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

Special Forces...

I have, and always will be, a major fan of all things military. If it flies fast, blows up, shoots a long way or can see in the dark....I love it. The thought of flying a fighter jet at mach 2, or decimating an enemy compound with the 12omm cannon of an Abrahms tank just gets me excited. (Im sure I am not alone.)

But I am just as amazed, maybe even more so, by the things our military does that we will never see or hear about. The operations that happen before a war starts, or the missions that get carried out that were never officially carried out. Or the ones that were successful, but credit was given to whole other country.....to build rapport. These are the tasks that are assigned to the Special Forces of our military.....the elite 1% of our military that, until recently, were hardly ever seen. So when a program about these guys comes on TV.... I'm watching; and I just saw an awesome national Geographic special about the Army's Green Berets.

Now this wasn't a "kid-safe" program, due to the video footage and some language, but it was an exceptionally educating program for more than just the military aspect. The interviews and points of view expressed by these soldiers and their leaders was quite fascinating, and I took a few points away that want to share. I couldn't help but draw a few comparisons to church's....so bear with me.

1) Small groups; Green Berets operate in 12 man units. Each man has a specialized field of training that, when combined with the other 11 specialized members, creates a complete military unit. Now since they are so highly trained and highly successful, it begs the question, "Why aren't all soldiers trained to be as skilled as the Special Forces?" And in fact, a ranking General was posed this very question. His answer? "It is almost impossible to instruct, train and educate large groups of soldiers with regard to specific, complex scenarios in the field."

Wait, what? I think I've heard something similar from Andy Stanley..."Its impossible to convey complex information to large groups of people." This is never more evident in church's than when votes take place.

2)Mission first mentality; The end result of their operation is the absolute focus of their efforts. Everything they do during a campaign is centered around completing the mission as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible.

3)Relationship first..force second; This my have been the most intriguing aspect of all. During their time in Afghanistan and Iraq, US Special Forces have spent more time getting to know, gaining the trust, and understanding the culture, issues and concerns of the native people, than planning and executing actual combat missions. This isn't downtime activity, its actually part of a strategic plan. In other words, they made conscious effort to relate to, and be liked by the people. Shockingly, there were no reports of our soldiers becoming Muslim, al Qaeda, or Afghan, and they never forgot what they were doing. Hope someone gets my sarcasm.

My point is this......the most skilled, highly trained, and reliable unit of the US Army already incorporates concepts and processes that are still somewhat "controversial" in church society today. I wonder why we're losing our own war???

A New Day

Okay first things first. I'm sorry. Its been nearly a month since my last update, and thats NOT the way to keep people tuned in. I want to use this as a communication tool, but to communicate with you I probably need to write stuff. Otherwise it just dont work. So I'm sorry.

Moving on. Hopefully you are reading this because 1)you actually read my emails or 2) your following us on Facebook. I must say I am personally more excited about Facebook because, well, its Facebook. Its an addiction for many, a mear distraction for others, but somewhere in the middle are those who just want to stay connected. Either way, its a powerful communication tool, and we want to use it. A lot. And soon we're gonna Twitter. But not now.

Now those things are really not imortant, and not why I'm writing. The real story is that we have had two small group Sundays....and 2 kids have gotten saved! Amelia Bradshaw and Parker Valdez are our first two examples of why we do what we do. In case we haven't discussed it lately, please re-read this post from May. This has to be our thinking every single Sunday. What we are doing for 2 hours on those mornings may be the only truly important activity any of us ever actually engage in. Dont take lightly the responsibilities each one of us carry.....the outcome is way to important.

Rock on UpStreet!

Wow, What a night....

Okay guys, it's been about 27 hours since we put the lid on the best family event we've ever done. All I can say is.....thanks. I really don't know what else to say. Thanks to the team that put it together, thanks to the parents who brought their kids, and thanks to the kids who gave up a Friday night to come hang out at church. Oh, and a HUGE thank you to Emma, McKenzie, Issac, Julia, Zachary, Jacob, and the rest of the youth that helped out.

Awesome....don't know what else to say.

I don't have any pics yet, cause I never even got to pick up my camera. Luckily Ethan Moore (shout out to GetReelOnline ) and Steph Helton took a few.....so if they send me some, I'll put them on here. I know E has already Facebooked a few so if your a friend of his you can check them out there.

Congratulations to Annie Odum!!! She was the winner of the basketball goal, and I hope she and her sister have a great time with it! I had just had the pleasure of meeting Annies father moments before the drawing. He wanted to apologize for slipping out early, but "they wanted to spend some family time together before it got late". If you're reading this Mr. Odum, or any other dad, we WANT you to spend family time together, that is our whole goal with family ministry. Even if that time is instead of "church".

I haven't totaled our numbers yet, but were guessing we had 75 to 80 kids and parents come out to see what the fuss was about. For the last free Friday night, football games, and school orientations everywhere......that's amazing. I hope and pray that everyone who attended, whether working or playing, had as good a time as me. I consider myself blessed beyond measure to be involved in events like this, and to work with the people who make these things happen. If Friday night was any indication of the year were gonna have in UpStreet, then all I can say is......put your seat belt on, this rides gonna get wild! - J

A Perfect Evening

As I write this I'm sitting on the deck of the house we've rented, for our 7 day relocation to Myrtle Beach, with Annamarie. We've had a full day and now we get to relax. It's perfect. A slight breeze blows occasionally enough to keep cool, and distant fireworks are the only thing interrupting the chirping creatures of the night. I could spend 7 days in this spot.

Adding to my immediate enjoyment is Pandora radio, which I have tuned to the incredible sounds of Sarah Brightman and Hayley Westerna. Awesome. If you don't know who they are I highly recommend tuning your own Pandora station to either one of them....then close your eyes...and just chill. Brightman is the star of Phantom of the Opera (which was written specifically for her) among other things. Westerna, is well, less known. I know very little about her except this.....she can sing and I love her voice. I first heard her on a Wii game called Endless Oceans. Her voice is scary beautiful, and makes that game totally mesmerizing. Highly recommended for Wii owners.

Anyway, in case you haven't figured it out, they are "opera" singers. Or classical, or whatever you want to call it. They are the kind of artist that must sing as well live as on an album. Not doctored or dubbed to sound better than they are. They are real.

So now you know that in addition to being a major Lincoln Park, Guns n Roses, etc. fan......I like classical music. Strange, I know, but it's true. At the right times, I am happier with pianos and violins more than electric guitars and keyboards. Nights like this are those times.

So why did I even write about this? It highlights a discussion Jeff Burkhimer and I listened too a few weeks back that pointed out the need for multiple types of Church's being necessary to reach the unchurched. Diversity is a requirement if we plan to be successful. We will need Baptist, Methodist, Lutherans, Catholic, traditional, progressive, fundamentalist, charismatics...everyone. Each one has it's time and place. Just like my music.

So

10 Things Church's Could Learn from Mickey Mouse

This is not an original thought....I stole it from a book I'm currently reading (and highly recommend), "Killing Cockroaches" by Tony Morgan. It makes all the sense in the world. What could we do if we set out to attract people to church the way Disney sets out to attract people to EVERYTHING they do? Why do people remember every moment of there visit to the Mouse House? Heres a few thoughts......

1. The experience begins is the parking lot.

2. They invest lots of money to make dreams come true.

3. It helps to be with someone who's been there before.

4. The value of excellence trancends all socioeconomic and cultural barriers.

5. You can't communicate with people wearing masks.(think about THAT)

6. The journey is more fun with friends.

7. The world is small.

8. Lots of people fulfilling the same mission can achieve incredible results.

9. It is possible to leave behind a legacy for future generations.

10. Everyone remembers the fireworks at the end.

I really can't add anything to this. I thought hard about each one of these and how I am appoaching UpStreet. Am I envisioning a "Disney World" like experience for the kids, or just a different type of "Sunday School"? Will they remember Sunday morning and crave the next one, or will they just walk out glad to be going home so they can start having fun.

Myrtle....my old friend.

va⋅ca⋅tion

 [vey-key-shuhn, vuh-]

–noun

1.	a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday:Schoolchildren are on vacation now.

2.	a part of the year, regularly set aside, when normal activities of law courts, legislatures, etc., are suspended.

3.	freedom or release from duty, business, or activity.

4.	an act or instance of vacating.

Okay, according to the definition above, I should be suspending work, relaxing, shunning duties, and resting. By that definition, i am NOT on vacation. In fact, I am actually more tired right now, than on a normal week of my life. Why? 'Cause I'm at the beach.....'cause we go to the beach.....thats what we do.

From what I can tell, being born in North Carolina automatically gets you a "Myrytle Beach" stamp in your "Where Will You Go On Vacation" box of my birth certificate. Apparently 87 million other people got that same stamp, cause they came too. Like bugs drawn to that humming blue light on Uncle Ned's porch, people flock to this sandbox called Myrtle Beach.

I used to think it must be because Myrtle was the only beach on the East Coast. Everywhere else the ocean just ran up to a wall or stopped miles from shore and you had to go to South Carolina if you wanted to see the Atlantic ocean. But you know what there are more beaches. LOTS of beaches! Beautiful, uncrowded, less expensive and much cleaner beaches! But we are stamped for Myrtle.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the place personally, I just dont get the vacation appeal. Maybe when I was younger and more carefree, dancing at the Magic Attic, etc, it was more fun. Now I'm chasing a two year old through crowds Wal-mart would be jealous of on black Friday. Goin out to eat? Leave a good hour early cause your gonna be in a line....and if you want something besides McDonald's, you better leave two.

It will all be over in a few days though, and I'll wish I was back here. Or somewhere. Anywhere other than the reality of life back home. Even if it's with 87 million of my closest friends.

Sunday Mornin' Movie

Okay guys, heres the deal.....it's hard to find a Sunday morning movie kids will enjoy, parents will approve of, and hasn't been seen 37 times already. After searching, and inquiring with you guys, we decided we would show One Night with the King. Great movie about Esther and her amazing faith that saved an entire nation. Looked perfect until we noticed it was OVER 2 Hours! So much for that, back to square one.

After expressing our frustrations in selecting a movie, with previously stated criteria, my mother made a suggestion; The Velveteen Rabbit. Now let me say right now when she threw out her idea.....I rolled my eyes. I've heard about it for years, but never actually seen, or read about the story. Her explanation of the movie being a combination of live action and animation did not help in sounding like a possible candidate. But we were desperate. So with very little enthusiasm, we watched it. I was wrong. Very wrong.

I wont presume that every kid's gonna be glued to the screen for 90 minutes, but some are. And they are gonna be glad they did. Its a great story about belief, faith and love. No, there's no bible story in this film, but it's full of lessons. While the tag line of the film is "All you need to do is believe", I was much more impressed with the line "Love makes us real". It sorta sounds like 1 John 13:35.

Anyway, I hope its well received. I wont be there, so I am praying hard for a smooth day and that someone sees what we saw in this film.

Love you guys more than words can say. -J

The Games of the 2009 UpStreet Olympiad..