I can’t believe this was my seventh week planting Next Level Church. Here’s the low down on what happened this week…

• Tomorrow we are training our start team in the volunteer positions. This has been the most stressful week so far.
• It’s a lot of admin work creating volunteer job descriptions and making sure team leaders have the information.
• This is the first week that I’ve felt stressed from this whole thing. I think it’s because I spent so much of my time doing things that are outside of my gifting.
• I wish that I handled stress better. I get grumpy and short when I’m stressed. I can be a jerk to the people that I love.
• I spent a lot of time on Wednesday praying for my attitude. I hated how I was acting. I felt that Thursday and Friday were much better days for me.
• The stress actually started on Sunday night. We had a band lead worship for the first time I’m pretty sure Satan possessed everything technical.  We worked it out but my stress was really high and carried over to the week.
• The thing that I kept thinking about is where this stress came from. It came from a desire to please people. It came from a desire of wanting people to think that I have my junk together. God convicted me this week that this church is not about me. It’s about Him.
• Because it’s about Him I need to work hard, but let the details fall to Him.
• I kept hearing this voice (yes I hear voices and no I don’t think I’m crazy…yet) that said on your best day your not that great and on your worst day your not that bad.
• You see if this church is built on my personality then people’s lives won’t change. If this church is built around me then people will never encounter Jesus. I want people to come to Next Level and experience God so much it changes their Monday – Saturday and not just their Sunday.
• Last week we made blessing bags for the homeless. We made a ton. I don’t have the count but we made a lot! I’m so excited about this simple idea. We provide some practical needs for the homeless and keep them in our car so when we run into one we can be a blessing to them. I’ve already heard some cool stories from people who have given them out.
• We are only two weeks away from the Grand Opening of Next Level. Easter Sunday at 6:00 PM at 28 Harpersville Road, Newport News, VA.
• I can’t wait for Grand Opening but it might be for a different reason then you think. We’ve been meeting for only 7 weeks but it feels like 7 years. I am ready to get this thing out of my mind and into reality. I don’t know if that makes sense but that’s how I feel.
• I don’t know what people expect from the Grand Opening. I keep running into people who tell me that they are very curious and want to check it out on Easter. Here’s what you can expect…worship, a practical way to give back to the world we live in, and a message that is focused on Jesus. It’s pretty simple. My prayer is not that we would wow people. My prayer is that we would be genuine and that God would draw people to Himself.
• We have had some great people lead us in worship. Last week we were blessed with the entire band from BridgePoint in Gloucester.  If you are reading this and live in Gloucester then you should definitely check them out. They are incredibly generous and have reached out to Next Level Church.
• This week we are having a very special guest. I’m excited to experience it with the church.
• If you are praying for Next Level please pray for God to move. Pray that I would get out of the way. Pray that I would remained focused on Him and not let stress get the best of me. Pray that God would move in the start teams life. Thanks for praying!

I don’t know a lot about the Hunger Games except for that it’s a wildly popular series of books. The movie preview looked decent, but when I told Monica that it didn’t look like anything she’d be interested in she replied with “it’s a romance.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?

I wish I would have known that before I asked her to buy me a ticket to the midnight showing. Going into this movie I kept picturing sitting through two more grueling hours of Twilight-esk awfulness. Those Twilight movies always promise lots of action in the previews but when you get to the theater it’s 5 minutes of action and 2 hours of lame sparkling emo conversations and half naked were-men. I digress.

So the Hunger Games was…

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

A really good movie. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this film. It had action, good characters, and a story that was original. I liked it so much I want to read the books now to skip ahead. My only fear about reading the books is that it will take away the suspense of the movies. I like going into a movie and not knowing what is going to happen.

I went to the midnight showing and it was so good that it kept my attention the entire time. This is a big deal because I fall asleep at 10:30 PM whether I need to or not. I fall asleep during movies at home all the time. I didn’t even yawn during the Hunger Games.

Now there is nothing Oscar worthy about Hunger Games and I’m not saying it’s the best movie ever.  But if you like going to the movies and you want the feel of a summer blockbuster in March then run to go see Hunger Games.

It’s rated PG-13 for some intense action violence, a few swears, and kids dying. I give it two thumbs up.

_

Rob’s Rating System =

Two Thumbs Up – A great film worth paying full price.

One Thumb Up – A decent attempt and worth seeing at a matinee price.

Thumb to the side – An okay film, but wait to rent it.

Thumb down – A stinker of a film. Don’t waste you life seeing it.

Will you go see the Hunger Games?

Movie Bonus Time: Okay I’m in a competition called March Movie Madness. I’ve made it to the sweet sixteen! I need you help to advance to the next round. Please click here and vote for Indiana Jones. Voting opens at 12:00 PM. I’d really like to win this thing. Thanks.

There is an earlier riser comment leaving crew that I absolutely love. They get up at the crack of dawn and leave a comment on my little site. I’m honored to have them a part of this thing.

With that being said I always want to make sure that I have a post first thing in the morning. Last night I took my wife to see the midnight showing of Hunger Games. Big mistake. Big mistake. Not because of the quality of the movie but because our twins wake up at 6:30 AM and there is no time to catch up on our sleep.

With that being said today’s post is a review of the Hunger Games. But since I didn’t get home till after 2:00 AM this is the best that I could do. Stay tuned for today’s regularly scheduled blog post.

Oh and I also need your help. At 12:00 PM today the voting opens for round 3 of March Movie Madness. I’m in competition where the character I selected is now against Jason Bourne. Are you kidding me? That is a tough match up, but I believe in Indiana Jones. He’s who I picked to win it all. Do me a solid and click here after 12:00 PM and vote for Indiana Jones.

Oh jogging I hate you with a disdain that just won’t quit.

I dislike your pain that you bring to my nips.

Bloody nips bloody nips why do you hurt so?

You stained my Superman shirt with nip blood…uh oh.

You hurt on the cool down but that wasn’t the worst.

The pain I felt in the shower was just straight AWFUL!

Sure I know that worst and awful don’t rhyme,

but my nips hurt so bad it should be a crime.

People tell me I need body grip and that just sounds sick.

I’d rather just not jog than get my bloody nips.

Or maybe get a nip transplant to get a smaller pair.

Nips are pointless on guys so forget the transplant I’m wanting to amputate them because no nips would hide in my chest hair.

Bloody nips bloody nips you remind of the Bible.

For Paul said that jogging was like the Christian life and going through a trial.

So I don’t run aimlessly or have you bleed in vain.

Thinking about running a half marathon made me think I’m insane.

But I’m not insane because I run for the prize.

You see I’m surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who are now up in the sky.

The Christian life is like jogging because it’s a marathon.

It’s not a sprint and I don’t know what rhymes with marathon.

It’s hard work. It’s hard every time.

But we have a Savior who waits at the finish line.

So bloody nips bloody nips bring me your best shot.

I will feel your sting and just wait for you to clot.

I will hate you on the day that I run my marathon.

Still nothing rhymes with marathon so I don’t know why I put it in here again!

Stupid nips you affect my ability to word spin.

Like I was saying I will hate you but you’ll remind me of life. For life is difficult and sucks sometimes but with Jesus it’s still a brilliant ride.

To dig a little deeper and get some of the Biblical references check out 1 Corinthians 9:24-26, Galatians 5:7, and Hebrews 12:1.

My half marathon is April 22. Pray for me. How long do you think it will take me to run 13.1 miles?

I believe that when you think something nice you should say it, spray it, Tweet it, Facebook it, text it, and or blog about it.

Now there is one main reason that I’ve heard people use to not encourage others more…

NUMBER 1 REASON WHY PEOPLE DON’T ENCOURAGE OTHERS MORE. SURVEY SAYS – They think they will get a big head.

Here is my answer to that. We are not responsible for how people respond. We are only responsible to speak the truth in love. If someone takes our compliments and blows up their head then that’s on them. And the truth is there is so much negativity out there it won’t take long for someone to pop their enlarged cranium.

With that being said here are some people that I want to give a shout out to this week…

• Monica  – not only does she love me well she has also stuck to counting calories and has lost 11 lbs. She has also been consistent with a great blog over at monshep.com. 
• Stacy  – Stacy and her family are great friends of ours. For two weekends in a row they took the twins to their house so that we could pack. She is the most giving person that I know. Monica and I are incredibly blessed by her.
• Nancy – one of my biggest fears in starting a church was handling the admin. Nancy has volunteered an insane amount of time each week to Next Level Church. She is working her tail off and I’m forever grateful.
• Amber – Two weeks ago Amber stepped up to lead our kids ministry at Next Level. I don’t think she knew what she was getting into. If working could = home runs she’d be hitting grand slams on a daily basis. I’m very thankful for her.
• Randall – is a daily comment leaver on the blog. He’s also one of the most encouraging people I have in my life. I’m thankful for the Randall and his family.
• Mim and Did – this is what we call my parents. They suggested that we sell our house and move in with them. I don’t know if they knew what they were getting themselves into. My mom has worked really hard to prepare their house for us. They have made it easy for Monica and I to move in and continue living life. Oh and now Monica has someone to watch Dancing with the Stars with on a weekly basis.
• Mark and Dodi – this is my parent in-laws. They are pretty fantastic. This week they came and spent an entire day with the twins so Monica (mostly Monica) and I could finish cleaning our house. They love our kids!
• Angie – I am humbled by the love that people show Monica and I. Angie is very encouraging and prays for us on a regular basis.
• Court – Monica and I talk on a weekly basis about how we praise God for Court. These last few weeks were made possible by her being awesome to us.
• Danielle – this girl ran a marathon on a busted knee and then came and cleaned our house the next day. Are you joking me? That’s a great friend!
• Dan – he is not only our realtor but he’s also a great friend.  Dan is an awesome realtor! I praise God that he was able to sell our house.
• The Walking Dead – this TV show provided some of the best TV I’ve ever watched in my life.
• Ryan – I’m running a half marathon with this joker. In fact he’s the one that inspired me to try it. He’s also the one that’s going to have to listen to me whine the entire run. I hate running but I love running with Ryan.

This is just a sampling of the awesome people that I want to give a shout out to.  There are a lot more but they will have to come in another post.

Who would you like to give a shout out to?

Fact: I love movies.

Fact: You either relate to my love for movies or you tolerate it.

Fact: I’m once again battling it out in the infamous  Clay Morgan’s March Movie Madness.

I picked one of my all time favorite movie characters…

Dr. Indiana Jones

Would you do me a solid and vote for my pick for March Movie Madness? For all you early risers out there I’m not sure what time Clay is posting this. Check back later in the day if it’s not up first thing in the morning. Thanks for being awesome!

Who is your favorite movie character of all time?

I need to apologize to my wife. You see I was kind of jerk last week. I didn’t mean to be, but I still was.

When I get home from work I’m tired. The last thing that I want to do is work some more. And yet multiple nights last week we were busy working to pack up our house. I hate packing like you hate the thought of waking up with all your teeth missing.  I hate packing like you hate the thought of listening to the song “She Bangs”, William Hung version, on repeat for the rest of your life. I hate packing like you hate the the thought of that last Indiana Jones movie. I hate packing like you hate the thought waking up to a new world where everyone but you is either Barney the Dinosaurs or Jar Jar Binks. I hate packing like you hate locking your keys in the car while it’s still running during the zombie-pocalypse .  I hate packing like a prisoner hates the thought of dropping the soap. Get the point?

So one night last week I was tired and extra grumpy with Monica. I’m such a jerk.  She had already packed the majority of the house by herself. She works all day except for the days where she takes care of 3 kids under the age of 2. I even told myself that I was going to have a good attitude to help with the packing. But I failed like the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA tournament. It was epic and ugly.

It just reminds me of what I have to fight against daily. You see the Bible says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

Before Jesus the Bible says that I was dead. After Jesus I’m alive but I have to fight against this death. I have to crucify my selfishness daily. Jesus has given me the power to have life to full but there are signs of death everywhere.

Every time I don’t get my way death creeps in like the bubonic plague. Every time there is an earthquake or tornado.  Every time someone dies young. Every time someone is hurting. It’s pointing to a broken system.

But you see I’m made alive in Jesus. I can’t wallow in my mistakes. I can simply ask for forgiveness and vow to never move again to be different next time.

I’m a dead man walking, but thankfully I’m alive in Jesus.

What is something that you hate doing? What is something that reminds you of how broken this world is?

Week six of planting a church was full of adventure. Here are some of the highlights…

• I get asked on a weekly basis what type of church I’m starting. I don’t have a fat clue how to respond to that. I think they want me to align myself with others. I think they want me to tell them if I’m a Baptist Church, seeker friendly church, Assemblies of God church, reformed church, Korean church, Amish Church, Nudist church (going back to the ways of Adam and Eve), Church for people who don’t like lima beans church, or the church for people who love Chipotle and Jesus church.
• I end up telling them that I am starting a church to help people love Jesus.
• Our mission is to love Jesus, love people, and make a difference. That’s what type of church we are.
• There are so many legal things that you have to do in order to start a church. It’s not as simple as just opening the doors and praising God.
• This week we bought our CCLI license which I think allows us to play copyrighted music. I think.
• This week our start team is putting together Blessing Bags. The idea is to create bags that you can give to the homeless. It’s filled with things like fast food gift card, hand sanitizer, tissues, gum etc. I’m really excited about creating these and giving them out.
• Right now the start team is meeting weekly. We are getting ready for our first public service on Easter Sunday, April 8 at 6:00 PM.
• Each week we bring in someone to lead worship. Last weeks was one of my favorite worship sets that I’ve ever experienced.
• This week we are having our first band. The worship team from BridgePoint in Gloucester is coming to lead us. I can’t wait!
• Last week I taught from one of the scariest verses in the Bible. Matthew 25:31-46. 
• It’s scary because a group of people who think they have a ticket to Heaven get rejected. Apparently according to Jesus when we love Jesus it’s shown by how we treat the least of these.
• Monica and I are moving today. We sold our house and are moving in with my parents. We are really blessed!
• I don’t have a paid staff but I have some volunteers who are super ninja volunteers.  I can’t believe how hard they work. They are such a blessing!
• Our Grand Opening service will be at Mosaic. They are a unique church ministry. Multiple churches share one space.  Right now four share the space that we are renting out.  They are very Kingdom minded.
• I praise God for this adventure!

If I ruled the world this is how it would be. You might not like it, but that’s because you aren’t me…

I’m glad that I don’t rule the world. I like knowing that someone greater than me is in charge. With that being said there are still times where I think about how I would run things if I did rule the world. For example the Dentist Office…

• Nobody and I mean nobody enjoys going to the dentist. That would change if I ruled the world.
• You lay on your back while someone hacks at the plaque on your teeth. How about putting a flat screen tv on the ceiling so that you can at least catch up on your favorite channel. ESPN for the sports fan, The cooking channel for the women, and the Cartoon Network for the kids.
• Good smelling gloves. I am glad that the Dentist uses latex gloves. It’s sanitary. I just wish that they didn’t smell like rubber chalk. How about some nice smelling gloves? Say cherry flavor?
• Okay that polish thing that is supposed to taste like mint tastes like butt musk. My one job while they are polishing my teeth is to discombobulate my tongue into positions where it won’t touch that nasty polisher. It’s supposed to be mint but it tastes like a chemistry experiment. If they are going to put a chemical in my mouth could they not make it taste like yoo-hoo? I mean that stuff is not even refrigerated so you know it’s straight chemical, but at least it tastes oh so good.
• Rewards! People respond to rewards. If you don’t have a cavity then you should get to celebrate with a complementary fro yo. I’m talking Sweet Frog with all the toppings and it is for free.
• Speaking of rewards if the dentist doesn’t have to tell you to start flossing they should give you a punch in your dentist punch card. After 5 punches you get a free dentist visit. I hate flossing but I might would consider it for a free dentist appointment.
• A printed form with all of your information on it. Every time I have to go to the dentist I have to sign more paper work than what I signed when we bought our house. That’s a lot of paper work. How about having it filled out already when I get there? Oh and make it scratch n sniff to smell like cookies.
• Now the chair is pretty comfy but it would be even more comfy if it was a massage chair. Can you smell what the Rob is cooking?!
• This one is for the ladies. If I ruled the world dentist offices would partner with nail salons and women could get their nails done while they are getting their teeth done.  I mean why not multi-task?
• No Monday appointments. Let’s be honest Mondays are hard enough without having to go to the dentist.

Disclaimer: Now I must say that my dentist is awesome. Everyone at Dr. Bowler’s office is really kind. They remember facts about you and genuinely care about each patient.  This post is not a reflection of my dentist. It’s just supposed to be funny.

What is one thing you would change about the dentist if you ruled the world?

Monica and I have a friend that whenever she would see a liquor  store she would yell out “liquor I don’t even know her.” Get it? It sounds like lick her. It always made me laugh.

Some people have strong views on liquor. Some people believe that if you are a Christian you shouldn’t drink it. Some people would be the people in charge of the seminary that I graduated from. So I’m not sure it was a good idea to pull up to my seminary with a U-Hall full of liquor boxes.

Now if you saw a guy unloading a U-Hall of liquor boxes into seminary housing what would you think?

A. This guy knows how to party.
B. This guy is a rebel and is sticking it to the man.
C. This guy didn’t think through how judgmental people would be when he asked the liquor store for boxes.

If you selected C then you are correct.

One thing that I want to be known for is giving people the benefit of the doubt. I think it makes marriages better, employees and bosses better, and friendships better.

How much drama has there been because we didn’t give someone the benefit of the doubt? We get mad at someone and jump down their throat before we even ask them for their side of the story.

The truth is that I’ve never liquored and I don’t even know her. In other words I’ve never even tasted alcohol. To judge my seminary unpacking before you asked me questions would be detrimental and unhealthy. It would be detrimental to you because you would miss out on a chance for the truth. It would be detrimental for me because maybe that wasn’t the wisest thing to do and maybe I could have learned from your wisdom.

The next time someone ticks you off take a deep breath and give them the benefit of the doubt. Let them defend themselves before you crucify them. Maybe they are a drunk preacher or maybe they have a reasonable explanation. Just saying.

Who do you struggle to give the benefit of the doubt to?