we each genuinely seek God and follow our sense of where he is leading.

Posted in Suncrest