February 24 - A Night to Remember

Last night was one I will not soon forget as Pastor of ClearView. As most of you know, we gathered to respond to what God is doing in our midst by way of commitments to our capital stewardship campaign (called Seeking God's View). At the time of this posting, we do not yet know the results of the commitments. We will be announcing results this coming Sunday (March 2).

But quite frankly, the commitments will almost be secondary to me. The atmosphere was so exciting! With two services on Sunday most everyone could look around the room and find the faces of a number of people they do not know. It was great to all be in one room.

The attendance was somewhere around 650 at dinner with about 200 children on the ClearView campus. We saw a video telling some of the history of ClearView reminding us of our rich, though relatively brief history. After a a few songs, Brady Cooper (pastor New Vision Baptist Church in Murfreesboro) spoke. That guy is funny!

Finally, all of us together made our commitments using the commitment cards provided. Thanks Jim Lackey for stepping up to chair the team. And a HUGE thanks to Peggy Stephens for making sure all the t's were crossed and the i's dotted throughout the entire campaign. So many helped to make this possible I will not try to list them all here.

Most of all, I sensed God was glorified through it all.

Why blog?

We might as well begin this venture (blog) with a little transparency. I have avoided starting a blog like a plague. Quite frankly, I have been of the opinion that people who had blogs must feel like they have much to say that people will want to hear. I am a firm believer that most people really don't care about most other people's opinions and that includes mine.

So, why create a blog? Simple really. I have found as I have moved back into the role of pastor (especially pastor of a large church) the need to communicate as often and as clearly as possible. This will be the purpose of this blog.

Vision casting is essential for any effective leader. I certainly desire to be an effective leader, if only because I feel the mission of the organization I lead is THE most important any organization can aspire to (that of spreading the message of Christ and helping those that have discovered Him grow in their love for Him). This is another tool to help me do just that ... cast vision.

You will find information about the ministry of ClearView, discoveries I am making in God's Word, observations from experiences, and other ramblings. So, along with millions of others, I now throw myself into thw world of "blog".