truth project begins wed, may 27



Join us this Wednesday at 7 pm as we start this new series. In a 2003 study, the Barna Research Group revealed a stunning statistic that continues to reverberate throughout the evangelical world – only nine percent of professing Christians have a biblical worldview.

Because of this, today's believers live very similarly to non-believers. A personal sense of significance is rarely experienced, we spend our money and time on things that fail to satisfy, and we begin to wonder what life's ultimate purpose really is. We are, in short, losing our bearings as a people and a nation.

what do you look like?

An excerpt from an article by Francis Chan

1 John 2:6 "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."

When John made that statement, he wasn't speaking about how to be a church leader or even how to be a "good" Christian. He merely stated that anyone who calls himself Christian must live like Jesus did. So how did Jesus live? You could make a list of character traits to compare yourself to, but it would be far more beneficial to simply read through one of the Gospels. After you get a bird's-eye view of the life of Christ, do the same with your own. Are you comfortable with the similarities and differences?

It's easy to get caught up in the pursuit of "success" as American church-goers define it. The thought of being well-known and respected is alluring. There have been times when I've been caught up in the fun of popularity. I've even mistaken it for success. Biblically, however, success is when our lives parallel Christ's. Truth is, there are many good Christs that you'll never read about in a magazine. They are walking as Jesus walked, but they are too focused and humble to pursue their own recognition.

May we make it our goal to someday have someone say of us: "The day/hour/15 minutes I spent with ______ was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus."

As Christians in America, we often complain about how antagonistic people are toward Christ. Personally, I'm not sure that Americans are really rejecting Christ. Maybe they just haven't seen Him.

great backpacking trip

Last week Brooke, Kara, and I went backpacking at Dolly Sods, WV. This was our second trip, and definitely the biggest (3 days, 2 nights). What a great time of getting away, enjoying God's creation, and being pushed physically. Can't wait to do another one with them in the fall. The only thing missing was s'mores. We'll have to sacrifice the weight next time. Here are a couple of pics from the trip.

dave ramsey is the man!

This Sunday, May 17th, we kick off a new series, and we will have Dave Ramsey with us via video. Journey is not a video venue, however, usually once a year we do an excellent video series. We are doing a three week series called, Life, Money, and Hope. Don't miss it!

leading on empty-great illustration

Bryan Dyson, the former COO of Coca-Cola delivered the commencement address at Georgia Tech in 1996. In it he gave a simile that explained the distinctions of what is most important in life:

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends, and spirit-and you are keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls-family, health, friends, and spirit-are all made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance.

Taken from Leading From Empty by Wayne Cordeiro

leading on empty-change

I received a book at District Council this week called Leading On Empty by Wayne Cordeiro. I just started it and read a statement that is simple yet profound. Wayne said, "God is unchanging; therefore we must change. I have always taken great comfort in the God's immutability, but I never thought about the what that means for us. We must change. We must allow the Spirit of God to transform us by renewing our mind (Rom 12.2).

the don't song

I have been very busy and haven't had the time to blog as much as I would like. Here is a song that we used in our current series, The Vow. Warning-this will get stuck in your head.