Childrens Choir Trailer...2

Childrens Choir Trailer...

Christ centered Christmas

If anyone reading this is a Facebook friend of mine, (or Annamarie) you have noticed a few posts about a little movement called Advent Conspiracy. Now I'm not a bandwagon jumper, choosing to latch onto the the latest craze in Jesus-based programs, or the newest charity organization. In fact, I have a hard time getting involved with anything because I never know if its a legitimate program, or just another "here today-gone tomorrow" type deal. Thats exactly why Advent Conspiracy has so intrigued me.

Advent Conspiracy is a movement, a mind-set, a complete rethinking of Christmas. They don't want our money, they want us to recognize the incredible possibilities of restoring the focus of Christmas back to Jesus. What a radical concept huh? Focus our attention on Jesus around Jesus' birthday??

Actually, I think most Christians love and believe the catch-phrase of "Jesus is the reason for the season". Unfortunately, I think they just don't really know what to do with it. I admit that despite wanting to show my children that Christmas isn't about them, I struggle with the thought that I might not shower them with gifts and toys and thereby disappointing them and letting them down as a parent. Then I read about how many children die every minute because they dont have clean water (4 in case your wondering) and I think to myself....what am I REALLY doing to them as a parent? What gift am I giving them that is actually lasting and meaningful? Do they need plastic playthings or a spirit of compassion? Do they need more "stuff" or more time with me?

Do they need gifts on Jesus' birthday, or do we give Jesus the gifts on Jesus birthday?

Obviously all of those questions should be rhetorical, and they are, but are they gonna spark change? I can say it's changing me. In fact, several events and experiences over the past few months have had strong impacts on my life and placed a spotlight on how blessed we really are. It all came together when we discovered AC almost by accident, or by divine interaction, but thats another story. As a result, I feel a very strong pull to make Advent Conspiracy a big part of UpStreet throughout Christmas. So you're gonna see the posters, videos, etc. in and around UpStreet this season. I truly hope it sparks the kind of rethinking in our church that has happened in others around the world. Lets make Christmas a world changing event, again.

Pilgrimage to Mecca....

I think everyone knows by now that the whole staff of mountain Grove just returned from Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. It was beyond awesome, so thats all I'm gonna say about that. But, immediately following Catalyst, a group of UpStreet workers had the opportunity to visit North Point Community Church in Alpheretta; ground zero for UpStreet, and where we stole the whole idea.

Now, NPCC is not Heaven (though some may disagree). It's not perfect, it's not ideal, and it's certainly no more important than any other church on earth. Amazing, yes. Growing, yes. Mecca, yes, er, I mean, NO, it's not Mecca. BUT, they're doing something right and there's NO reason not to steal and rob as many ideas as possible from them. So thats what we did.

It is impossible to describe what we saw and experienced as team. It's unlike anything most of us have ever seen. Their operation is like a combination of Disney World, rock concert and Christian Conference all rolled into one. Oh, and they're saving souls and changing their community. NPCC has recognized the importance of "service" over "serve me", and as a result they are exploding. See the website for more info, but just take our word for it, they are on the right track. But I didn't write this post to hype North Point, I just wanted to share some of the resources we can use to further our mission and change kids lives. So here we go...

1) North Point Kids This is a blog by Kendra Fleming, director of children's ministry at NPCC.

2) Family Ministry Operation Family Blueprint gives families something to do as, well, a family. What a concept??

3) Resources Here's is spot for obtaining all things resource/material wise to feed the craving for knowledge and wisdom.

4) All Things NPCC This site is a springboard for most everything related to NPCC and it's ministries.

5) Production One of my favorites. This is Buckhead's production website, and it is seriously cool.

If you're part of UpStreet, at Mountain Grove, I hope you to spend some time in these sites and help us discover ways to get better and better at engaging and reaching our children.

Thanks guys, love ya'll!

Some images from Sundays@NorthPoint

more pics

Individuality on film

Okay, here the cold hard truth.....Sunday mornings are tough. They are busy, tension-filled and stressful. The responsibilities we carry are enormous, the time we have is short, and the expectations can often exceed our own capabilities. Take away half the staff for a trip to Georgia for the weekend and all of this is multiplied by a factor of, oh, about 10. Therefore......

This Sunday we'll be watching a movie. Yeah, I know, its the standard default for shorthanded days, and sounds like were just finding a babysitting service to fill in on those days. But we're not. Okay maybe a little. But THIS movie was almost made for the month of October, because our virtue is Individuality. Of course I am talking about Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium! If you've seen the movie you know what I am talking about. Mr. Magorium is the definition of Individual. And like always, Hollywood seems to do a better job of producing attention-grabbing stories than we do, so its kind of a win-win. Kids enjoy a great film, and we still stay on track with our virtues.

Graciously, Missy Lubinsky, Carolyn Dale and Tammy Burkhimer have offered to run things Sunday so the remaining workers can take a day off. Thank them when you see them! Contact me directly if there are any questions or concerns.

-Josh