While in Raleigh the other day I was blessed by many things that people said and one came to mind today. My friend Justin Meier said, after I had shared that I had planted a church that had ended and I felt like a failure in some ways, that my experience there played a part in the movement in Raleigh beginning. I appreciated his words not only because of their kindness, but because of their truth. We learn a lot from the things that don't go well and the point is to keep listening to God and trusting Him by just keeping on and seeing where He leads, even to helping to birth a church multiplication movement in Raleigh and throughout the southeastern area of the USA. I am glad that God cares more about us than about what we do for Him, while taking who we are and leading us to touch lives for Jesus far beyond ourselves and our own abilities.

Joy to the World

Christmas is more than a state of mind.  It's more than being nice to someone else.  Christmas is about someone who came to earth not just to be nice or have us be nice.  Christmas is not about being happy all the time or even for a time.  It's about joy which is so much more than being nice or being happy.

Joy is rooted in our being, in our soul, in our being created in the image of God.  We experience joy when we are connected to God through His Son Jesus.  Nothing can take our joy away.  We seem to yield it to others sometimes or experience the feeling of losing it when circumstances hit us that are beyond our control.  But the joy that we find in Jesus is ours as we stay connected to God, even when at times we seem driven to disconnect ourselves.

I want to be nice to people.  I want to be happy.  But it's not what Christmas is all about.  It is not about me, my niceness, or my happiness.  Christmas is about joy to the world that Jesus brought.  I have that joy.  I want to share that joy.  When I mess up and don't seem very Christlike I ask you to forgive me and don't give up on God because of my stupidity or lack of kindness or love.  It's not God's fault that I mess up.  God does His best and sent His best.

This Christmas move beyond the "nice" and being "happy."  Experience the joy of Christmas and then let God lead you to serve others.  Don't let the serving get in the way, though, of keeping that "Joy Connection" with God.

Joy to the World.  Joy to you my friends.

Looking for the Master

In his book What God Thinks When We Fail, Steven C. Roy tells a fictional story about a young violinist who lived in London many years ago. Although he was a superb musician, he was deathly afraid of large crowds, so he avoided giving concerts. But after enduring criticism for his unwillingness to give concerts, he finally agreed to perform in the largest concert hall in London.

The young violinist came onto the stage and sat alone on a stool. He put his violin under his chin and played for an hour and a half. No music in front of him, no orchestra behind him, no breaks—just an hour and a half of absolutely beautiful violin music. After ten minutes or so, many critics put down their pads and listened, like the rest …. After the performance, the crowd rose to its feet and began applauding wildly—and they wouldn't stop.

But the young violinist didn't acknowledge the applause. He just peered out into the audience as if he were looking for something—or someone. Finally he found what he was looking for. Relief came over his face, and he began to acknowledge the cheers.

After the concert, the critics met the young violinist backstage …. They said, "You were wonderful. But one question: Why did it take you so long to acknowledge the applause of the audience?"

The young violinist took a deep breath and answered, "You know I was really afraid of playing here. Yet this was something I knew I needed to do. Tonight, just before I came on stage, I received word that my master teacher was to be in the audience. Throughout the concert, I tried to look for him, but I could never find him. So after I finished playing, I started to look more intently. I was so eager to find my teacher that I couldn't even hear the applause. I just had to know what he thought of my playing. That was all that mattered. Finally, I found him high in the balcony. He was standing and applauding, with a big smile on his face. After seeing him, I was finally able to relax. I said to myself, 'If the master is pleased with what I have done, then everything else is okay.'"

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Steven C. Roy, What God Thinks When We Fail (IVP Books, 2011), pp. 11-12

Always becoming...

"Today I let a stranger stick a needle in my spine to relieve my pain.  Trust.  Everyday I want to trust my best friend, my leader, my Savior, to handle whatever pain I have at the moment.  Some days I wonder how He puts up with me putting more trust in a doctor I don't know than He who knew me from before I was born.  But thanks anyway God...I do love you...you know that." -Rich Thornton,lover of God, husband, father, sometimes humorist, storyteller, church planting strategist, songwriter, singer, guitarist, friend of the fallen, fallen himself but safe now in the arms of Jesus through life and beyond, enjoyer of roller coasters and ice cream and chocolate, reader on-line and off, sometimes philosopher, and becomer...so far yet to go, so very far...

Craigslist and Planting New Churches in Raleigh, North Carolina

It's interesting how life is and how sometimes looking beyond takes you somewhere you haven't even visited yet.  For the past year or so I have been thinking about the Raleigh, North Carolina area even though I have never been there.  Heard about it, saw pictures of it, checked it out online, and believe that it would be a good area to spend time reaching people for Jesus who don't know Him yet.

So how does one do that when you live someplace else and can't just drop into Raleigh for an afternoon Coke and conversations?  Craigslist.  At least that is what I decided to try.  So about a year ago I wrote up an ad inviting potential church planters to contact me about beginning new churches in that area.  Somehow I don't even think the process worked enough for it to get posted.  If it did, it never worked because no one contacted me.

So the idea continued to simmer this past year until a week ago, July 27, when I decided to post the ad I had written.  Read it over again and decided to run with it.  So I posted, got the phone call from Craigslist to verify it, and saw that it was posted.  That same afternoon I heard from someone and within a day I had three contacts.  And yesterday another person saw it and responded directly to the 2020 Initiative website as I had directed people to do.  This isn't about me, this is the incredible team of church planting guides and leaders that God has and is putting together in the Churches of God, and I am blessed to be a part of it in the Eastern Regional Conference.

Who knows what will happen with this initiative in the Raleigh/Durham area.  But I do know that right now there are already at least 4 pastors who are seeking God's will about planting a church in that area.  Some are already building prayer teams and talking with others about financial support.  Some are thinking through how they would reach the community for Christ.

I hope these become new Churches of God churches and are part of the 2020 Initiative to start 20 new churches by 2020.  In the past several years many of these churches have been started and it looks like 20 is just the beginning.  And perhaps a church in Raleigh will multiply and who knows what will happen in that area and out to Virginia Beach/Norfolk and down the coast to Florida.  Some of these efforts may decide to go a different direction and be linked to another group or go independent.  That's OK, it's all about the kingdom and we will help wherever we can.  But my heart is to connect these planters with us and be a team together.

Yeah, it's just Craigslist.  I sold a pool there once.  But this is a much much bigger pool of opportunities and maybe just taking the risk and posting an ad will lead to new life in Christ.  I don't know, but I could sure use your prayers and we will see where all of this takes us.  Hey, maybe I will get to visit the area someday and worship at a new church...now wouldn't that be cool!

The Gospel of Grace Calls Out

Reposting this from Brennan Manning’s book The Ragamuffin Gospel (page 86).  He writes,

• “The question which the gospel of grace puts to us is simply this: Who shall separate you from the love of Christ? What are you afraid of?

• Are you afraid that your weakness could separate you from the love of Christ? It can’t.

• Are you afraid that your inadequacies could separate you from the love of Christ? They can’t.

• Are you afraid that your inner poverty could separate you from the love of Christ? It can’t.

• Difficult marriage, loneliness, anxiety over the children’s future? They can’t.

• Negative self-image? It can’t.

• Economic hardship, racial hatred, street crime? They can’t.

• Rejection by loved ones or the suffering of loved ones? They can’t.

• Persecution by authorities, going to jail? They can’t.

• Nuclear war? It can’t.

• Mistakes, fears, uncertainties? They can’t.

• The gospel of grace calls out: Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Garden Has Grown -- 26th Wedding Anniversary

Today is our 26th wedding anniversay. Diane and I met at a singles group called Discovery, were married outside at Doubling Gap Center, and at our wedding reception sang a song that I wrote describing ourselves as "Two Roses." Our garden has grown and now we are blessed with Rose Thornton and Emilie Thornton, the best daughters anyone could have.