Bad News... Good News

Recently, Newsweek magazine ran an article on the decline of the number of Americans who would claim they are "Christian."  The article was by Jon Meacham. He offers some powerful data, notably a near doubling since 1990 of the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation, from 8 percent to 15 percent. Meacham also points to a 10-point drop in the share of Americans who self-identify as Christian, from 86 percent to 76 percent.
 
This is a cause for great concern. But, I am actually encouraged about the future. It's actually pretty simple to explain in our church and across America. Let me explain using Spring time and a garden illustration. Some of you are getting your gardens ready as Spring time is upon us. You have raked leaves, sticks, and stones out of your plot. You have tilled and cultivated the soil. You have added some ph balance if the soil is too acidic, etc. You have also set up irrigation systems to water it and have rejoiced with the rain we have received of late. But, you know you cannot expect rows of lush, green corn along with okra, squash, cucumbers, and tomatos if  you forget one important step. You've got to plant the seed in the ground to expect fruits and vegetables to abound!
 
It's no different when it comes to our church. Being a bridge of God's love to all people means we must plant seeds in the ground every week. We can't rely on the single mom's oil change we did last May or the awesome Fall Fest we did October 31 or the lightbulb giveaway we did in February. We must be planting seeds each week. Every week the first question I am asked by my Life Transformation Group (LTG) is, "Have you been a testimony this week to the greatness of Jesus Christ with both your words and your actions?" As I write this article on Tuesday afternoon I am reflecting back to yesterday when John Mauldin, Milo Wilson, and myself went out to the North Ridge neighborhood off of highway 14 and gave away seed flower packets as a way of sharing God's love in a practical way. I can answer yes to that question.
 
Please hear me Ridgeview! We cannot expect our church to grow whether we meet in a school or own our own building if we are not planting seeds in our daily week. For me, it means every Monday I go out around lunch time and share the love of Christ in a practical way. I've shared with you over the last month the ways I've done just that (cleaning restaurant restrooms, flower packet giveaway, free soft drinks to local businesses, paying for someone's meal, etc). Believe it or not, it's actually very fun!
 
Why aren't more people being a bridge of God's love? I believe we haven't seen how fun it really can be. Let me encourage you this week to look for one way you can be a bridge of God's love to at least one person. You can pay for their meal in line at the drive through, buy them a cup of coffee at Starbucks, mow their lawn, give them a fern to beautify their porch. The list goes on and on. When they ask why you did it you simply tell them you were wanting to be a bridge of God's love and wanted them to see that love in a practical way. It's as simple as that. And I promise when you do Scripture promises you this in Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." If we as a church and churches across America simply do some of the basics of bridge building for Christ there will be no more articles in Newsweek about the decline of Christianity. I suspect different cover stories will have to be written.
 
Blessings!

Easter Sunday at Ridgeview was a good day. A female in the church snapped this pic of me and my family that I will treasure for years. Anyway, I'd like to pass on a nice email from someone in our church I received this week. I soooo appreciate our children's ministry leaders and Erin Wilson, our children's minister. You guys are awesome!

Tommy,

I’d like to send a note of thanks and appreciation to Ridgeview Church. The Easter egg hunt on Sunday was incredibly fun (and unexpected-we didn’t know about it at all J)! It should not go without being said that Ridgeview does an amazing job when it comes to their children’s programs/events. Erin is so incredible (!!!) and I cannot even begin to imagine all of the behind the scene time it takes to do all that she does. But not only Erin, everyone involved in what goes on for the children of Ridgeview is to be commended! My boys never come away from time spent at Ridgeview Church or C4C (which by the way they LOVE C4C) that they have not been taught something new and exciting about Jesus. Not only is that a great thing, but they are also aware that a challenge has been set for them each week-and their eagerness to meet that challenge is contagious ~What a blessing in every way! I wanted to share my compliments with you mostly because I know it is often that those that work with the children don’t get to see the fruits of their labor. They are most certainly making an impact! They are setting little fires for ChristJ! I appreciate their efforts and their time; it is a blessing to my family.

Being a bridge of God's love means...

Being a bridge of God's love means I believe Christianity is real and I want to show it!
  
I am writing this article 10 minutes before I am to meet my Life Transformation Group partner Brian at McDonald's. The first question he will ask me as we sit down to eat is, "Have you been a testimony this week to the greatness of Jesus Christ with both your words and actions?" I haven't always been able to say yes to that question. But, I have implemented changes in my life and schedule to allow me each week to answer "yes." You see, being a bridge of God's love to all people means I want to show them I believe this stuff about Christ. I want to show them His love in me. He changed my life! One of the changes I have made in my week is before staff meeting on Mondays I go out around lunchtime along with our staff team and we do some bridge building in our community. This Monday we ate at Firehouse Subs in Greer. I asked the manager John after we ate could we clean their restrooms. I got the same reaction from last week when we cleaned Moe's. "You want to clean our restrooms?" I told him it was one small way I wanted to show him and his employees God's love in a practical way. Our staff team cleaned their bathrooms and another bridge was built for Christ.
 
Each and every week opportunities are all around us to build bridges of God's love to people. I share my story with you this week not to toot my horn but to encourage you to do the same. Paul said follow me as I follow Christ. I never want to be one who promotes a "do as I say but no as I do" attitude. I want to obey the words of Scripture that say, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). I want an explosion of love and good deeds performed each week by the people at Ridgeview Church in the name of Christ so we may see many people come to know Him. I will keep beating that drum loudly. Will you make an effort this week to look for ways to be a bridge builder for the Lord? You've read my story. I'd love to hear yours!
 
Happy 3rd Anniversary Milo! 
Three years ago Milo Wilson joined the staff team at Ridgeview as our worship and outreach Pastor. He has worn many hats over these last three years and done an excellent job. He has built upon the great foundations our worship and student ministries were built on and taken them to new levels. He has been a joy to work with and I appreciate him greatly. I pray for him and his family weekly and I encourage you to do so as well.
 
P.S. Check out this link to one of my favorite videos Milo and me made one day at our old office as we were promoting an outreach event. It still cracks me up! 

A Bridge Story

A Bridge Story
 
One of the most beautiful words I hear every week on Monday is, "Welcome to Moe's!" Yes, Milo Wilson, John Mauldin, and myself have made a habit every Monday of taking advantage of the Moe's Monday lunch special. I usually get the "Joey Bag of Donuts." Anyway, a thought occured to me this past Monday morning. The previous week at Moe's when we finished our lunch I noticed one of the employees was cleaning the bathroom (the one I was trying to enter). The thought I had was this: Why not after we finished our meal on Monday clean the men's and women's restrooms for them? So, here's what I did. I went over there around 11 am and asked if I could talk with the manager. A young female named Hannah said she was the highest one on the food chain at the time. So, I told her that we ate at Moe's regularly on Mondays and would it be okay if we cleaned their restrooms around 1 pm after the main lunch crowd was gone. She looked at me strangely and asked, "And you want to clean our restrooms?" She told me that would be fine.
 
Later that day John Mauldin, Milo Wilson, and myself came over to eat our lunch. I saw the Moe's employee Hannah again and she told me her manager wanted to speak with me. His name was Steve. I approached him and told him every week before our church staff meeting we do some act of kindness in our community to show the love of God in a practical way. I gave him a card from Ridgeview that says "Just wanted to show you God's love in a practical way, no strings attached." He asked me to be careful as we cleaned because he didn't want us getting injured and sue him. I promised we wouldn't. He took the card, looked at it, asked me again about our church, smiled and said, "Thanks." Off I went to get our cleaning caddy out of the car and we knocked two restrooms out in record time!
 
Each week at Ridgeview I do the very best I can in the proclamation of the Word of God. I promise this Sunday as we start this new message series in the book of Micah entitled, "Blazing new trails," that it will be a powerful Easter message. But, I also want you to know that just as important in the proclamation of the Word is the demonstration of the Word! People do not care how much you know (or how many Bible verses you can quote) until they know how much you care. This Easter, my challenge to you before you walk through the doors on Sunday morning, is to show those around you that you care about them. You see, our purpose as a church is to "be a bridge of God's love to all people so they may experience His purpose for their lives." We want everyone to experience God purpose for them: a saving relationship with Christ and growth in that relationship. In order to see that happen, we must embark in good deeds because they become the "bridge" upon which the gospel can travel.
 
So, let me state again, this Easter week let me challenge you to be a bridge of God's love to someone your path crosses. You don't have to be a Pastor with a Master of Divinity degree. Just look for a way to show God's love. You'll be amazed how that can open doors for you to invite them to church and better yet, share Jesus! It's so easy, even a Pastor can do it like me!

This little light of mine. I'm going to let it shine!

On Monday Milo Wilson, John Mauldin, and myself before staff meeting headed up to Blue Ridge middle school. We had bought over 80 granola bars to give to the faculty. We were welcomed by the secretary and were able to walk through the administrative offices escorted by guidance counselor Sara Broome. We were introduced to those working that day. Then, we were shown their teacher boxes and we placed a granola bar and a card from our church in each box expressing appreciation for what they do. We were able to talk with several faculty members and the assistant principal. That's one small way our staff team is seeking to be a bridge of God's love to all people each week.

I got a text message last Saturday from a man in our church. He told me he was in line at the Subway sandwich shop. There was a person behind him in line. He turned around and gave the person a Ridgeview card and $5 in order for them to buy lunch. He told them God loved them and wanted to show them that love in a practical way. I had lunch with another man today who told me on his sales route he encountered a lady working at a pizza restaurant. She shared with him her husband had lost his job and they didn't know how they were going to pay their utility bill. Guess what? God's Spirit began to speak to him. Why don't you be that bridge of My love to her? He went home and talked it over with his wife. She also felt it was what God would have them do. He is going back to this lady tomorrow and will give her the money to pay her utility bill as a means of being a bridge of God's love to her. He was so excited about the opportunity!

The Bible says, "...let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16)." As we approach this Easter season, let me challenge you this week to look for opportunities to share the love of Christ in practical ways. After all, God loves people and wants everyone to know His love. Will people know of God's love this Easter because of you?

Lord's Supper This Palm Sunday

This Sunday we will finish up our message series in Isaiah on "Maintaining Spiritual Health." At the end of the message we will partake of the Lord's Supper. This is always a special time for us as a church. Scripture states concerning the Supper, "So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat of the bread and drink of the cup (1 Corinthians 11:28)." This week, ask God to reveal to you sin in your life and repent and confess (1 John 1:9). This week, examine your relationships and if any need to be restored make the effort of restoration (Matthew 5:23-24). I look forward to partaking of the bread and the cup with you and remembering what Christ has done for us.

Building Team Announcement last Sunday

This Sunday Don Brown, chairman of our building team, shared with our congregation the current direction our church is headed. Our Building team and Advisory team have been focused on the purpose of our church: To be a bridge of God's love to all people. Part of fulfilling that purpose to be a bridge of God's love to all people is to move as soon as possible from Mountain View Elementary school to a single rental facility closer to Greer. One person on the building team remarked that he wanted to do whatever it took to reach as many people for Christ as a church as we possibly can. I love that attitude! If you have any questions, feel free to call Don Brown at 292-5888 or email him at d.brown@embtrak.com.

Reflections From Last Sunday

After five years I've learned one can never be too careful and must check and re-check things to make sure all is ready for a big event like Sunday's 3 on 3 basketball tournament. So, with that in mind, I went over and started our church van on Saturday afternoon to make sure all was well. We had run into a battery issue with the van the previous Sunday so I wanted to make sure all was well. It was. The van started right up. I had peace of mind and slept well Saturday night. All that changed Sunday morning when I was informed by another driver for the van that it wouldn't start because the key was not able to be fully inserted into the ignition. Panic set in. The clock was ticking and we were running out of time- there was much to set up outside for our worship service and basketball tournament. Thankfully, I serve in a church with servants. We loaded up in our SUVs and trailer and unloaded what we needed out of the van and the church trailer and brought it over to the school. We got everything done in time although there was stress and panic.

Having a few days to reflect from Sunday, here are some observations I'd like to share with you:

1) Our church is willing to do whatever it takes to be a bridge of God's love to all people so they may come to experience His purpose for their lives, which is repentence of sin and a personal relationship with Him. The basketball tournament on Sunday morning was one way of doing something a little out of the box to reac those who are not connected to any church. By the way, we had a smaller attendance this year for our tournament because there was less people from other churches participating because they were at their own church Sunday morning. That's a good thing. So, we had a higher percentage of those participating who were not connected to any church. Isn't that the point? Our goal isn't to see how many people from other churches we can gather for an event even if it does mean the numbers are bigger.

2) We have solid, sold out servants to Christ in our church. As mentioned in the van break down story, we had a number of people jump in and help out with that situation. We had others on Sunday morning show up and didn't know what would be asked of them but when duty called, they rolled up their sleeves and served. Without greeters, set up teams, people who picked up basketball goals, food help, face-painters, registration table workers, preschool workers, worship leaders, ushers, and sound and media crews this event would never have happened.

3) I see spiritual warfare alive in our church. We have never had as many machinery breakdowns in the life of our church like we've had this past week. Our copier went down when we were printing advertising for the tournament. Our printer went down as we were printing the labels. Milo's laptop computer crashed and our desktop computer in the office crashed as well. Oh, and did I mention the van didn't start? There are unseen spiritual forces of darkness in this world that want to see our church fail because we are coming in on enemy territory with the light of Jesus Christ. We should expect nothing less than opposition.

So, those are a few reflections from Sunday. We have this promise from Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses (a bridge of God's love) in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samarai, and to the ends of the earth." Ridgeview Church will continue to be a bridge of God's love to all people in the power of God's Spirit. Will you pray God's Spirit will open doors for you this week to be a bridge of His love to someone?

See you Sunday!

Pastor Tommy

A New Baby is Born!

Congrats to Rob and Tonya Whatley on their beautiful little girl!

Anna Katherine Whatley
"Anna Kate"
Born March 23, 1:29 am
8 lbs, 8 ozs

Why the 3 on 3 basketball tournament this Sunday morning?

Why the 3 on 3 basketball tournament this Sunday morning?
 
Recently, we received disappointing news that we would not be moving from Mountain View Elementary school to the high school. We were looking forward to the move. After the news and the weeks that have followed at Ridgeview, there has definitely been an effect upon our church. Our attendance has dropped and there seems to be a spirit of discouragement upon some us, including myself. No one was more excited about the move than me. But, that door has closed on us and we must move on. God's providence will lead us each month and we trust Him to guide us each step of the way.
 
So, what do we do now? We must get back to the basics, the fundamentals of what the vision is of our church: "To be a bridge of God's love to all people so they may experience His purpose for their lives." We must first of all pray! In two weeks we will be in chapter 38 of Isaiah. King Hezekiah received very disappointing news from Isaiah: "You're going to die." It says in verses 2-3,  2) Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD. 3) He said, "Please, LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and wholeheartedly, and have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. There was a passion, there was a fervency to his prayer because he was dying. Without God's Holy Spirit filling us at Ridgeview, we are as good as dead also.
 
Secondly, we must be "experience His purpose for our lives." What is His purpose? It's to become a follower of Jesus Christ; also known as a disciple. We are seeing fruit in the lives of people at Ridgeview who are being discipled. I believe one of the greatest ways we are making disciples at Ridgeview is through our Growth Groups and our Life Transformation Groups. Each week in my Life Transformation Group I am challenged and sharpened by men who keep me accountable in my walk with Christ and my service to Him. I believe one of the greatest things you can do to spiritually recharge your batteries is to meet with one or two other people each week of the same gender in a Life Transformation Group. Try it for a month and see if you aren't changed and being discipled!
 
Thirdly, we've got to do a better job of being "a bridge of God's love to all people." That means evangelism. A bridge connects. We've got to bridge out to people through acts of kindness, through our attitude, through our actions, through our words and tell people that God loves them and Jesus died for them. We've got to do this every week; not just Easter, Christmas, or a special day. All these times are great but this must be something we do every week. The book of Acts says, "The Lord added to their number daily." Each week I am challenged by my Life Transformation Group to share the love of Christ in some way. Last Friday night at Fuddruckers I paid down the cost of someone's hamburger behind five dollars. I left a card from Ridgeview with the cashier. I threw some seed. Monday our staff team took over sixty granola bars to the staff at Mountain View Elementary and left them in their boxes with a card from our church thanking them for all they do. People don't care how much you know until they see how much you care. There are opportunities around you each week to show you care in the name of Christ to people. I believe if everyone in our church took advantange of one opportunity a week to be a bridge of God's love to those who don't know His love we could touch over one hundred people each week. We could touch four to five hundred people a month. We could touch over 5,200 people a year with the love of Christ. Do you think that would change the attitude and climate in our church. Absolutely.
 
So, let me get back to the title of this article. Why the 3 on 3 basketball tourney this Sunday. Because it gives us a platform to share the love of Christ to those who do not know Him through the game of basketball. Basketball will be the platform this Sunday; Jesus will be the message from our set up team, greeters, worship service, games, prizes, food, moon bounce, and face painting. It's all about Jesus and being a bridge of God's love to all people- people who love basketball and even people who can't stand basketball but appreciate the work done to show them the love of Christ.
 
Here's what I'm asking you to do: 1) Pray for our church that we would not lose our focus on what God has called us to be and do, 2) Allow yourself to be discipled through God's Word and God's Spirit and through the vehicles He is using at Ridgeview: worship services, Growth Groups, Life Transformation Groups, 3) Look for opportunities each week to be a bridge of God's love and act on them. This week is an excellent opportunity to invite your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to the basketball tournament.
 
I'll be out in my neighborhood Thursday inviting my neighbors to the tournament at church Sunday. I ask you to join me in this great opportunity God has given us to be His messengers of the good news of Christ.
 
See you Sunday!

What does it mean to be a bridge of God's love to all people?

What does it mean to be a bridge of God's love to all people?

 
This Sunday I will have the wonderful privilege of baptizing Brian Bowen. Last summer our church conducted a "Gas Buy Down" at the Spinx gas station on highway 290. One of the people we touched with the love of Christ that Saturday was Shonnon Bowen. She and her husband were looking for a church and we came along at just the right time. She told her husband about this church called Ridgeview that bought down the cost of her gas. They decided to check us out the next day. They were welcomed by friendly faces at the door. They enjoyed their worship experience and have been coming back ever since. Brian decided to go on the men's retreat with us last month. His life changed that Friday night and desires to be baptized this Sunday.
 
Why do we do kindness projects in our community like gas buy downs, smoke detector battery give-aways, single mom oil changes, Easter egg hunts, Fall festivals, community Christmas eve services, 3 on 3 basketball tournaments, NGU athletic luncheons, and mega sports camp to name a few? To reach people like Brian Bowen and help them "experience His purpose for their lives." I challenged our church last Sunday to look for one opportunity this week to reach out to someone with love in the name of Christ. It may be buying their gas, their coffee, their meal, or going across the street and inviting your neighbors over for supper this week. As we read in Isaiah 6 this past Sunday, may this be the attitude of us all at Ridgeview: "Here I am Lord. Send me."
 
See you Sunday!

Daylight Savings Time, Smoke Detector Battery Give-away, Isaiah 6

Don't forget that this weekend is daylight savings time. Please set your clocks one hour ahead as you lay your head down Saturday night. We'll have the coffee brewing for you Sunday in the foyer! Also, this Saturday from 10 am to 12 pm, we are going out in our community to take free smoke detector batteries to around 200 homes off of highway 101 (see picture above). This is a great way to be a bridge of God's love in a real practical way. The response from those we have visited has been very positive. We will meet at Mountain View Elementary school. Hope to see you there!

It has been great to hear of those who are reading the Bible text in anticipation for Sunday's message and then diving deeper in our Growth Groups. Let me ask you to read Isaiah 6 for this Sunday. Remember, nothing changes a person's heart other than the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Please come this Sunday prepared for your heart to be changed. See you Sunday!