FIRST LOOK

This is the very first draft of a new homepage for our website.

SUNDAY POSTSCRIPT

+ I think I nailed it with the teaching this morning. We're reaching unchurched non-Christians, so it's imporant to be teaching the counter-cultural, Biblical view of marriage and of divorce.

+ Our guys did great. We were missing five key men from our set-up/ breakdown team, but others stepped in and everyone brought their A game, so we didn't miss a beat.

+ Used one of Rob Bell's NOOMA videos - the dude knows what he's doing.

+ The crowd was a bit thinner today, but we still gave away all the newcomers' gift boxes we had.

+ A friend of Gill's from her gym came today for he first time. Gill was thrilled and her guest seemed to enjoy her time with us.

+ Went to the fundraiser for Frank Summers' new project, Prodigal House, for troubled teens. Great crowd - they must have raised a bundle. Couldn't stay long as I had a wedding to do in St.James.

+ Got the first suggestion for a homepage for our new website from the design company. It's simple, totally different and personally I like it. We're awaiting some professional input from our good friend Ian Baer. Did I mention how glad I am God sent us a marketing executive as part of our church?

+ I taught for a long time this morning, but I really wanted to get through the material without skipping any. Our breakdown guys still got us out of there on time.

+ You would not believe how many people were at the theater one hour before service started this morning. I think our folks just like being together.

+ Next Sunday is our ninth anniversary. I guess we're not really a new church any more, but I still feel we are - hope we always will be for that matter.

+ Ken Swaner was away white water rafting this weekend. He's insane.

+ Our small groups all get under way this week. There are some great choices. Think I'll be going to Ken's.

+ I'm tired. Full day. Good day.

+ I can't believe it's nine years.

+ I had black hair when we started this.

+ I had hair!

IT'S OVER!

That's it - the Mets' season is over. That's a pity, but then I remind myself of a great statement by Indianapolis Colts' coach Tony Dungy that it's called the game of football because that's what it is - a game. It isn't life, it's a game. Baseball is too.

I had some fun watching the Mets playing this season. It was great to ride the wave with them that seemed it would take them into the post-season and even the World Series, but now that wave has come crashing down on the beach, life goes on.

I was at Shea three times this season -

On May 17th I introduced Basil D'Souza and his family to baseball on a chilly afternoon in Queens. They don't play the game in India where cricket rules, so this was a great contest to witness as the Mets rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the bottom of the 9th against the Cubs to score five runs and win the game.

The very next day some friends unexpectedly offered me two seats to watch the Mets play the Yankees. I wore thermals that evening and we huddled under a blanket, drinking hot chocolate, but the Mets beat their cross-town rivals. A wonderful thing!

The best game I went to was the third one, with my son and my grandsons in August. Cubs again. That was one of the best evenings of the summer. My team won that night too, but it was being there with the boys that made it special.

So thanks Willie and everyone else. It was a good season.

Pity it ended so soon.

CHALLENGING DAY TOMORROW

I'm more than a little nervous about teaching the third part of our marriage series tomorrow, beacuse I'm going to be on the very difficult subject of divorce. With as many marriages falling apart within the American church as outside the church, I want to share what I consider to be a Biblical view of the subject in this throw-away society.

My main concern is that I don't want to add to the pain of those who have been through the trauma of a divorce and I certainly don't plan to do that. However you're never sure how people will take something that is said.

Needless to say, I've been praying a lot.

Our guys arrived in the Dominican Republic safely this afternoon, according to an email from our missionary down there Rob Nelson. We'll be stretched without these five solid helpers tomorrow, but others have stepped up to take up the slack. So we're ready to go!

CONFIDENCE

I've had a little while to think about things now and even though I predicted several weeks ago that the Mets would blow it all, I'm still not enjoying watching it happen.

Please don't question my loyalty to the team - they're my team, but as sure as the Titanic did when it hit the iceberg, they're going down.

And it's not just because their ancient starting pitchers are banged up or that their bullpen looks as out of place as my Mustang in Amish country. There's more to it than that. After all, Pedro wasn't stunning last night, but he did only concede three runs, which should not have been an insurmountable obstacle to the likes of Reyes, Wright, Beltran and co.

Here's why I think the Mets' season is over and tonight's game will be the last one I watch until next Spring (I'm out tomorrow afternoon and Sunday afternoon) - there's not an ounce of confidence or even bravado anywhere in their lineup.

Obviously skill plays a huge part in any kind of sports competition, but attitude is what generally tips the scales in the favor of one team over the other. It's determination, passion, heart, call it what you will there's not much of it showing up at Shea lately.

Ultimately winning is in your head and it's just not there. So that's it. Season over.

Now, for any sakes, go out there tonight and prove me wrong!

CARDINALS 3 METS 0

I'm speechless!

ENOUGH!

There may be a smile on his oversized baseball head, but I don't think he's looking too happy underneath that outfit. Still, Mr.Met has to watch tonight's game.

I don't. I have two appointments that should insulate me from the pain of having to witness another meltdown.

Doesn't anyone have a pitcher they don't need???

BIG HEARTS

I got an email today from a friend of mine. I don't see him that often and don't really know him that well, but I count Peter Montana from Precision Heating & Air ( http://www.nyphaservice.com ) in East Patchogue as a friend.

The subject line said simply - It's That Time Of Year Again! - so I knew exactly what he meant and was very happy to read it.

I didn't even know the guy this time last year, but he knew someone I know and had therefore heard about our church's food pantry and the families we endeavor to help at thanksgiving. He personally undertook to raise all the money we needed to get all the stuff to provide the turkeys and everything else for as many families as we expected to help.

I think we were at 60 last year, but this time around he wants to up it to 100, which is a nice round number, a heck of a lot of people we'll be feeding and a bundle of money we'll need to pull it off.

Correction - It's a bundle of money Pete will need to pull it off. And I'm sure he will.

So this guy I don't know that well, who isn't part of our church congregation, emails me again this year and asks if it's okay for him to get going on raising money for us.

I didn't bother replying to his email ...

... I just called him straight away and told him to go ahead, knock himself out!

He has a heart as big as a bucket. That's why I call him a friend - we speak the same language!

A FEW GOOD MEN

At some ungodly hour on Saturday morning we have a team of five men leaving on a short-term missions trip to lend a hand with Island Impact Ministries down in the Dominican Republic.

They're good guys and part of the proof of that is that they'll all leave a significant gap on Sunday morning. In addition to other ways they function, all five are part of our set-up/breakdown team. There'll be an increased workload this week!

Bottom line is this, people who do nothing in a church don't do missions either. Those who do get involved in one of our overseas projects are inevitably fully committed at home too.

Passports are essential if you're part of our church.

I have heard a lot of pastors excuse the fact that they don't have a vison that goes beyond the nearest interstate by saying - This is our mission field right here and once we've won this area for Jesus we'll look farther afield.

How stupid do they think I am? (Don't answer that!)

Truth is, they are totally self-absorbed, probably up to their necks in debt and they don't really want their folks functioning fully in ministry.

God guided us to Ronkonkoma recently, so Ronkonkoma is our mission field. But so is Medford and Patchogue and all the communities in our area. So is Mumbai, India; Kurland, South Africa and Sosua, D.R.

It's not either/or, it's both/and.

We need to keep our vision broad and our opportunities to serve expanding.

WAITING FOR THE CALL

An old friend stopped by unexpectedly this morning and it was great to see him. He and his family are part of the ever-increasing number of Long Islanders for whom life became a struggle here and so they found a whole new life in a far less expensive part of the country. It's a pity.

I asked about the church they're in and he mentioned they go to a good church but are not really involved. He explained that having volunteered to work together in the church nursery some Sundays, five months later neither he nor his wife have heard anything further about it.

He joked that something like that would never happen in a church I pastor! I've discovered that I have this reputation for getting folks involved. Other pastors ask me how I do it, but I honestly don't have a clue.

Seems to me there is a clear choice to make - you either attend a church or become a part of it. The way you become a part is to take on a role, whatever that may be.

Attenders have never excited me. I can't imagine just rolling out of bed every Sunday, driving o a service, sitting through it and then going home again. If you believe in what's going on there, wouldn't you jump at the opportunity to help make it happen?

It's logical to sit for a while and get your bearings. Kick the tires and see if this is the place for you.

There are also some people who have been either burned or totally fried by a previous church experience and in these cases it's good to take time to heal and learn to trust again.

But once you've got a grasp of where a church is going and/or have dared to trust again, the question is not whether you're going to keep coming here at weekends? It's, am I going to get on board with the vision?

Here's a great quote from Reggie McNeal in The Present Future -

That's the church's mission: to join God in his redemptive efforts to save the world. People all around us are in darkness. They are going to die unless someone finds a way to save them. Trouble is, the church is sleeping on the job. Too many of us have forgotten why we showed up for work. Even worse, many of us have never known.

I must confess I do make it clear to people why we showed up for work, which probably explains why no one at CATMO is sitting home waiting for the phone to ring.

POLITICIANS

There are a couple of things coming up this week that will put me in contact with some of the local politicians and wannabee local politicians who will be standing for election in about six weeks from now.

TONIGHT
I'm a guest at a special reception being put on by Brookhaven Conservative Party at the Majestic Gardens in Rocky Point. According to the invitation the purpose of the function is to honor three Courageous Conservatives -

Vincent De Marco, Suffolk County Sheriff
Edward M. Walsh, Chairman, Suffolk County Conservative Party
Roger Blackmore, pastor, Grace Church

Seems like some of those who move in political circles have taken note of the battle I have waged with the Town of Brookhaven over our right to build and that of other churches to do likewise. Personally I'm not over-impressed as I haven't yet achieved my goal of seeing the town code changed so that freedom of religion once again becomes a reality in our community. I guess the fact that I'm sticking with it against the big party machines has caught a few folks' eyes - and I am sticking with it.

There is a moral issue here as well as a legal one and I am determined that Councilman Timothy Mazzei and his cohorts need to be held accountable for depriving thousands of local residents of their legal and constitutional rights. In doing so they have shown themselves to be unfit to govern.

THURSDAY
We have a breakfast planned for local pastors and Town Board candidates who have expressed a willingness to undo the work of the 2005 Town Board that has crippled the development of church buildings.

I want these clergy to see who these candidates are so they can get behind them. I would never presume to tell people how to vote and cannot endorse a party or a candidate in a church setting, but I will be advising all of these church leaders of who the pro-church candidates are and suggesting they follow my lead of announcing those names to their congregations. People will then vote as their own conscience dictates.

A busy week in politics, but one that could see a great deal accomplished!

METS SELF-DESTRUCTING

Down the stretch, the Amazin's are showing they have all the potential of living up to their name. With the Phillies breathing down their necks, they could well blow it all.

Tonight they conceded 13 runs to the lowest scoring team in baseball.

Your pitching has to really stink to pull that off. I'm keeping my cell phone on all night tonight just in case Willie Randolph calls looking for my 23mph fastball! Could I honestly do that much worse than this crew. All I could do is lose and they seem to have that down to a fine art.

SMALL GROUPS AGAIN

About thirty years ago I read a book on small groups by Paul Yonggi Cho, Pastor of the largest church in the world - both then and now (he must be old!).

I became convinced of the value of small groups and considered that they would probably help me building the second biggest congregation on the planet. Back then I hit a brick wall trying to get the concept across to the board of the fairly traditional church I was pastoring in the north east of Scotland.

Over the decades since that board and I parted company, I have always been a firm advocate of the benefit of doing church on two levels - the celebration when the whole congregation comes together on a Sunday and the cell meeting where a smaller, relational group gathers mid-week.

Truth is that I've also spent almost twenty five years now trying my utmost to make small groups work and never seeing the level of commitment to them that I would really hope for.

Whatever I've tried and however we have structured them, we've only ever had a limited percentage of the Sunday crowd involved in small groups. I have even heard complaints about not getting enough teaching from people who don't bother to make use of what's provided for them in a small group schedule.

Here's where I'm at right now.

Small groups are what we do. If people don't want to go to them, I'm not going to drive myself insane trying to convince them and I'm not going to lose any sleep over their determination not to participate. That's their choice.

I'm just going to concentrate on making the best possible options available for those who do value building relationships, strengthening their faith, studying the Bible and doing other fun stuff together. There are actually quite a lot of them.

Pastors sometimes ask me how we get small groups to go well - seems they struggle too. I tell them I'm too old to drive myself nuts, so we just set it all out there and those smart enough to take up what's on offer do. Whether that's 10% of our Sunday attendance or 100% - it is what it is and that's good.

Having said all that, we have a great line-up for our fall groups. Lesaya has done an excellent job there. You can check them out here http://www.churchatthemovies.com/smallgroupnews.htm
and email Lesaya if you want more info - lesaya@churchatthemovies.com

GREAT MOVE

This was our sixth Sunday in our new location and I think it would be universally agreed that this has been a great move.

+ It's a great theater - cleaner, newer, better floorplan for our purposes. Plus stadium seating of course!

+ It's a great location. Accessible from every direction and only minutes from the Long Island Expressway, it is on a main thoroughfare, so is clearly visible.

+ We have a great team. The new set-up arrangement is going so smoothly that we could probably go for a later start still, but we'll leave it the way it is, ready for the morning when there is a glitch of some kind and we need the cushion of that extra time before service starts.

+ We have met some great people. Talked to a lot of returning guests today as well as to some first-timers. They are some really good folks who are finding our church a good fit.

+ Our band are always great, but they've sounded even better in this setting. Did a great rendition of U2's song ONE today.

This has been an upgrade in every way.

RETENTION

We've had a steady stream of visitors every Sunday since moving to our new location and particularly since our public grand opening two weeks ago. We're over the 100 mark for the past two weeks alone.

This all brings my attention back to a conversation I had earlier this evening on the subject of retention. I understand that in general a 14% retention rate is normal and so of course I'm hoping that we prove the statistics wrong by upping that number substantially.

There are several things in our favor - in my humble opinion! -

1. The warmth and friendliness of our folks and of the overall environment on a Sunday morning.

2. When we get contact information we follow up as soon as possible and thank folks for taking the time to worship with us.

3. We teach in series which is more likely to bring visitors back to hear the next part.

4. Tomorrow we'll be detailing our small groups schedule for the fall. Plugging in there would be huge for newcomers.

5. We're announcing a lunch for new folks next month, together with our revamped 101/The Journey class, which will help the pastors get acquainted with those who have been coming and will also outline clearly for them what we are about.

Looking to see how many fresh faces can be spotted tomorrow and how many of last week's return!

LEAP OF FAITH

Nine years ago today I jumped off a bridge - metaphorically speaking, that is.

Sunday September 20th, 1998 I walked away from a comfortable position pastoring an established church to move out and plant a new congregation, with no backing, no money, no people and no guarantee of success.

As an immigrant green card holder, if this did not fly I was totally stuck (screwed in the vernacular). I don't know how to do anything else and have no qualification for a different vocation. Pastoring is what I have done from the time I left college and if my plans for a new church fell flat, I was going to hit the ground with them - as were my wife and family of course.

Notwithstanding, I took the leap because I felt God wanted me to.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Bottom line - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

If you want to play safe, stay home.

But if you want to walk on water you have to get out of the boat.

BE CAREFUL

Here's a great post stolen direct from my friend Tony McCollum's blog - http://tonymccollum.com/
It's good stuff for pastors and normal people too!

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Galatians 6:4–5 (NLT)

I love reading blogs. It has been a wonderful source of encouragement and inspiration for me to read the blogs of other pastors and church planters. I have to admit, though, that sometimes reading other blogs can get me a little down. I hear about success after success of others and even though I fight the temptation I find myself comparing what I’m doing with what others are doing. This is dangerous.

The truth is that you really can’t win the comparison game. You either perceive yourself as doing better than others and you slip into pride or you think you’re doing worse than others and you get down. Both are problems and extremely counterproductive. What's really weird about it is that you could actually be doing quite well and still get down because there will always be somebody out there that is doing better than you. Comparison is a vicious trap.

The Lord has really been speaking to me a lot lately about the parable of the talents. Every time I turn around that parable is in my face. I think one of the main lessons of that story is that, at the end of the day, I’m only responsible for what I’ve done with what I’ve been given to work with. I might not be a 5 talent kind of guy. I might just be a 2 talent guy or a 1 talent guy but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I take the talents I have and I employ them for the Lord. The goal is not to have the most talents. The goal is the take everything I have and put it into play for the Lord.

So, my fellow blog readers, read on. Rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those that weep but REFUSE to compare yourself to others. Pay careful attention to your OWN work. And, when you’ve done your best, enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.

MID-WEEK MEANDERINGS

+ Looks like the Mets have stopped their slide. Still not sure they'll make the play-offs.

+ Our small groups line-up for the fall is looking very strong indeed. There's a load of good stuff to choose from, with groups every day of the week except Sundays. We'll be unveiling them on Sunday.

+ Just about finished preparation for Sunday's teaching - How To Affair Proof Your Marriage. This is definitely one you shouldn't miss.

+ I'm curious about some of my overseas blog readers - email me and say hello!

+ Had a great time at Celebrate Recovery last night. Carrie is doing a remarkable job with this program and there were over 40 people there this week.

+ We've got all the graphics done for our next series and just wait until you see the invitations. You've never seen anything like them - I guarantee.

+ Looks like we're all set for Halloween, with a block booking of Fun For All, the huge indoor children's playground in Port Jefferson Station. While most of us don't like all the insanity associated with that date, it's important to offer kids an alternative.

+ Since Christmas Eve falls on a Monday this year, we reckon we might see folks choosing either Sunday or Christmas Eve and just going for one, dividing the crowd while doubling the work. So we're going to go for one blowout event on Christmas Sunday morning, December 23rd.

+ The tally of visitors over the past two weeks is somewhere over 100 now. Some great folks! A lot of course that I haven't really met or interacted with yet, so we're planning a getting-to-know-you lunch for our new friends on October 21st at my new favorite bar, Bruno's in Ronkonkoma.

+ We're holding off our Celebration Sunday until the first Sunday in November. That way we will not interrupt our ONE series and also it will give us time to work out how to go about doing communion in our new setting without getting too religious or formal about it.

+ Great months ahead of us!

PRE-CHRISTMAS RANT

I see Christmas stuff in some of the stores already, so this commentary read by Ben Stein recently on CBS' Sunday Morning Commentary seemed a propos - and interesting!

My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto.

In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.

I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

CLUELESS

Speaking of pools (see yesterday!), I did have a very interesting experience when I went to my regular pool store to gather the necessary for the ceremonial closing of the above ground monster that occupies a substantial portion of our back yard.

Having been assured several seasons ago that all I needed to do was buy one plastic ball full of heaven knows what and run it through the skimmer prior to covering, I picked one up and headed for the checkout. I guess my progressive bifocals weren't working too well that day, because I failed to see how long this thing had to be in the skimmer.

So, I asked the girl at the checkout and got an interesting reply -

I dunno. Ain't got a pool.

Considering these things were flying off the shelves like macaroni in Milan, I would have thought that the sales assistants would have gathered a little information in case just one single customer was too blind or stupid to read it for himself.

Failing that, maybe a good reply would have been, "I'm sorry, I don't know, but I will find out for you."

Perhaps I was interrupting her cell phone chat with a couple of buddies who were also wasting their employer's time. Who knows?

When it comes to my own faith, to God, to church, to eternity, I must admit there are a lot of things I just don't know. I spent years thinking I was meant to have the answer for every situation, so I faked it - fooling no one I'm sure.

Nowadays I am happy to focus on the little bit I do know and fess up about all the stuff that still baffles me.

Then I tell folks that it's okay not to be able to dot every "I" and cross every "t". We call that faith.

IT'S OVER

That's it! Summer is finally done!

If you need any more evidence than the high of 63 today, check out my back yard where I closed the pool this afternoon. I'm always disappointed when I have to do that - apart from anything else, it looks a whole lot better out there with the blue of the pool than it does with a dull, brown liner for nine months of the year.

Ask me how many times I've been in it this summer. That's right - none!

But Gill has ventured in there a few times and the grandchildren have had some fun with it too, so it was worth having it, especially on the hotter days in July and August.

The next exciting event will be every single leaf on every single tree out there turning brown and dropping off. Some say fall is pretty, but not the poor beggar who has to pick up every single leaf off every single tree!

ONE

Jaimee Saponieri got our marriage series off to a great start this morning by belting out the song At Last - that girl has some voice!

I enjoyed teaching this morning, which was a great relief as the day had not started well. I woke up at 3.00am and did not get back to sleep. There was a ton of negative nonsense going through my mind, the kind of stuff that I identified years ago as being symptomatic of a spiritual battle, but still couldn't shake off.

I arrived at the theater tired and discouraged, but thankfully by the time service started I was in a much better place!

This morning I laid a foundation for the next few weeks by making it clear that two halves don't make a whole, they make a mess. We don't need to find the person who completes us, we need to find Jesus because he alone fills that role to perfection.

A lot of visitors again and a bunch of people back today for a second time.

Our band have got a great song to introduce next week's message - How To Affair-Proof Your Marriage.

And I'll take Tylenol PM Saturday night!!!

TWO LUNCHES

I suggested to a few of our guys today that they tell their friends they like our church because after service was over, the pastor took them all out to a bar.

I did!

We invited all our set-up and breakdown teams to come eat with us at Bruno's in Ronkonkoma. But let me clarify that we used a function room in the back and did not hang out where the regulars were downing their alcohol of choice and watching the football.

I just wanted to thank them for their superb work in making the transition happen and for us to take a few minutes to run over the routine we've established to see if we could fine tune it at all.

Good time. Great people - and a whole lot of them.

Good food too, though I didn't eat much because when I left there I was off to another lunch. This was a farewell get together for a group of WW staff honoring the departing leader that I will be replacing on Saturdays.

So what do a group of WW staff eat for lunch? - My lips are sealed!

THE RACE

It was a chilly, damp morning in Northport as we prepared for the 30th running of the Great Cow Harbor Race.

There was a team of eight runners from our church and we all did well, improving on last year's times. Congratulations to all, especially Rich Boes who led the way for us with an insane time of 46 minutes 20 seconds.

I did 73 minutes and change in 2006 and my ultimate goal would be to bring that down under one hour. Today's time was 69 minutes 54 seconds, so I broke 70 minutes, which is a step in the right direction.

It was fulfilling, but to say it was fun would be stretching the truth!!!

TGIF

It's dinner time on Friday - well almost - and I think everything is tidied away for Sunday. Charlotte, Lynn and Marie have had a full day in the office and I finally got my teaching finished and to a place where I'm reasonably satisfied that it's going where I feel it needs to go.

I have great expectations for this marriage series because I believe it will make a radical difference in a lot of lives. It's almost 38 years since Gill and I were married, which means that come December 20th, we will have been together for two thirds of my life. A good marriage is a terrific thing and if we can lay some good foundations and help steer some people into a healthier relationship, that's what we want to do.

So tomorrow will be a relaxing day - the Cow Harbor Race and then a barbecue with the team from the church that is running. Relaxing because I'm doing something different of course, rather than being restful.

We've had some great feedback from some of last Sunday's first-time guests, so I'm waiting to meet some of them again this weekend and to seeing who else God guides in our direction.

A FINAL COMMENT ON MY BACK

Sitting down is still not too comfortable, but thankfully standing up is fine - and so is running. I did 6.1 miles this morning and although it took me two minutes longer than last week, I didn't suffer any discomfort that a handful of ibuprofen couldn't handle.

Just took four actually and that was it for the day!

The good news is that I should be fine for Saturday's race, so the sponsor check you've been holding onto can now be safely mailed!!!

SCRATCHING THE ITCH

There are millions of sermons in the Bible - potentially that is - and only fifty two Sundays in a year. So where does our focus need to be in the months between now and the end of the year?

Talking about things that are relevant to the people right in front of us!

That might be too simplistic to those who wait for some kind of divine intervention late on Saturday night to guide them for the following morning. But personally I was very grateful to discover some years ago that since God knows everything he can tell us six months in advance what he wants us to do and not just six hours ahead of time.

It was much earlier this year that our pastoral team came to the realization that it would be good to teach on marriage - again - this fall. Sure we did that two and a half years ago, but we didn't exhaust the topic by any means, so plan to delve into some totally different areas to see what the Bible has to tell us.

So Sunday sees the start of ONE.

For those of us that are married, this is the singlest most important relationship in our lives - or should be. It will be good to us to look at ways to strengthen that.

For those not yet married, we want to lay out a ton of Biblical truth so that you know what a good marriage is and what it is not. This should be priority for teens who have some pretty sad role models out in the world of celebrities, rock music and the media - sadly for some of them, even at home.

Here's something I really love - we've never done this before ...

Starting this Sunday, at the same time I'm teaching on Two Halves Don't Make a Whole in Theater 5, we are going to be offering the video seminar, Single Parenting That Works in Theater 8. Some single parents we talked to advised us that there wasn't much out there to assist them in their special role, so we decided to try to support them in their situation.

Scratching where people itch - that's what we're try to do.

Sunday's comin'!

MEDICAL UPDATE

Since there are at least three readers who give a darn - thanks for the emails! - I figured that while I'm watching the Mets getting massacred by the Braves, I'd post a medical update.

Glad to say the pain in my back is much easier today. I walked three miles at the gym this morning and suffered no apparent after effects. Sitting a lot during the course of the day was more uncomfortable than exercising, so I'm standing as often as possible.

I've decided tomorrow I'll try running the 6.1 miles course I use near our house and if I can't do it, or if it comes back to bite me, I'll probably pull out of Saturday - which would be a huge disappointment.

I don't know whether I can do it unless I try, so try I will.

THE NUMBERS ARE IN

It looks like 23 new family units completed a connection card last Sunday at our public launch of Church At The Movies - Ronkonkoma. We're reckoning that represents at least 50 people with us for the first time.

Of course there were probably a number of others who would have reacted like I would in that situation and refused the request to hand in contact information - none of their darned business.

We're going to do a lunch for these new friends next month and for all the others who will be joining us over the next few weeks.

Great job by all concerned - and all is a heck of a lot of people!

FREE GOLF OUTING

A friend of mine has offered me free entry for a foursome at the 5th Annual Golf Outing & Dinner of Restoring The Hearts Ministries at Port Jefferson Country Club at Harbor Hills next Monday afternoon and evening, September 17th. This includes lunch at the club, a round of golf and dinner.

Restoring The Hearts helps those who have suffered from various traumas, including child sexual abuse, post-abortion trauma, living with cancer and also works with 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina victims.

I don't play golf, being from the Mark Twain school of thought (he called the game a good walk spoiled!).

Registration for a foursome is $1,000, but it's free for the first person to contact me and take me up on this offer.

REFLECTIONS ON 9-11

Driving over the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan late in the evening on September 10th, 2001, I pointed out the majestic twin towers of the World Trade Center to the group of English visitors who were in the van with me.

We were heading into Lower Manhattan to feed the homeless, scattered around the area sleeping on park benches and in cardboard boxes, but having got their first glimpse of arguably the most significant New York landmark, they were all the more enthusiastic about riding the elevator to the top of it when they returned to the city the following morning for a sight-seeing tour.

Of course that never happened.

Having returned from our homeless venture at around 3.00am, I slept late on Tuesday September 11th and still hadn't showered when I opened my emails just after 9.00. I read a prayer request from someone in our church who wrote about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center and thought it was a tragedy involving a light aircraft and the tallest building in the city.

The true horror hit me as I went to a news website and then turned on the TV.

I often see bumper stickers and messages on the back windows of cars and trucks that declare - We will never forget. For those of us who lived through that day, whether watching our television screens or experiencing the trauma firsthand, that sentiment states the obvious. Of course we will never forget.

We will never forget -

An outrageous attack on our own soil.
The devastation we witnessed as events unfolded before our very eyes.
The feeling of helplessness.
The fear of where a plane might be crashed next.
The images of those fleeing the enveloping cloud as the towers fell.
The heroism of those who ran into danger while everyone else was running away.
The hopelessness of the hundreds of images of lost loved ones displayed around the city.
The spirit that united our nation in defiance of those who want to destroy our way of life.
The American flag flying proudly outside every home.
Cars displaying the stars and stripes.
Prayer vigils all across the nation.
Amazing stories of bravery and selflessness that began to emerge as the dust settled.
The indominatable spirit of the American people.

In many ways our darkest hour was also our finest hour. We witnessed the best in human nature when threatened by the worst.

The Manhattan skyline was changed for ever that day and so was the nation.

We will remember.

BACK WOES

I know there are more important things happening in the world and that you probably came here looking for something profound to help you make it through the day, but sadly my sole contribution at this point in time is a health update.

My back's killing me - and I'm getting worried.

Saturday I am scheduled to run the 6.2 miles Great Cow Harbor Race, but I'm going to need to be feeling a heck of a lot better to pull that one off. I haven't been near the gym since last Thursday, so I'll head over there in the morning just to see what I can do.

Meanwhile my wife keeps reminding me that I shouldn't take more than eight Ibuprofen in the course of a day, but I keep swallowing four every four hours just to get some relief.

That's my tale of woe. I'm hoping things improve quickly because it's not just the run that's at stake, it's the sponsorship I've got too!

UNCOMFORTABLE

I hurt my back a couple of days ago and it doesn't seen to be getting a lot better. I should probably take a trip to my chiropractor friend, Marvin, but like most men I figure it'll sort itself out quickly enough. So I just swallow the ibuprofen at regular intervals and move a little slower than usual.

I need it to be more than okay for Saturday when I run the Great Cow Harbor Race, but on the positive side, if my time stinks I have an excuse!!!

DAY ONE - AGAIN

Back in dear old England, one of the country's greatest assets - The Queen - celebrates two birthdays every year. There is her official birthday and her unofficial birthday. Don't ask me the logic of that or even when either of those celebrations falls, I just know they happen.

I wonder if her family have to give her two gifts and throw two parties!

Our church has had two starts in Ronkonkoma. The unofficial one was August 26th and the official opening was today. It was a good day.

Street Fair.

Street Fair.

Street Fair.

Street Fair.

I heard those words all morning whenever I asked any of the dozens of new guests how they had found out about us. It seems that all last Sunday afternoon's effort is paying off.

The kids' areas were crowded and the main theater was very comfortably full. The place will pack out this fall, especially as we start our marriage series ONE next Sunday, plus the single-parenting video seminar that will run at the same time.

The best thing about the day was the buzz around the place. It was like everyone was glad to be there, was having a good time - I love this stuff!

STILL RUNNING

It has been a busy day today, which is probably just as well, given that tomorrow is so huge for us - keeping the mind occupied is a wonderful thing.

Helped out at four WW meetings in Selden this morning, starting at 7.30am, then home for a quick bite and out to our Saturday afternoon mobile soup kitchen.

Another sharp turnaround and we're off to a 50th birthday party with a twist.

I'll come back to that, but for now I'd better get ready to go!

ARE WE THERE YET?

Sunday September 9th, 2007 - I'm counting down now to our public launch of Church At The Movies - Ronkonkoma.

Here are some of my concerns heading into the big day -

1. How will we fit everyone into the theater?
2. How will we fit everyone into the theater?
3. How will we fit everyone into the theater?

Okay, I guess you've got the point. We have an amazing team of volunteers who have spent the past three Sundays readjusting to their new environment and in fact there is very little for me to focus on apart from what I'm teaching and where we put everyone. The latter isn't really my problem at all, it's John Leone's!

We'll soon discover how quickly we need to move onto the second plan for Ronkonkoma where the main drawback at the moment seems to be the largest theater only has 327 seats. Thankfully our children's programs and Big Screen Cafe help ease the congestion in Theater 5 - or they have done up to now!

Planting a church is a lot like jumping off a bridge - there's no way back. It has been very aptly described as the extreme sport of pastoring.

I'm a jumper.

Life's too short to let it be boring and the opportunities are too great not to take some risks.

Day one of our church was a huge adventure of faith (risk) and this coming Sunday we start officially in a brand new location after moving everyone and everything six miles further west, or northwest or something - risk.

Time to jump off another bridge - I can hardly wait.

THEATER ADVERTISING

Here's the on-screen ad we're going to be running at Regal Cinemas, Ronkonkoma before every movie in every theater for the next six months.

NUMBER ONE

Watching the Colts play the Saints in the NFL's season opener. I heard Al Michaels say that Tony Dungy's book Quiet Strength is number one on the New York Times Bestseller list in the non-fiction category.

It is a great book, about an outstanding man. If you haven't read it, get yourself a copy. Over at Amazon you can get the audio book version narrated by Dungy himself if words aren't your thing!

THE CAMERA DOES LIE

Man, did I look old when they played back the recording of that show this evening. I also looked spaced out whenever Ken was talking.

I blame it on the fact that I was wearing a suit - totally out of character and guaranteed to age you!

MORE POLITICS

I have this idea that public access TV is only watched by sad people or insomniacs - or maybe a combination of the two. Having said that, I did agree to do a show for Brookhaven Conservative Party and just got back from recording it.

They wanted to chat with me about our church's issues with the Town over our building plans and I was happy to oblige, together with one of our attorneys, Ken Auerbach. I told our story and explained that things will go one of two ways -

1. The U.S. Attorney General's office will continue to prepare their case, sue the Town on our behalf and claim substantial damages.

2. November's elections will put some new Town Board members in place who will reverse the unconstitutional restrictions on churches that were set in place two years ago and have been left there untouched by the current board.

I'm not sure which option I prefer. I must confess that I do favor the first one as this would probably net us a multi-million dollars settlement from the Town - enough to put up our building! The problem with this, is that it could take some time as I guess we're not first priority at the Justice Department.

The quicker solution is the second one and this could well be in place January of '08 when a new Board will be sworn in.

Everyone standing for election to the Town Board with the Conservative line has made a commitment to revisit this subject with a view to rectifying it.

The sole exception is Councilman Timothy Mazzei from the 5th District who is adamant that he will do nothing unless forced to by the Attorney General. Sadly the U.S. Constitution and Federal law appear to be insignificant to this particular attorney and board member. His constituents will have the last word of course and people of all and any faiths will doubtless make their voices heard. They need to.

By the way, the show will air on Brookhaven Cable at 2.00pm on Tuesday September 11th and weekly thereafter until election day.

WHO ARE THEY KIDDING?

Just read this piece of news -

The New York Giants and New York Jets broke ground Wednesday on the first stadium to be jointly owned by two NFL teams and unveiled how architects plan to make two competing teams feel at home in a $1.3 billion stadium.

Here's my question - since both teams gave up on attempts to find a location within the five boroughs to continue their fruitless efforts at Superbowl glory and have opted for some kind of permanence over in Jersey, why don't they finally have the guts to come out of the closet and say who they are?

They're the New Jersey Giants and the New Jersey Jets.

I may not be a rocket scientist, but I know a bit of geography!

Go Colts!

SHAPING UP FOR SUNDAY

I've got my teaching all ready for Sunday morning, so now it's a case of counting down the second half of the week and anticipating our public opening in Ronkonkoma.

We'll have a ton of new people around, so I figured for this first Sunday I'd lay out some of the things that are vitally important to us and that go to making us considerably different from any church that most Long Islanders have ever known it before.

It'll also be a good reminder for those of us who've been around since day one.

We'll be previewing our marriage series that starts the following week, as well as the video seminar for single parents that gets under way on the 16th too.

My biggest concern is whether we'll have enough space!

INDIVIDUALISM

It was around 90 in Little Elm, Texas today.

Yet for her first day at pre-school my granddaughter Emily opted to make her own fashion statement by wearing a wooly hat.

I am so glad to see that she continues a distinguishing family trait - making a point of being different.

PEDRO'S BACK

While it has been a good season for the Mets - still on top of the National League East - it hasn't been the most stunning five months or so in their history. Win some, lose some, play like champions, play like fools. It has been a pretty mixed bag.

Last week's sweep by the Phillies was probably a low point - hopefully it won't get any worse.

But at the weekend everything changed and it wasn't just because Willie Randolph's team turned around and swept the Braves, it was because the mood in the clubhouse was suddenly turned on its head.

Pedro Martinez came back.

Hopefully he'll continue to pitch half decent following his rotator cuff surgery, like he did in his win over the Reds yesterday, but Pedro's the whole package.

He brings more to the table, like enthusiasm, spirit, energy to the team, those essential ingredients that make the world of difference and go on to shape champions.

It has been a reasonable enough year for our church up to now too. Gained some people, lost some people, seen some good stuff happening, had some disappointments.

But there's a whole new feeling in the air right now. We've turned a corner, kicked it up several notches. There's anticipation, faith, excitement like I've never seen among us. We're ready for what's next.

Pedro's back!

NEED YOUR HELP

Our Saturday afternoon mobile soup kitchen continues to make meaningful contacts with scores of needy people each week and I love being part of it whenever I am able. Together with our Thursday food pantry, these two outreaches make up our Grace Care program.

We're running a huge fund raiser on September 15th to raise money for a new van to help us with food pick-ups, to take the stuff around on Saturdays and also to bring folks we connect with to church on Sundays. Our ancient Dodge van that we got five years ago for $100 is ready to go to that great wrecking yard in the sky, so here's what we're doing.

We have a team from the church running the 10k (6.2 miles) Great Cow Harbor Race on the 15th. I'm one of that team - and we're looking for sponsors.

So if you lurk here regularly and are encouraged, amused and even occasionally downright ticked off by what you see, do me a favor and go get your check book and write out a check to Grace Care.

You can mail it to our church mailing address -
Grace Ministries, 35 Pine Road, Coram, NY 11727

Mark it Roger's Race in the memo section.

If you're among my readers from Australia, South Korea, Nicaragua, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, India, UK or other foreign parts, you get a pass on this one.

But if you live in the good old USA - help a friend out and sponsor me for this run!

STREET FAIR PIX

Top - It sure was a crowded event!

Next - Our red balloons were a huge hit.

Third - The church's shirts got some attention.

Fourth - Yours truly helping the Chamber of Commerce for an hour in return for them passing out our material.

All photos courtesy of http://www.theronkonkomas.com/

Check the site for plenty more shots.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Patchogue UA movie theater is closing next Sunday, September 9th.

When I heard that news yesterday - which had come to their staff at very short notice - I was extremely glad we jumped before we were pushed.

If we had hung in there as long as possible, we would have got little more than seven days notice and would have been totally stuck. You can't just move from one theater to another. There is corporate red tape to work through, plans to make, equipment to buy.

Since I don't look upon myself as being excessively smart, all I can say is I'm very grateful to God for his prompting and leading.

Instead of running around in a blind panic like a flea at a fair, we're in a great location and all set to go with an exciting re-launch weekend ahead of us.

Phew!!!

HEROES

You should have seen all our folks at the Street Fair today. They were brilliant.

In the course of one hot afternoon, they distributed more than 5,000 invitations to our grand opening in Ronkonkoma next Sunday, plus hundreds of pieces advertising the series we have starting on the 16th and also our KIDMO publicity pieces.

Oh and they blew up and gave out around 700 balloons - that would have been much more, but the helium ran out. It was all we could get as there's a helium shortage on Long Island. Bad timing!

The crowd there all afternoon was incredible. What a great opportunity to announce our arrival to the town. Little doubt that a lot of Ronkonkoma knows that we've arrived.

It was a long day, but a great one!

COUNTDOWN TO THE 9TH

Okay, that's it. Today was our final Sunday of preparation for our official launch of Church At The Movies - Ronkonkoma.

We tightened up a couple of things, especially in regard to setting up and breaking down. Our guys all arrived 30 minutes later to start getting the theater ready and without doubt that worked.

At the end we revised the process for loading up and managed to shave another 15 minutes off breakdown time - 55 minutes. The goal is 30 and given the size of our team and their enthusiasm, we'll be there soon.

Amazing amount of visitors. Largest ever crowd for a Labor Day weekend.

Had an overwhelming response to my invitation to folks to step up and serve so we can bring this adventure to the next level.

I'd better take Ambien tonight or I'll never sleep.

I'm pumped!

Is it the 9th yet???

NOW THIS IS GOOD

When my good friend Gary Lamb is not celebrating the successes of his college football team or bewailing his fantasy football team, with the odd expletive thrown in for good measure. When he isn't telling us about some crazy concert he's going to or how he plans to take over the world in the next five years or sooner if possible, he occasionally comes up with an outstandingly brilliant post on his blog.

This is one of them -

http://www.garylamb.org/2007/08/31/be-secure-in-your-calling/

GOOD OLD FASHIONED SERVICE

We have around 20,000 pieces of literature all ready to be distributed at the Street Fair on Sunday, but when I got back from SC Thursday night I was more than a little anxious as half of them had not yet been delivered.

Here comes the beauty of using the same printer all the time and using a local company...

When I called them first thing Friday morning, they said there was a misunderstanding about when our deadline was and that they would therefore work as long as necessary to get the job done for us. At 9.45 last night I got the call to say everything was ready.

Can you imagine that? It's a holiday weekend and everyone was busting a gut to get out of work as early as they could yesterday, but our guy stayed on the whole evening so we'd have what we need.

Bottom line - if you need printing done and you live on the Island, talk to me because I can hook you up!