I’m laying here in bed at 8:09 a.m. – something I never get to do (or let myself do) – the day after one of the most incredible experiences in my life. My mind is racing, thinking about the fact that 19 months ago, OneLife church didn’t exist. But yesterday, 440 people made it their place to celebrate the resurrection. At least 23 of those (that we know of) gave their hearts to Jesus.

OneLife – this is not normal (read this if you are dorky like me and want to see what normal is in a new church). And it’s not because we have a great band, cool stage set, awesome children’s ministry, and an incredibly good looking pastor. Although all of those things are true It’s because God – for whatever reason – is choosing to use us as his tools and vessels to impact this community.

So on this day after, we celebrate what God has done. But I can’t help but wonder what Jesus and his followers did the day after he walked out of the grave and defeated death. Do you think they sat around and celebrated? I sure don’t. Because Jesus told them immediately in Mark 16 to go into ALL the world and preach! Don’t sit here and celebrate, go reach people! And when you do, you’ll be UNSTOPPABLE!

OneLifers, you were used yesterday. You invited people, prayed, fasted, volunteered, worshipped, and supported this vision and dream. But let’s not stop here. Follow-up with those you invited and came. Follow-up with those who didn’t come and let them know that we have church all year long – not just on Easter! Think about those people you didn’t get to invite this past week and get them there this Sunday. Let’s keep the pedal to the metal! Because we are…unstoppable.

Here are some behind the scenes reflections of what made yesterday an incredible experience.

• Because we’ve worked so hard to have a good relationship with the school, they are incredibly gracious to us. They let us set up on Thursday night to tweak a new stage set, come back Friday night to focus lights, and then mow the yard on Saturday so it would be looking nice!
• 114 volunteer positions were filled yesterday. Amazing.
• For the first time ever, automated check-in worked on both computers for OneLife Kidz. Those things are persnickety! And it was great because we had more kids than ever!
• We got to help a homeless gentleman who came by needing gas and clothing. He got a OneLife shirt, gas, and some food. And attended worship with us.
• Our new custodian who unlocks for us surprised our band and tech teams by providing a table FULL of breakfast for them when they arrived! Doughnuts, bananas, coffee, orange juice, and Gatorade. Then he and his son attended a service.
• Our first impressions teams made coming to OneLife an incredible experience yesterday. Parkers made it easy to find a spot in the parking lot (which literally filled completely up between services!), greeters were more engaging than ever, and ushers helped people find seats in the auditorium…which also filled up first service!
• Our staff had an incredible prayer time on Saturday afternoon that I believe had a huge impact on the number of lives that were changed yesterday.
• The bumper video that was played before the sermon yesterday is one of my favorites we’ve had yet. And it is a OneLife original. Check it out on the service video that will be posted this afternoon.
• From what I hear, OneLife Kidz was more rocking than ever. That team of volunteers has really made it something special…and it gets better all the time!
• We had 14 first time guest families fill out a connection card and tons of prayer requests. Follow-ups with them and new believers are already underway!
• This next Sunday will be great for everyone…new and old…to learn more about how to be unstoppable in practical ways. I can’t wait!

I got to have lunch with Perry Noble last summer, and one topic that came up as I fired out questions as fast as I could was his absolute insistence that pastors not burn themselves out. Coming from a guy who nearly died from a nervous breakdown and has been vocal about battling depression (despite seeing thousands of people come to Christ as his church grew to over 10,000 in a small town), I definitely listened.

One thing he constantly teaches young bucks like me is to realize I’m not a super-pastor who needs to be the only voice my church hears. In fact, he encourages guys to not preach more than 42 times a year and to have at least a couple times each year where the pastor takes two Sundays off in a row. This is because preparing a sermon (well, preparing a sermon the right way) and preaching multiple services will literally drain you. On top of counseling, managing staff, worrying about church finances, working on improving ministries, planning for the future, AND constantly working on the next Sunday’s message, it can definitely get pretty grueling. Don’t get me wrong. I love every bit of it! But every once in a while I heed that godly counsel I got last summer and I take a little break from the pulpit to recharge my batteries.

And they are definitely recharged! I am so stinkin’ pumped to be back in the saddle this Sunday at OneLife. We are kicking off a new series about the Old Testament character Joseph and it is going to be great. It won’t be your usual Sunday School study about his coat and brothers who didn’t like him. We’re going to see how he dealt with a CRAZY family past (can’t we all relate to that!?), how he kept from getting revenge when he was framed in a SCANDALOUS way, and how he forgave the very people he should have hated the rest of his life. It’s gonna be incredible and life-changing!

I really hope you’ll be there and that you don’t come alone (10 or 11:30 at Powell HS!). The next four weeks will lead us up to our Super Bowl – Easter – and we need to get ramped up. Let’s make Knoxville an impossible place to live and not hear about Jesus in a real way!

We start a new series on Sunday and I am STOKED! Why the big hype in my mind? Here’s what I’m looking forward to…

• Bringing back some old hymns…in a not-so-old kind of fashion.
• Fiddles, harmonicas, piano and organ sounds…you name it, we got it planned (just not gonna tell ya which week gets what!)
• New stage set, graphics, and videos. The creative team just gets better and better.
• Bulletins! Bringing back the old fashioned bulletin…kinda
• Seeing what the Bible really says about the Church.
• Getting rid of pre-conceived notions. Notions of traditionalism trumping Scripture and notions of contemporary methods trumping Scripture, too!
• Healing the wounds of people who have been hurt by the Church.
• Learning about the unstoppable force that Jesus said His Church should be.
• Seeing dozens of new volunteers getting plugged-in to OneLife’s vision of seeing people far from God discover Him and how their one life can make a difference.
• Most of all – seeing people start a relationship with Christ and their lives being radically changed as a result.

It’s going to be a great series. Don’t miss a single week! You’ll be glad you didn’t. Oh yeah…and don’t come alone! Bring somebody with you and get ready to ‘Throwback” to the good ole days with us! See ya Sunday.

Every year thousands of people promise themselves they’re going to do it this year. They’re going to read through the Bible. Or they’re

going to read a little bit everyday. Or they’re just going to start fresh and do better this year. Most people don’t make it. Not even through the first month.

But this year is different. We’re going to start with something we can all handle. It’s the new year, and we’re reading the New Testament. And we’re doing it in 30 days. It’s called NewThru30, a sermon series you have the opportunity to participate in with churches all around the country.

The New Testament in 30 days?! He must have lost his mind! I know, I can hear your thoughts. But we are making it easy on you. We have a reading plan with grace days built in, free MP3s of the Bible so you can listen if you’d rather do that, daily email devotions that will help you stay on track, and more. And even for the slow reader, it can be done in only 15 minutes in the morning and 15 more at night.

You can do it!

For more of these resources and to sign up for the daily email devotionals, visit our New Thru 30 series page. And make sure you come and bring a friend this Sunday as we kick off the sermons that will go along with each week of reading.

This is going to be 30 days that will change your life and change our church. Let’s do it together!