Fear Not!

My 10 year old son Ashton is a great little baseball player. He plays shortstop and pitcher and usually bats first for the teams he plays for. The boy has played baseball pretty much his whole life and he loves it!

Over the past few weeks though, he's developed a huge fear of getting hit with the baseball when he's up to bat. He's never had this problem. It is so severe he will go into panic attacks when it's time for him to bat. He starts crying and his breathing goes crazy. It's really really heart-breaking to watch, especially if you've had the opportunity to watch him play before this started. He wants to get in that batter's box so bad, but the FEAR has a grip on him so tight that it makes it to where he can't even function. It breaks my heart to see him this way. We are working hard and praying a lot trying to help him through this. It gets a little better and then it will grab him again. Last night he had a great game and made some big strides in the right direction.

You and I might not have the fear of getting hit with a baseball but we all deal with fears in our lives. It might be a new job or fear of failure or rejection. Maybe it's the fear of taking a risk. I think we all deal with a little fear from time to time but it's what we do in those times that is important. The single command in the Bible that occurs more often than any other is Fear Not. God knew from the very beginning that we would battle with fear. Did you know that there are 366 “Fear Not” verses in the Bible ? One for every day of the year, including one for leap year.

Ashton is having a hard time facing his fear and pushing through it. I believe with God's help he is going to have the courage, at some point, to face this fear head on. When he does he will get through this and be better for it.

In 2 Timothy it says "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."

The next time you are dealing with some fear in your life, remember to fear not for God is with you.

iserve 2010

I love the team I work with. I am so blessed to have such incredible people that make things happen every week. Last Sunday we had our first iserve Celebration to honor all their hard work and it was awesome!!!! We had over 400 volunteers show up for the evening.

The night started with some worship that was about the most electric worship experience I have had in a long time. They were really going for it. After that Karen Brotherton came up and played some Minute to Win It games. It was so much fun. We then honored 4 key volunteers by having there leader tell all the reasons why they are an All Star. In between each person we would play an hilarious video we created called Real Men of Jesus! Too funny.....check them out here. http://www.youtube.com/user/StevensCreek

Marty came up after the last person and just did a small talk about how important being on the iserve team really is. He always does great in those settings. We ended the night by eating some Shane's Rib Shack. A special thanks to all of Stevens Creek staff and family that served everyone. You guys rock!!!!

5 W's of an Encouraging Leader

Good stuff on leadership from John Maxwell

5 W's of an Encouraging Leader

1) Watchfulness

Encouragement carries more weight when it's specific. Be observant of the people around you on the job. Where do they excel? When have you seen them give exemplary effort? Make note of the ways they stand out, and use your observations as content for encouraging them.

2) Words

Everyone enjoys receiving genuine expressions of praise, especially when they're given in public. As a leader, leverage the platforms of staff meetings and team get-togethers to highlight the performance of your people. Your words of encouragement will reinforce good behavior and communicate value and appreciation to those you lead.

3) Writing

Spoken encouragement is powerful, but temporal. Written words of encouragement, however, are remembered by their recipient long after the writer has forgotten them. People can refer back to an encouraging card or note again and again, being uplifted each time they read it.

4) Wallet

When possible, leaders should reward excellent performance monetarily. However, the dollar figure attached to a reward isn't its only measure of value. As a leader, be creative in finding ways to give gifts of encouragement that have meaning and significance to those you lead. Perhaps it's an extra day of vacation, an extended lunch hour, or a keepsake. Whatever the case, be intentional about giving something of value as a means of applauding those who are doing a great job.

5) Winning

Sometimes the best way to be an encourager is to set an example. People draw strength from watching you persevere through adversity, and they are impacted when they see you make sacrifices to advance your vision. When you win by doing things the right way, your victories leave an impression on the spectators watching you.

Against the Odds

For the past few weeks I had the opportunity to coach Ashton's All-Star team. It was an amazing experience. We had two teams representing Martinez-Evans Little League because our league is so big. My team, (The National League team) was like the b team. We had half 9 year olds and half 10 year olds. We had me as a coach, a pastor who has never coached on the major league level before and another pastor as my assistant coach. For some reason people just don't think pastor's can coach. The other team from our league (The American League team) was a team with all 10 year olds and 1 nine year old. They had a very experienced coach that has a travel ball team that half of the kids played on. So what I'm saying is no one was giving us a chance. I think my players at the beginning even wished they were on the other team.

What I learned through this is you can listen to the negative talk around you and take it as reality or you can believe for the best. We decided to believe for the best. We won our first game against Athens 13-3. Guess who lost their first game? Yep, the American League team with the good coach. I felt pretty good after that. We lost our second game to the team that ended up winning the whole thing. They were really intense! No, REALLY INTENSE! We didn't let it keep us down.

We won our third game against Oglethorpe and moved on to play.......you guessed it, the American League Team. This game was awesome!!! We jumped on them early. After the second inning we were winning 10-2. At this point I was feeling pretty confident about things. I even had the thought that we could 10 run rule them. Well, momentum began to shift and little by little they made their way back.

In the bottom of the sixth, which is the last inning in Little League, we were still ahead but only by two 11-9. They started off the inning with a walk and a hit. We got the next guy out before the following player hit a single to score a run. So now it's 11-10 with a man on first and third. The next pitch the runner on first steals second. I decided to intentionally walk the next better and load the bases so we will have a force play at any base. This would have been perfect except we walked the next batter as well to tie the game.

So it's tied up with the bases juiced in the bottom of the sixth with two outs. Our pitcher, G-Baby had pitched an awesome game. He came in and pitched three brilliant innings but was getting a little tired and had given up some runs. So, I had a choice to make. Stay with him or go to Ashton (my son) to try to shut them down. I knew Ashton could do it but I was terrified they might get a hit and win the game and Ash would feel it was his fault. I was a mess of nerves at this point. Right before G-Baby pitched my assistant coach Brent spoke up. You have to make the change, he said. He was right so I called time and made the change to Ashton.

He was as cool as a cucumber. I told Ashton, buddy, I've been saving you for this moment. This is why you haven't pitched tonight. Now is your time. He got up there with ice in his veins and got the guy to ground out to extend the game. I was about to throw up. I'm about to throw up now reliving it. Ashton pitched three more innings of shut out baseball and we went on to win the game in the ninth inning. What an a-ma-zing game! I was so proud of Ashton and the whole team.

Unfortunately the next night we lost to Baldwin County in the semi-finals. Our boys just didn't have enough left in the tank. Here is the life lesson from all of this. When people don't give you a chance, allow it to fuel you to be best you can be. We sure did and we learned a lot about ourselves in the process.

Father's Day 2010

I love being a dad. Now it's not easy, but I wouldn't want it any other way. There's nothing like watching your kids grow and excel in the things they are doing. I have two cool cats as my sons. I thank God for allowing them to be mine. God has given us father's the opportunity to help shape a generation. Let's do all we can to raise kids that are leaders that love God.

This is a blog I read from Perry Noble Pastor of Newspring Church in Anderson, SC. I'm going on vacation next week and looking forward to being still and hearing God's voice. Enjoy!

I read Psalm 46:10 the other morning and it SLAYED me as I thought, “MAYBE the reason so many people (including myself) really wrestle at times with doubt and confusion is because we won’t be still long enough to know that HE IS GOD.

That verse doesn’t say, “be busy and know that I am God.”

It says to “be still!” WHICH…if I can be completely honest, I do not like.

Being still is tough, and besides, it is SO much easier to medicate myself with all of the noise that is available to me…why would I want to “be still” when I can check twitter…or facebook…or my email…or all three at the same time.

We get so obsessed with the possibility of missing something in the world of social networking many times that we don’t even realize we’re hearing the voice of so many other people that we just might not be hearing the voice of God.

Question – when is the last time you clearly heard His voice? (It should not take very long to answer this question!)

Because…He is always speaking…and HE wants us to know His will WAY MORE than we actually want to know it.

MAYBE the best thing to do for the next hour or so is turn off your phone, shut down your computer and just go for a walk (WITHOUT an ipod) and…just…listen!

Just a thought…wish I could say I was an expert on this…but I’m actually still learning HOW!!

Schedule for missions trip

Here is a letter from one of the leaders of the trip explaining where and what we will be doing? He also gives us the spiritual climate of those places.

I’m typing this at 30,000 feet with the recognition that I’ll be conversing with most of you at the same altitude in just a couple days. As you pack your bags and enlist support from your prayer warriors, I want to give you a quick peek at how this excursion is mapped out. Additionally, I’d like to give you an insider’s look into the potential impact your 10-day investment of time, energy, and talent for the Kingdom of God.

For those of you ADD readers, here’s the synopsis: pack light, come “filled” and ready to pour out, stay flexible, and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. We will hit it hard on the front end and then have an evening and full day at the end of the trip to unwind, relax, and sightsee in Prague. Your hard travel schedule yields a powerful impact on the historical development of the Church of God in this part of the world.

Central Europe is a pioneer Missions field. I probably should have put that in bold and underlined. Most, if not all, the locations where Tony has led these conferences have been where the church is developed. You traveled together, went to a central location for the Conference, and pretty much stayed there together for the duration. Heads up- this will not be that. This is mainly due to the stage the church is in that you are ministering to. (Note: I’ll be available for any blame or abuse this change inspires, DO NOT inflict this upon Brother Tony)

Just eleven years ago, there were no registered Church of God churches in Central Europe. Today there are nearly 50 and most of these have been planted during this time. Those that joined the Church of God come from a wide diversity of backgrounds and God has knit us together. Few, if any, of the leaders you meet will be familiar with the “who’s who” in the Church of God, but I’m confident that you will see a strong resemblance to our forefathers and you may be surprised at how readily you identify with their ministry model- the COG DNA is there. Big THANK YOU to Tony for all his hard work in putting this team and Conference together for our Region.

Ok, let’s take a walk through our week:

Day 1, Wednesday: The city we will land in, Prague, is the atheistic capital of the European continent. We will travel the same day to Poland, which has less Evangelical Christians per capita than Saudi Arabia. (I wanted to share a few “glamorous” facts first, because there won’t be anything else glamorous about this first day. Hopefully my charm will win you over by the end of the week- but I’m resigned to the fact that you will not like me on day one.)

Within hours of landing in Prague, we’ll all be onboard a train bound for Katowice, Poland. Yes, I’m killing you the first day. The good news? This is a comfortable, high speed train you can rest on and we get there by 6:30pm- in time for a nice meal and a good night’s rest.

Day 2, Thursday: Team A will be staying in Katowice to minister in the local church there. The pastor, Arek Biczak has done a tremendous work with very little- your visit and ministry will be a great empowerment of he and his leadership team. Team B will take a morning train to Wroclaw to minister in the church there- we will arrive about noon and the training will start in the evening. Both of these churches are vibrant, strong, key churches for our national movement in Poland. Team B- I will be traveling with you to a strong church whose pastor is bringing this church into the Church of God. He has been a good friend for years and is with us, but had opposition from former elders in bringing his independent church into the Church of God. Your ministry in this church will be a powerful expression of the benefit of being a part of a larger church family and help him in generating momentum and excitement about the change. This visit and your ministry in this church is HUGELY important for our work in Poland and the Region- literally could result in this church joining the Church of God very shortly after.

Day 3, Friday: Team B- we will leave early from Wroclaw and travel through Katowice to pick up Team A at the train station and continue on together to Ostrava where our host pastor has arranged transportation to our hotel. We will have enough time to check-in, change, and head to the Conference site. The band will set up, and prior to the official beginning of the Conference we will meet with Czech pastors- this will be a time of encouraging lead pastors specifically. We will then kick off the Conference.

Day 4, Saturday: This is Conference day with breakout sessions and worship galore (thanks Steven’s Creek). At the conclusion of the Conference, we will again break up in teams and head out with respective pastors back to their cities in preparation for Sunday (Palm Sunday- which you’ll want to reference)

Day 5, Sunday: Preach, teach and be merry for in the evening we all ride to Prague. Your pastoral hosts will get you to the train station with those farthest away getting on earlier and then others jumping on the same train as it passes through their city on the way to Prague. We all arrive together about 6:30pm for a relaxing dinner, fellowship, and a good nights sleep in a comfy hotel.

Day 6, Monday: Free day in Prague. Unwind and enjoy. As one who lived 7 ½ yrs. In the city, I’ll give you the royal tour.

Day 7, Tuesday: Depart early for the US.

And there you are, safely back at home from a true Missions adventure, wondering how you got conned into such a whirlwind of activity…and then the faces of the pioneers you impacted start to fill your mind. Something moves deep within and you realize you actually enjoyed it with a joy that came from the heart of God. The phone rings and you hear yourself say, “wherever it is Tony, sign me up.”

See you soon,

Jonathan Augustine

Missions Trip

This time next week I will be in the Czech Republic starting a week long missions trip. Cliff Jennings, Jim Campbell, Christian Walker and myself will be leading and training other ministry leaders in that part of the world. I always feel overwhelmed when given the opportunity to do this kind of trip. We'll be taking a little bit of the Creek to The Czech Republic and Poland. They are so hungry to learn how to effectively win the lost in there communities. Here is a portion of an article I read to give you a better idea of the spiritual climate there.

Communism and Atheism though have been a potent combination in enslaving the minds of Czech people. A regime that preached “THERE IS NO GOD” and persecuted Christians relentlessly has fostered in an already proud and independent people the notion that they need only rely on themselves. That there’s definitely nothing else “up there”. That religion is for other, weaker, people. In much of the western world, many people are professing Christians (say that they are Christians), but practically speaking live their lives as if there is no God. Around 45% of Czechs, on the other hand, are professing atheists. This presents quite different challenges in evangelism..

Here are a few things you can do to partner with us. 1.Pray Pray Pray! Please be praying for us over the next few weeks. I believe God is going to use our efforts in amazing ways. 2. Come to the Creek tonight for a special worship night and bring an offering. This offering will go towards missions to ensure trips like this can continue. You might not be able to go with us but you can still be a huge part. Thanks for your support. Hope to see you tonight.

Baptism @ the Creek

I love love love baptism night at the Creek. It's the time when we hear awesome stories of how Christ has redirected people's lives. It's a time for the church to come and celebrate those stories and boy did you come ready to celebrate last night. I've never heard so many noise makers in my life. As a church leader and as a church it's a way to measure if we are being effective sharing the gospel. I'm happy to report that over the past few months we have seen 125 people baptized. That is CRAZY! I am so honored to be a part of such a life giving church. I believe this is just the beginning of what God is going to do in us and through us.

For God or To God?

This is a blog I thought you might find interesting. It challenged me.

I read a verse that stopped me in my tracks this morning. The Holy Spirit arrested me. If I were completely honest, I'd have to admit that most of "my ministry" has been for God not to God. I don't think that is just semantics. It's a whole different paradigm. So many of us are so busy ministering for God that we rarely minister to God.

Ezekiel 44:16 wrecked me today: "They shall enter my sanctuary, and they shall approach my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge." Makes me think of the original commission in Matthew 10. Before Jesus "sent them out" he called them "to him." I think one of the greatest dangers leaders face is this: we get focused on what God wants to do THROUGH us instead of what God wants to do IN us.

Are you ministering for God or to God?

I think it's both/and, but you better prioritize ministry to God.

First Impressions

Starting this year the Creative Worship Dept. is taking over the First Impression's ministry at Stevens Creek. We have been blessed with incredible people on that team working very hard week in and week out. We have done a ton of things right and will continue to build on the success we have had. With that said, we can always be better.

Stevens Creek has a mission to reach out to those who are lost and hurting. People may come through our doors feeling scared, broken or apprehensive. Even if they aren’t new to the church it is possible that they could be going through a difficult season in their lives. It is our responsibility to welcome everyone in and to reflect God’s love in the midst of their troubles. We want people to feel like they belong at Stevens Creek.

As we start this new season of ministry I am wanting some feedback on how to make the experience people have at the Creek even better. So, here is your chance to help.