LIVING TO GO BLOG

Why?

2011-09-20T20:41:00.001-05:00

This is an email that I sent to my staff today and at the suggestion of a few decided to post it here as well... Apply it to your situation.

I want to challenge you to think about something today... I know that most of you are like me, in that we are people who like to accomplish great things. You wouldn't be a part of this team if that were not the case but as I've been praying today I was reminded of this thought... Sometimes I have to get my mind off of the who, how, when and where of my goals and focus on the why. Without the why we will not have the passion that we need to persevere through challenges. Without the why we become enticed by our own dreams. Without the why we begin to burnout just as we reach the pinnacle of God's best for us. My challenge is this... Think about why you do what you do. Why do these people we are leading need to be a part of Living To Go? Why does this church need each of us... In short, what is the why?

You Really Do Matter!

2011-09-13T20:22:00.000-05:00

Do you matter? Does your job matter? What about your passion? Does it really matter? I grew up a middle child in a preacher's family (let the PK remarks begin :) in the middle of the bible belt and I believe it's that very positioning that gives me a unique perspective on life, business, and faith. Being a middle child you feel, many times, that you have to try harder to be noticed, heard, or just seen. You sometimes feel like you are always compared to the older sibling who is smarter or the younger sibling who is cuter... Or God forbid you have a sister! ( sorry Alisa ;). Now I know it sounds like a bunch of whining but I have a point... Being in the middle has always made me try harder! To stand out a little more. To be a little different than those around you and that position is what gives me the resolve and the experience to he the beat at what I do! I don't want to just live... I want to matter! I don't just want a business that makes money... I want a business that matters! I don't simply want to pastor a large church... I want to pastor a church that matters! I don't just want to see thousands of people in my church.... I want to see thousands of people that matter!!! As my dad would say, that'll preach!
If the God we serve all powerful. If we really believe what the bible says... Shouldn't our lives make a difference?
So I'll wrap this thought up with a question. Will what you do tomorrow matter? Will it make a difference? Don't just live the day.....SIEZE IT!
Grab every drop of sunlight that God has given you and make something of it. Your position gives you a unique perspective in life no matter where you are. Use your position to be a difference-maker!

Guest Blog: via tonycooke.org

2011-08-02T18:25:00.006-05:00

Breaking a Lone Ranger Attitude in Ministry -Pastor Eddie Turner
(This article is re-posted from www.tonycooke.org)

When my wife Amanda and I accepted the assignment to pastor a handful of saints in a sleepy little town of 2,000 people, it never dawned on us that one day we would have more people in our church than residents in the community. But it happened. Over the years, the river flowed, the fire fell, the wind blew, and the results were remarkable.

I pastored the largest church in our county, and there was a time when I thought very highly of myself because of that fact. I had an excellent staff and a leadership team of motivated leaders, so over time it was easy to effectively insulate myself from the things I didn’t want to do. I was having fun pastoring and relishing the growth my church was experiencing. However, all of my attitudes about success in ministry changed one day when a Baptist pastor from across town showed up to see me.

This pastor and I had been casual friends, as well as peers in ministry. I would visit with him briefly at citywide ministerial functions, which I reluctantly attended because I was always busy and felt those events were a waste of time. This man’s son was the same age as my son, so we also crossed paths on the baseball diamond and the basketball court. My friend’s church was growing, but he still had less membership than I had – and I carried those comparative statistics as a badge of spiritually superiority.

As this Baptist pastor seated himself across from me at my desk and we exchanged greetings, God used the next few words this man spoke to change my entire perception of ministry in a local community.

“Pastor Eddie,” the man began, “I want to ask you and your congregation to join our church in conducting a citywide service.”

I knew I needed to appear interested, so I feigned patience as I listened to him explain his vision. However, in all honesty, I didn’t want to get involved with his project. Our schedule of speakers and programs was full. We didn’t need this type of “interruption” that I thought would only take time, energy, and resources from our agenda.

I politely responded, “Our church calendar is already full, but I’ll check it anyway. When were you thinking about having this service?”

He replied, “As I was praying, the Lord impressed me to do it during Easter.”

Immediately I thought I might actually be able to accommodate my minister friend. Our Easter musical was scheduled to take place a couple of weeks before Easter Sunday, and we traditionally canceled our Sunday evening service after that afternoon’s performance.

“Okay, what Sunday did you have in mind?” I questioned hopefully.

“Pastor Eddie, I believe the Lord wants us to do it on Easter Sunday morning.”

I sat in stunned silence, thinking, What has this guy been drinking? Easter Sunday morning is a banner day in the Bible Belt. Easter Sunday’s service is our most attended service of the year. Saints, sinners, SMO’s (“Sunday Mornings Only”), the lukewarm, and even the heathen know you’re supposed to attend church on Easter!

Besides all that, I had recently read a vivid description of the Crucifixion by Max Lucado in his book Six Hours One Friday, and I was memorizing parts of it in order to wax eloquent in my pulpit on the big Sunday. I had it all planned out – it was going to be a homerun sermon, with the altars brimming over with people who had rushed forward to repent and return to the Lord.

I arrogantly said to my minister friend, “Pastors are not going to cancel their Easter Sunday morning service to hold a crusade! Why would you want to do this?”

What this precious pastor said next completely revolutionized my thinking, and my ministry. Very humbly, he answered me, “The Lord told me to give Him our best.”

Give Him our best. As I heard the words, I sat speechless – long enough to hear what sounded like an audible voice, yet I knew it was the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. The Lord said to me, “You know how to be a leader; you need to learn how to be a follower.”

Hurriedly and under much conviction, I escorted that Baptist pastor out of my office! I told him I would have to pray about what he had presented and that I would get back to him with my answer.

A Spiritual Journey – Go Higher by Going Lower

Over the next few days, the Lord began breaking down my prideful, arrogant, “lone – ranger” attitude. Although it was a brief spiritual journey, the work God did in my heart directed me toward a new season of ministry filled with excitement and fulfillment – a season I am still enjoying today.

The truths I learned, which I will share with you, are things you probably already know – things you are perhaps already practicing. However, I hope you will allow them to sink deeply into your heart. I had always known these truths in my head. But until my encounter with a fellow minister who truly wanted to give God his best, all that information was only mental assent, not revelation knowledge in my heart.

Truth #1
I am not the only God-called laborer in my harvest field.

It slips up on us so subtly. I’m talking about the attitude that we are more spiritual and creative than others and that God must go through us to reach our community. We wouldn’t admit it, yet our actions reveal when we have fallen prey to such deception. Even the prophet Elijah struggled with this temptation. He said, “I, even I only, am left” (1 Kings 19:10). Jesus’ disciples also succumbed to pride’s deceptive lure. They said to Jesus, “…Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us” (Mark 9:38 NKJV).

I had definitely been caught up in a web of spiritual pride that blinded me to God’s intention for ministry among fellow laborers. I’d cloaked my lack of participation in ministerial meetings behind the excuse of a busy schedule. I’d blamed my isolation from others on the anointing upon my life that I needed to protect. Yet in reality, I was a “lone ranger,” assuming I didn’t’ need anyone else in ministry.

Truth #2
The harvest is more important than “my” ministry

It’s not by accident or coincidence that the Church is often referred to in Scripture as a body with its various contributing parts. With his dissertation in the books of Romans and First Corinthians, the apostle Paul is empathic about our inabilities to function properly without one another. He goes on to say in Ephesians 4:16 that it is the Body joined together that causes the Body to increase.

Although I pastored the largest church in the county, there were countless numbers of people who didn’t know Christ or who weren’t connected to a local church – no, not even mine. When we were a small church, some people said we were too small, and when we became a large church, others said we were too large. Although I tried, I couldn’t be all things to all people.

I finally concluded that some people were simply not going to receive from my ministry, but God could reach them through someone else. I also learned that if I really loved the harvest and the people as the Lord did, I had to change my attitude. It could no longer be about my ministry, my church, and my anointing. I had to transition toward becoming Kingdom-minded.

Truth #3
When I embraced the harvest, my ministry expanded.

Following a few days of prayer and dying to self, I called my Baptist pastor friend and told him that our church would cancel our Easter Sunday services and join them for a citywide service.

We held the service together, and thousands attended. The impact reached beyond our county borders into other cities and counties. The Body of Christ in our community experienced a new sense of unity. New relationships and friendships were forged among the clergy, and walls of separation came down as insecurities and jealousies were laid at the foot of the Cross. From that joint service, monthly ministerial prayer meetings were birthed, and my personal ministry and influence expanded in the community.

In summary, now I am on a new journey – not to build my own ministry or kingdom but to see how many churches and ministers I can partner with and bless. I enjoyed my past successes, but this business of ministry had taken on a whole new level of fun and excitement for me. And it all began when ministry stopped being about me and my accomplishments and started being about Jesus and the harvest!

(This article is re-posted from www.tonycooke.org)

The Mind Diet

2011-06-07T09:29:00.000-05:00

Today I wanted to give a follow-up challenge to all of you who have listened or plan to listen to the current series called "UPGRADE". Sunday we talked about the process of upgrading our thoughts or as the Bible teaches us, to renew our minds daily. Every day we are bombarded by ,what I call, "Junk" thoughts. We wake up...check our email...make some coffee...check our social networks... Watch the news... Then we listen to drive time talk radio (ok, maybe that's just me..lol).. We are basically polluting our day before we even get started! We wonder why we feel overwhelmed, depressed, or just uninspired but the truth is this.... You are what you eat! We believe that when it comes to our food intake but we need to learn to apply that same concept to our minds. Fill your mind with junk and it will output junk. Fill your mind with crude conversations and output crude thoughts... So today my challenge is this... Go on a "Mind Diet" (thank you for the concept Tim Sanders in your book 'Today We Are Rich'). Get serious about what you allow into your mind. I prescribe Phil 4:6-8 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. & the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.". Let me know how it goes for you....

Easter Weekend Thoughts

2011-04-24T22:34:00.001-05:00

What a wild weekend at LTG Church! First, I have to say that Easter is one of my favorite times to be a pastor. Not because people seem to come from everywhere on Easter Sunday but because the people that come seem to be so much more open to the Gospel during the Easter season. Today we saw so many people commit their lives to Christ and that never gets old. The Creative Arts Team was spectacular! Their commitment to this production really shined brightly. Kaden, Jesus as a 5 year old, was a personal highlight to me. He reminded me about the danger of being distracted from doing what we know we should be doing for the Kingdom of God. The enemy loves to sneak into our lives in subtle ways and we have to learn to tell him to 'get away from me', just as Kaden did today. I was so knocked out watching our audio team work through a nearly impossible situation of losing our entire sound system before the first service and still making it happen with excellence. You guys are awesome! The ushers, greeters, parking attendants, nursery workers,altar workers,etc... I love watching this church rise to the occasion.
OK... Easter Weekend is done.... Let's open a new campus next week! 1001 Center Point Rd. In Hendersonville Sunday May 1st at 9am!
Also, this Wed Nite we are baptizing believers. Come on out and join us at 6:30pm at the Rivergate Campus.

Guest Blog: TIM SANDERS

2011-04-20T10:34:00.001-05:00

This is a guest post by Tim Sanders, author of Today We Are Rich. Tim is a speaker, author, and change-agent. He’s making a difference for the Kingdom through his connections and his influence. I’m honored to participate in Tim’s ministry with this guest post.

April 20 has a variety of meanings leading to various celebrations – some in the moment and others for future generations. For me, it’s a big day I’m conducting a media tour to support my new book, Today We Are Rich. One of the key points of the book is that you can give your way out of burnout. In principle four, Give To Be Rich, I echo Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s obsersvation: Generosity is a Wonder Drug.

In the spirit of Carpe Diem, I’m claiming 4-20 as a national day of giving, observing and sharing of emotions. Much like Scrooge, anyone can lift their spirits dramatically by giving, helping, volunteering or directly donating to those in need. Researches have a name for the medicinal power of giving: Helper’s High. This is the promise made in Isaiah 58: 7,8.

When you share what you have to help others, in that moment, you are worth something – and it will help you ease any pain. Looking for a blanket to throw over your blues? Here’s what Dr. Stephen Post of the Institute For Research on Unlimited Love would deal to you: ”To rid yourself of negative emotional states, push them aside with positive emotional states and the simplest way to do that is to just go out and lend a helping hand to somebody.”

Looking for a buzz? Volunteer. Women participating in a study by the Institute For The Advancement Of Health reported that after volunteering time to help others, they had a physical experience similar to meditation or a vigorous workout. In a compilation of fifty studies recently published by Case Western University’s Stephen Post, the exact phenom becomes clear: When we perceive that we’ve helped someone, we trigger the reward center in our brain, which produces Dopamines, Endorphins and Serotonins. These powerful chemicals give us feelings of profound joy, calmness and spiritual connection. We get as high as a kite, or gain the internal/chemical feeling of true Richness.

We lift off, emotionally, and it lasts for days, sometimes weeks. Researchers found that you could reinject yourself with the WonderDrug Of Helping just by thinking about it (but you need to focus your energies on recollecting all the details to generate empathy). During my book tour stop in Franklin TN, I had a cup of coffee with Sandy Griffin, fellow author and big giver to the homeless in greater Nashville. As she recounted how she secured some corrective shoes for one of her new friends, and the difference it would make to his quality of life – she lit up, high on the loving-giving experience. Proof positive that this research is true!

In his research, Dr. Post also observed that when we are in Helping Mode, our body produces Oxytocin, which is known as the “bonding hormone.” When faced with a crisis or a problem, people on Helper’s High spring into “Tend and Mend” mode, instead of the more aggressive “Fight Or Flight” mode. In other words, Helper’s High brings out the emotion of trust and nurture.

And that’s not all, choosy drug shoppers, you also get relief from Helping too! In a surprising study back in 1956, stay-at-home moms had less emotional stress markers than the breadwinners, because their mothering gave them natural relief. Post explains it this way: Helper’s High (fueled by the brain’s reward center) dominate Cortisol, the stress hormone. Help and you’ll conquer stress, and according to research in teens as well as adults: You’ll beat most depression too.

Giving, then, is a WonderDrug, the only one to take when you need a dose of Euphoria or a cure for the blues or a stressful life. It lasts much longer, probably costs you less than substance or alcohol and more importantly – converts your selfish approach to ‘coping with life’ to a life of service and significance. Try it out today, you’ll see. Turn up for ‘helper’s radar’ and find an opportunity to do something helpful for someone. The research warns that writing a check or texting a donation will NOT produce the high, you need direct contact with someone you generally care about or feel sympathy towards. Give encouragement, a hot meal, a hand up or some volunteer time. Keep your eyes open for the difference you make and savor the high that will come. Make a note to reinject your psyche with the experience on May 1. It’ll work then too!

Here’s How To Spread The Word: Retweet this post if you a Twitter-head or click the Like button is Facebook is your thing. After you help someone today, either comment about your emotional experience (document your Helper’s High) or share your deed and feeling on Twitter with #HighOnHelping as a hashtag. The more you talk about it, the more you are dealing a new solution to your extended network: Take Giving, It’s a WonderDrug.

Pick up a copy of Today We Are Rich: Harnessing The Power Of Total Confidence and sharpen your ability to give, help and produce real meaning with your life.

4-20 is #HighOnHelping Day

2011-04-20T07:35:00.000-05:00

Sanders Says - 4-20 Is #HighOnHelping Day

2011-04-07T22:41:00.004-05:00

EASTER 2011
@ LIVING TO GO CHURCH

This is such an incredible drama production and I hope that you'll make plans to be at one of the performances. It is going to be incredible this year!

Here is a link to driving directions.. http://livingtogo.org/244806.ihtml

2011-04-07T21:02:00.001-05:00

Today We Are Rich

2011-03-28T20:08:00.005-05:00

Just finished reading my pre-copy of Tim Sanders new book. I first heard Tim speak at "The Forum" at Southeastern University and I even taught a series that was inspired by the story of his grandmother that he shares in the beginning of this new book. As the former CFO of Yahoo and living through the ups and downs of the dot.com experience, Tim teaches with a depth that can only have come from the Word of God. It is a book filled with stories and principles that will both inspire you and help you to move forward in whatever dream God has placed into your heart. I hope you will at least take time to check it out and if you ever get a chance to see him speak live... jump on it! You'll love it... here's the link... the book is released March 29th. TODAY WE ARE RICH You can find more about Tim at his blog here .. TIM SANDERS

2011-03-08T21:19:00.002-06:00

2011-03-08T21:11:00.004-06:00

Next Saturday Night! I'm looking forward to hosting a great friend at LTG. Pastor Chad Rowe has been a big inflluence on mine and Tawana's ministry over the years and I'm excited to have him speaking to leaders at this very special Leadership evening. Mark your calendar now. You don't have to be a part of LTG to enjoy this. Come on out and dig into the "how to's" of leading! You can find more info on Pastor Rowe at www.destinywoc.com

Leadership and Life Lessons Night at Living To Go

2011-02-17T10:10:00.001-06:00

Wow! What a year so far! We have seen some amazing things over the last 2 years and God is still amazing me every week with how He is unfolding his plan for this community of believers. Last night I taught out of 1 Peter 2 and 3. On reflecting on those scriptures I wanted to add one more thought for us. Peter teaches us the importance of submitting to authority within the context of scripture... We covered that but the one walk away that we should all keep in our hearts is this.... in our search for spiritual leaders in our lives, we should submit to those who are under submission. Let me explain it with a picture from the church world. Those that God has placed in spiritual authority over you should also be under the authority of someone. I see pastors who require such behavior from their congregation but they don't live with the same requirement being demanded of them. This is a recipe for hurt and failure in everyone's lives that are connected to that person. I have never known, personally, any leader who has fallen, morally or otherwise, because they were held too accountable! It's just the opposite. When we operate without accountability we open the door for the enemy to ruin the work that we have not only given so much for, but also for the future. So in short, those who God has promoted to lead you should always be in submission to spiritual authority as well. I am so thankful for the people God has placed in mine and Tawana's life that hold our feet to the fire. My mother and father-Paul and Abbie Baggett, Pastor Eddie and Amanda Turner, Pastor Chad and Marla Rowe, Pastor Ronnie and Margaret Meek... and many more but these listed are the people that we submit to as pastors in our lives and it makes a huge difference in everything that we do. I encourage you, ask your leaders who their spiritual authority is and expect an answer.
By the way, don't miss Sunday Nights Leadership night at LTG @ 5pm... Commit to being a life-long learner!

Seeing Beyond Yourself

2011-02-08T21:15:00.001-06:00

I had a great day spending time with visionary people. It is simply amazing what God can do through us when we see beyond ourselves. Many times we limit what we can do by setting false ceiling for ourselves. Our traditions, our likes, our dreams, etc... can limit God's best for our lives. I have found that whenever I stretch myself to believe bigger and to allow myself to dream outside the box of my own limitations that God always exceeds my expectations. The challenge is learning how to unleash the power of our expectation! How about you? What paradigm is keeping you from God's best for your life? Remember.... SEIZE THE MOMENT!

Online Broadcasts

2010-12-16T09:43:00.003-06:00

Wow! The weather guys are on the chopping block today about their forecast last night. I heard varying reports from a slight ice covering to an inch of ice by 7pm.... Well, I suppose that they are capable of making mistakes too. I have been talking to the other pastors in our area and we are all feeling a bit silly for canceling services for our Wednesday night services last night in lieu of what actually happened but the cool thing is that God uses those "messed up" moments and turns them into something good. Last night, since we closed LTG Rivergate, we chose to have service via our online broadcast from my house. We had been talking about options to still do ministry when the weather disallowed us to meet safely and figured that last night was a great night to start. Next week our online giving will be available and we are even trying to work out how to do live worship in that setting as well. Our goal is to continue giving our families at LTG the best ministry possible at all times. I don't think it can ever take the place of actually being there but it is a great tool to continue reaching out. We are even working on a way to do the same with our Kids ministries in the same way. We love you all and are blessed to be able to serve with such creative people. I would love to hear your thoughts as well...

Reminder about Fasting in January!!

2010-12-03T11:05:00.007-06:00

We are quickly approaching our season of Fasting, January 10–30 of 2011.
At the beginning of each year we set aside time to focus our energy as a church body toward seeking God and positioning our church and leadership for maximum effectiveness. This is not just a seasonal thing, it is about establishing a culture of prayer, fasting and personal devotion in our church and within our individual lives. So begin to prepare yourselves for January now! ☺ Start cutting back on your coffee and sugary foods. Trust me! If you can bypass the headaches it will be a wonderful blessing when you’re in the fasting mode. I’m looking forward to the outpouring of God’s Spirit as we press in to intimacy with the Holy Spirit in January. We are planning special nights of prayer and worship through-out the month and we will be having a special night of worship called “OverFlow” on Friday January 28th with special guest worship leader, Jonathan Lee. We are looking forward to another incredible year for our Living To Go family.

LIVING TO GO TEENS

2010-11-18T18:55:00.001-06:00

So......here we go! I get to hang out with the cool kids for a couple days! :) Tawana and I are with the Living To Go Student Ministries in Chattanooga for a youth convention. Looks like it's gonna be a great experience and I'm looking door God to do some amazing things in our kids. I'll be posting pics as I can....

2010-11-06T13:20:00.003-05:00

Reminder for our Guyana Kids

2010-10-03T21:05:00.000-05:00

Rose Hall Guyana Campus Reminder from Clay Baggett on Vimeo.

2010-08-03T22:10:00.003-05:00

Let’s clear up one thing first... We all get discouraged. No matter who you are. No matter what you do. We all find ourselves in the dark shadows of discouragement at times and the truth is it happens more often that we like to admit. I have found, in my life, that we can overcome those “yuck” moments with a few RE-minders. I call them the RE:3’s. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll share a few of them with you.

RE’s to Move from DIS-Couraged to EN-Couraged

RE-Focus on the Big Picture
It’s really easy to get stuck in the moment. Sometimes you have to look past where you are and focus on where you are going. In Matthew 14 we see that Peter was able to walk on water until he looked away from Jesus and saw the waves beneath him. I’m always taken by that passage because it speaks to who we really depend on. By that I mean focusing on the waves Peter’s trust was transferred from the potential of the promise to the fear of the circumstance. I’m convinced that most people are stuck in the moment with their faith focused on the storm instead of on the shore.
The last thing I want you to see is what Jesus said to Peter after he took his hand when he was sinking... He asked him “Why did you doubt me?”. Because Peter’s focus was on the wrong thing, Jesus questioned his faith. But notice that he never let go of Pete and He won’t let go of you either.
So right now... What are you focused on? Who are you really depending on?

Commit!!

2010-06-20T16:23:00.001-05:00

"You have to be un-compromised in your level of commitment to whatever you are doing or it can disappear as fast as it appeared. ". -Michael Jordon

Do You Matter?

2010-06-04T00:07:00.001-05:00

Do you matter? Does your job matter? What about your passion? Does it really matter? I grew up a middle child in a preacher's family (let the PK remarks begin :) in the middle of the bible belt and I believe it's that very positioning that gives me a unique perspective on life, business, and faith. Being a middle child you feel, many times, that you have to try harder to be noticed, heard, or just seen. You sometimes feel like you are always compared to the older sibling who is smarter or the younger sibling who is cuter... Or God forbid you have a sister! ( sorry Alisa ;). Now I know it sounds like a bunch of whining but I have a point... Being in the middle has always made me try harder! To stand out a little more. To be a little different than those around you and that position is what gives me the resolve and the experience to he the beat at what I do! I don't want to just live... I want to matter! I don't just want a business that makes money... I want a business that matters! I don't simply want to pastor a large church... I want to pastor a church that matters! I don't just want to see thousands of people in my church.... I want to see thousands of people that matter!!! As amy dad would say, that'll preach! If the God we serve all powerful. If we really believe what the bible says... Shouldn't our lives make a difference? So I'll wrap this thought up with a question. Will what you do tomorrow matter? Will it make a difference? Don't just live the day.....SIEZE IT! Grab every drop of sunlight that God has given you and make something of it. Your position gives you a unique perspective in life no matter where you are. Use your position to be a difference-maker!

10 Hard Things

2010-06-03T08:10:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share this blog from a fellow pastor... It is definitely something to consider and apply to our lives

Perry Noble: 10 Hard Questions

Too many times we believe that being busy is equal to being godly…when the Bible says quite the opposite.

Psalm 46:10 SLAYS me every time I read it…CONVICTED!

David said in Psalm 23 that the Lord makes him lie down in green pastures and leads him beside still waters.

The LONGEST, most detailed command in the 10 commandments is the one on rest.

Yet, all of us…especially those in the ministry…wrestle with this. One of our MAIN temptations is being busy…here are a few questions we can wrestle through to see how busy those of us in ministry are…

#1 – How many times a day do you check your email? Is there really any reason to check it as often as we do?

#2 – How many times a day do you check twitter?

#3 – How many times a day do you check your facebook page?

#4 – When you go home to do spend time with your family…or merely "tweet" about how you are spending time with your family?

#5 – Do you tell your kids you are too busy to go to their game…but then go to the game of the church members kid so you don't get into hot water with them? (BTW…good luck explaining that one to your kids in 20 years!)

#6 – Do you have a time during the day when you turn off your cell phone so that you can uninterrupted study time, prayer time and time with your spouse?

#7 – Do you always have to have noise around you…such as do you always have to have the radio on in the car OR the TV on at home, even if you are not listening to/watching it?

#8 – How much time do you spend commenting on blogs and social media sites? (honestly, don't know too many certified blog commenters that are actually changing the world!)

#9 – Are you accessible at any time of the day by anyone who needs you? (LOTS of pastors LOVE to make this claim…usually at the expense of their family and their own walk with God. If you want to walk with Jesus you can't do it by always having a crowd around…you've got to have some time set aside.)

#10 – Are you willing to make the adjustments that you need to make based on the nine questions above? If not then you are most likely addicted to noise and being busy…which looks good to others but absolutely destroys our walk with God.

PSALM 46:10!

ONE MORE THING…this is absolutely the most convicting blog post I've ever written…He's PRESSING into me to make some major adjustments in regards to the noise in my life, would appreciate your prayers as I try my best to fully obey Him.

NYC

2010-05-21T20:41:00.000-05:00

I've spent the week in NYC connecting with pastors from Venezuela to Minnesota. I believe that God is positioning LTG to do amazing things across the world. I also am beginning to realize that the One of the reasons that God has taken me so many places this year is to widen my world-view. If you know me then you know that I love Nashville and I love to be with my family at LTG so the time away has been a bit difficult for me but has been incredibly eye-opening and has helped us plan the next 5 years of outreach for LTG. I am faired up about changing our cities and nations and seeing the power of God shine brightly. Great days are ahead! Let's make the most of the time and opportunities that God has given us! let's change the world together for the Kingdom of God...

2010 Flood Relief Thursday

2010-05-06T22:03:00.001-05:00

2010 Disaster Relief Thursday

2010-05-06T22:01:00.000-05:00

2010 Flood Relief Outreach

2010-05-06T15:14:00.000-05:00

Flood Relief Outreach at LTG

2010-05-06T15:13:00.001-05:00

Flood 2010 relief outreach at LTG

2010-05-06T15:12:00.001-05:00

LTG'ers at work!

2010-05-04T13:05:00.001-05:00

Flooding in Nashville

2010-05-02T13:03:00.001-05:00

What a crazy couple of days for all of us in the Nashville area. I thought I might need an ark to cross the parking lot at our Rivergate Campus.... :). Just heads up to everyone to remind you that there will be no 6pm Communion service tonight at Living To Go Church. Please stay home and off the roads. Also, be praying for communities. We aren't through all of this yet.

The Heart Mender

2010-04-29T16:56:00.000-05:00

Just received my copy Andy Andrew's new book "The Heart Mender". I am excited to have been asked to review this book because Andrew's is one of my favorite speaker's and authors. I also have one copy to give away here at www.claybaggett.com so stay tuned and i will give you more info later...

Home from Guyana

2010-04-23T07:32:00.001-05:00

Finally home and still trying to absorb everything from our time in Guyana. Pastor Kenno was such a blessing to us. We dedicated the new church building Sunday and had a blast with standing room only. We were able to install Pastor George as our church overseer in the Coryntine and just fell in love with both these Pastor's families. They are both doing great jobs as they lead the way to revival in the nation of Guyana. The stories that I heard from our teams there were staggering and beautiful but more than anything they were challenging. Faith takes on new meaning when you face the things our brothers and sisters face there on a daily basis. Sunday we begin our first project in Rose Hall. We are building a kitchen and cafeteria to feed the school children of the Rose Hall community. Last week we fed all we could with what they had. 150 underprivileged children. However, I will never forget the look on that little girl's face when the food was gone and she and over 800 other kids in that school finished their day with no food. We will change that beginning this Sunday. We have roughly estimated the cost for each feeding center at $10,000 each. This Sunday we want to pay for at least 1 of those centers. Please pray about what you can give to this kingdom opportunity. You might not be able to do everything but you can do something.

Great Expectations

2010-04-12T10:39:00.000-05:00

At the moment I am flying on first of several connecting flights to Georgetown, Guyana to visit some of the great leaders representing us in that Region. I am so amazed at what God is doing through the community of believers at Living To Go. My prayer and hope is that we will be an encouragement to our brothers and sisters there. I will update the blog at www.claybaggett.com as often as i can. We will be arriving in Georgetown at 1:30am and we will hit the ground running. Remain in prayer for us.

Sent from my iPad

Easter Recap

2010-04-04T22:40:00.001-05:00

What an incredible day! Finally home and trying to decompress before getting some sleep. Here are a few of my thoughts about this weekend at Living To Go.

Pastor Kim and Roger and the Drama Team blew the doors off the place today. Kudos to you guys for a job well done.
The Parking Team was so great. Phillip Litchfield and his team handled 3 full parking lots like pros
my defining moment when I rushed my cue to step onto the stage from backstage and realized I was there with Roman Soldiers scattered across the floor... (Yep... A real Clay moment!)
The Kids department was so welcoming and well.... Just cool! Makes me proud!
The Media Team: I sat in the production room for a while and was just blown away at the complexity of what was happening behind the scenes... You guys ROCK!
The fact that we saw well over a thousand people come through the doors of LTG today.
That the un-official count of decisions for Christ were between 30 and 40!!!! (Those are numbers that REALLY matter!)
Every dept. was so awesome today! Tawana I couldn’t be more proud to serve with such a committed team of servants.

I walk away from this weekend KNOWING that LTG REALLY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD! This team is capable of anything! And God keeps increasing the vision. I leave for Guyana next week to visit the churches there and speak into our leadership there and I’m really excited. This is really a harvest time!

LTG Reality 3/2010

2010-03-31T07:57:00.002-05:00

Symphoneo

2010-03-25T15:10:00.001-05:00

Hmmmm.... Prayer. It’s one of the things that is required of us as Christ-followers but I find that it is also one of the most under-practiced and under-taught disciplines of the church. If God has called His church to be a House of Prayer then it would seem that we as believers should all be involved in that prayer but, sadly, most believers fall asleep at the mere mention of a prayer meeting. I think that we, pastors and leaders, have dropped the ball. Most prayer meetings are boring if we are honest about it. So..... The question is how do we change that? I have started teaching the practice of prayer from the Hebrew perspective.(you’ll have to attend to hear more about that) I think we, the western church, have forgotten that what brings the presence of God into our lives are the audible prayers of His people. Notice I said audible. I was reading an article about Dr. Cho’s church in Seoul, South Korea where their corporate prayer was described like this: “Their praying is so powerful it sounds like a giant waterfall. One cannot be in the sanctuary when people are praying and not be moved”. That’s what I’m talking about..... Matthew 18:19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” Agree in Greek is symphoneo..... Our prayers should be a symphony to God. All of us play different notes but the same score. We have just come to the place in the the American church where the norm is praying under our breath but the biblical norm was praying audibly. Is it just a cultural deal? I’m not sure but, just being honest, if praying out loud is going to release God’s power more effectively then I’m all about it. What is an Acts 4 meeting? Acts 4:31 “The place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke the Word of God boldly.” Remember, prayer changes the course of History! One of my Mentors, Eddie Turner, has always told me that “you pray it through in the spiritual before it is manifest in the physical”. That’s Cool! Some come on..... Let “Pray it Through” together!

Protecting Your Pastor...

2010-03-18T09:24:00.002-05:00

I read this the other day and thought it would be a good read for people who don't realize what pastors face... this is a real letter sent to Clayton and is a great reminder to us all. Click on the link below to read it...

Unleash Letter

Steering through Chaos

2010-03-16T16:36:00.003-05:00

Hey Everybody! If you are in ministry you MUST read this book! Steering through Chaos by Pastor Scott Wilson. For the next few days I'm going to share some thoughts about the book that hit me hard. This is a practical field manual for maneuvering through seemingly impossible situations. Steering through Chaos will allow you to be mentored, not by a theorist, but by a practitioner who writes about what he has done in the real world. My copy is marked up with highlighter, underlines and my notes throughout. SO GO NOW! PICK IT UP! You will not be disappointed!

DIG!

2010-03-09T11:47:00.001-06:00

Have you ever faced something that seemed... impossible? I can't tell you how many times I have just wanted to quit... to give up and do something easier with my life.... there were times that I thought it would be easier just to go back to my old way of living instead of just digging the useless holes that i seem to be always digging. But the secret to success is tenacity... if we stop digging when we're discouraged we never find the water at the bottom of the well.
When I became pastor of LTG I was incredibly excited! Full of ideas and ways to make the church grow and to impact the world through our community of believers. Although the majority of people at the time liked the idea there were those who liked everything just the way it was. I realized that there would be a cost to digging new wells. But the hurts that came with the process and the discouragement that inevitably shows up are really not big prices to pay when you finally hit water and there is enough for everybody. Remember..... when you're discouraged, your purpose in God seems impossible to find..... when your hurt, it seems easier to just quit..... when your tired and burned out, it seems like giving up is just practical... STOP! Never quit digging! Never stop seeing the goal in your mind..... Failure is not running in to setbacks, failure is allowing a setback to stop you from attempting something great.

You Tube Channel

2010-02-26T11:32:00.001-06:00

Here's the link to the LTG You Tube Channel... They've done a great job with it! http://www.youtube.com/user/livingtogo

Steering Through Chaos

2010-02-24T16:47:00.002-06:00

Hey Guys,
I wanted to point you toward a great new book by a Pastor Scott Wilson. He has been a great help to our church and has spoken much into my life personally. This book is a great read and I'll give you more on it later... Check out the link below.

Scott Wilson Leadership - scottwilsonleadership.com, church leadership, books, videos, ministry

bit.ly

Secrets to Thriving Through Chaos... Download a sample chapter of Steering Through Chaos by Scott Wilson

2 Min Devo.... Commit

2010-02-23T16:11:00.002-06:00

Running Hard

2010-02-18T18:14:00.001-06:00

Grow everything in your path

2010-02-04T18:17:00.001-06:00

A Recent Blog from One of My Favorite Thinkers...
http://sanderssays.typepad.com/sanders_says/

If you want to succeed in business or life, grow everything in your path.

If you are a manager, grow the people that report to you. Make them smarter, more confident, healthier and happier. (In that order) If you are a service provider, grow your customers and partners by being generous and mentoring. If you are a company, leave more than you take. Find ways to create more value than just money.

That's what it means to truly be green - To grow everything in your path. I find it ironic when companies claim to "go green" when they are really just being less bad or a little less harmful. They shave some carbon impact off their product. They recycle a part of the packaging. They send a portion of the profits to a charity. While they do this, they browbeat their suppliers, over work and under pay their talent and decimate smaller local competitors. I'll say it again: you are green when you grow.

This is a philosophy that should permeate everything you do and every transaction where business meets people. As you work today, ask yourself: Is there an opportunity to grow somebody today? Can I teach, share, inspire or provoke someone to stretch today? Can I introduce a few people to each other and improve their quality of their networks?

As I've shared before, life insurance sales pro Elmer Letterman <http://sanderssays.typepad.com/sanders_says/2009/07/a-networking-plan-for-success.html> made this a way of business life. He shared his wisdom and his address book to all customers, partners and prospects -- and he grew quite a market for himself in NYC>

All too often, we capture value and share it with our workers and vendors. We figure that by paying them their "fair share," we are managing the system well. Wrong. Sometimes, our "employees" or "vendors" have needs that go beyond dollars and cents. If they suddenly lose confidence or focus, we capture much less value - and everyone suffers.

Think of this philosophy as a holistic way of doing business: First you grow the people, then the business grows from the people's energy, then you grow the people more to adapt to the new (bigger) world. Measure the growth (knowledge, network, confidence) of each person year over year and judge your leadership strength from the year over year improvements to "their personal resume."

This is the path to real sustainability in business.

Yes

2010-01-31T07:21:00.001-06:00

We will be having morning services on 1/31. No pm services but 8:45 and 10:30 are still on. Use wisdom in your decision to travel. Be safe!

Great Article!!

2009-12-25T22:54:00.002-06:00

With the upcoming fast at LTG and with our partners across the world, I thought this article would help many out with some great insight from a great teacher that poured his life into reaching people for the Kingdom of God.
7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer by Bill Bright
Get ready for an incredible year!

21 Day Fast

2009-12-24T00:03:00.002-06:00

Start the year 2010 spiritually strong by joining us in a 21 day season of prayer and fasting. As a church, we have seen increased salvations, breakthroughs and miracles as we put God first at the onset of the year. This year, as we unite with hundreds of pastors, churches and ministries all around the world, we will harness the power of praying and fasting together.
Whether you’ve fasted before or if this will be your first time, Awakening is designed so that you can participate at any level. Fasting tips, resources and tools, including information for kids and youth are available at http://www.awake21.org.

Update

2009-12-09T15:39:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone... I wanted to update you on dad first of all. He is doing great and was in service with us last Sunday morning. He is walking a mile a day now and is gearing up for a triumphant return to the 8:45am service asap.
OK... This is the official blog announcement about Victory Assembly of God becoming a part of the Living To Go Church family. Last week it became official that the merge was completed. It is a joy to have Pastor Darin Miller and Pastor Toby Swager on board at LTG! We are looking forward to an incredible 2010 as we intensify our outreach in our local communities. Also, we welcome Pastor Grant-Ross & Deanne McGregor to the LTG staff as well. Grant Ross and Deanne Pastor Words of Life Church and are also a wonderful addition to the LTG family as well. Grant Ross will be working with our young adults in 2010 so we are excited about the opportunities to help reach another part of Nashville. It is lining up to be an awesome year around here so if you’ve been sitting on the bench it’s time to get into the game! You are needed... Remember that YOU ARE THE CHURCH! And the Word says that the Gates of Hell will not prevail against it!

When God Moves

2009-12-03T20:22:00.001-06:00

Have you ever been around static electricity? The closer you get to it the stronger its effects on you. A good term for this effect is called a proximity effect. But I want to look at it from another perspective. The Spiritual Proximity Effect. Simply stated, the farther we move away from the presence of God the more dry our spiritual life becomes. The closer we stay the more vibrant our lives are.
Ezekiel 37 tells the story of the valley of dry bones and how God breathed life back into the dry bones but only after Ezekiel prophesied over them like God commanded him... But what did the vision of the bones mean…. In short, the Israelites had angered God by allowing idols into their lives. The bones were not just lifeless…. But very dry…. When we allow idols into our lives it separates us from the presence of God and we grow more distant from His Glory. So what is it in your life that is causing spiritual “Dryness” in your life? We all have walked that desert before but if we understand the formula that causes this dryness then we can deal with the issue much faster. This is the simple formula; Distance + Disobedience = Dryness... We need to stay close to the presence of God.

2009-11-26T11:59:00.001-06:00

Trying to keep up

2009-11-23T00:08:00.001-06:00

What a day at LTG! 3 powerful services today... What a great place to be! Anyway, my apologies to everyone for not updating more often about dad. It has been a long couple of weeks but here is the latest. He is home and doing well. He is weak but getting stronger everyday. He is itching to get back to normal and, as you can imagine, that is the challenge for us! Getting him to slow down a bit... So keep praying for dad and we’ll see him back in the pulpit soon. We are planning on doing video visits with him on the website and in the services to keep him connected and let people see how he is doing. For all those who have called and I haven’t been able to get back with yet please be patient with us on getting info out. We are literally trying to handle hundreds of calls and emails and we appreciate your concern and prayers for dad. It means the world to him. I did want to let everyone know that a great friend of LTG passed away last week. Jim Graham has been a blessing to our community of believers for many years. He will be greatly missed but I can tell you that if anyone was ready to meet the Lord, Jim was the man. Our prayers are with his wonderful family during this tough time. Jim’s Funeral will be at Living To Go Church Monday Nov. 24th at 1pm with visitation beginning at 11am.

Update on the Happy Pastor

2009-11-09T18:49:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone...
It has been a crazy couple of days around LTG and our family. I’m going to use this blog because it reaches so many with info. Sunday dad had a heart attack during the 8:45 service at LTG. He walked off the platform and the staff rushed him to the hospital where they were able to catch it early on and were successful in placing a stint in the blocked artery. The bottom line is that he is alive and well.... The heart attack did cause more damage than we thought and they are keeping an eye on him for a few days to make sure his heart is strong enough to get back to his normal life. However, I do think that his definition of normal is about to change! :)
I do want to remind everyone that what dad really needs now is your prayers and rest. He will be in the ICU indefinitely and we are encouraging everyone to wait to visit him when he is strong enough to be in an actual room. As you can imagine, I have been inundated with emails and phone calls and there is no possible way we can get to all of them so I hope that this post will answer most of your questions. We love all of you so much and the outpouring of love and prayers has been humbling and a wonderful encouragement to dad and the rest of our family.
I will keep you posted via facebook and this blog as often as I can.

Un-Christian

2009-09-29T10:47:00.001-05:00

This week we start a new series called Un-Christian... I had originally called it “What I Hate about Church” but thought that the word “un-Christian” said it all. I grew up in church all my life. Born in the deep south bible belt where my dad was the consummate Tent revivalist and in that environment you experience a little of everything that church life has to offer, both the good and the bad. As I was thinking about this series of talks at Living To Go Church I kept coming back to the basic mission assigned to us by Jesus Himself so many years ago, to go to all the world and preach the message of Christ to all people. I think that the desire of nearly everyone that I know as believers is essentially that but somehow is seems that we get all tangled up in tradition and modern church life. So our goal at LTG is to simplify. As I get older I find myself worrying less about the periphery and more about the core, especially when it comes to my faith and as a pastor I think that the church that embraces the core of our mission as priority will be solidly effective in reaching people for Christ, as will each believer. There is so much truth to the phrase “perception is everything” and the truth is that we’ve allowed ourselves to become caricatures to the world. I believe that we have to know what the people around us think of us and then SHOW them what being a Christ-follower is all about. KEY WORD IS “SHOW”! So let’s look at the image that we put out. Is it really Christ-like? Have we become “stuck in the muck” of traditional thinking? Or trapped by false norms?The Wesleyan Quadrilateral is a form of Christian theological reasoning that takes Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience as its norms. For Christians, Scripture is the "norming norm," the ultimate authority, while tradition, reason, and experience are "normed norms," real but nonetheless subordinate authorities. The conversation we have should be... “How do we present Christ in a compelling and truthful way?”. I guess I said all of that to say this. The message of Christ is simple at its core. Maybe we need to focus on that instead of all the peripheral things and work on loving people into the Kingdom of God..... Just a thought...

Effective Stimulants

2009-08-28T13:51:00.000-05:00

Sharing some insights from those who have influenced me greatly. Enjoy...
-Clay

Effective Stimulants
by Dr. Napoleon Hill

Friendship of others can be a great stimulant. There are those who think best by talking problems over with others. Friendship can be a source of new ideas, varied outlook and intellectual and moral support. As a source of laughter, it is a potent stress inhibitor. Laughter trickles through the entire body and tickles every cell into renewed vitality.

A close, warm relationship between parent and child has a most astounding influence in connection with the formation of a child’s character. It is regrettable that parents are not able to give more time and energy to develop such a relationship.

The friendship which sometimes exists between the lover of wild life and wild birds and animals is something which is most profound. Most of the creatures of the wild instinctively recognize the lover of wild life and voluntarily show their confidence in him.

The word friendship has more behind it than the mere social relationship of people. Friendship serves to bring the souls of men closer to one another. It builds confidence, inspires courage, enthusiasm, imagination and personal initiative, as nothing else can do.

Mastermind alliances are powerful mind stimulants. Evidence of this is shown in the fact that there are more successful men in all walks of life who have such an alliance.

The potential power which may be attained through the mastermind principle, is shown to the extent that it brings together the minds of many individuals and concentrates their combined power upon the attainment of a definite end. It also provides the means by which the other sixteen principles of this philosophy may be organized and directed as a single force for the attainment of any desired end.

The mastermind principle is the medium through which stimuli from many minds may be combined, and directed to a definite end. Hence, it is among the greatest of the mind stimuli.

Mutual suffering, in times of great emergency, provides a mind stimulant of stupendous proportions. Mutual suffering has the effect of causing people to consolidate their mind power, through the mastermind principle, and direct it to the alleviation of their suffering.

Autosuggestion is the medium through which every individual stimulates his mind continuously. Unfortunately most of the stimuli which reach the mind of the average person by self-suggestion are of a negative nature. They consist of thoughts of the conditions and things which one does not want—fears, worries, hatreds, envy, greed and superstition.

Source: PMA Science of Success. Pgs. 455 & 456.

Gratitude, Your Looks and True Wealth - A Different Look at Gratitude

2009-08-22T15:39:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share the website of one of the guys I love to read after...
Tim Redmond - the Leadership and Wealth Creation Coach
www.redmondleadership.org

Leaders create rather than react.
Abundance belongs to those who focus on creating and giving, not consuming and taking.
Gratitude flows from abundant-minded leaders. It is one of the key drivers of wealth creation.
Wealth is really the process of creating value.
When an investor buys a property and the value goes up, it's called appreciation. When it goes down, it's depreciation. Appreciating the people around you actually creates value and increases wealth in your life. Depreciating others never does.
Ingratitude robs you of power and invites negative, self-defeating feelings. Gratitude gives you power. As light chases away darkness, gratitude drives all negative emotions away.
The ancient writer Paul wrote, "in everything give thanks." What a powerful way to live!
Gratitude always improves your looks - it enhances how you look at what you are looking at.
Gratitude doesn't always change the situation at that moment but it immediately changes the way you look at the situation. It gives you power to lead, create and bring positive change.
Leadership is a choice.
Choose to be grateful . . . or not. Gratitude in positive situations AND in challenging ones, too.
Is your gratitude dependent on others and what they do for you?
Being grateful for what others do for you is important. But if that's the only time you are grateful, you'll live a shallow, reactive, guilt-ridden life. Poverty-minded people wait for life to happen to them.
Leaders initiate. Focus on creating value for others and being grateful for the enjoyment it brings. There's someone close to you desperately needing your leadership today!

Isaiah 53

2009-08-13T22:47:00.001-05:00

At Living To Go, we are so excited about what God is doing in our church community. It’s definitely a new season of harvest and the spiritual atmosphere is ripe for an incredible outpouring of the Holy Spirit! This year we have seen over 300 decisions made for Christ and celebrated together as we baptized entire families. How awesome is that!
In response to how God is moving, we are now, as Isaiah 53 tells us, enlarging the place of our tent. God responds to the process of faith not simply need. We are adding a service on Sundays to make room for the harvest in our cities and in our neighborhoods. It is an exciting time to be a part of Living To Go Church. We refer to every ministry opportunity as a “touch point” and by adding another service we increase the “touch points” in which you can be involved in ministry. So jump in and get involved! There is a place for you and…… WE NEED YOU!

Good Grief!

2009-07-30T19:16:00.000-05:00

Has it really been that long since I’ve updated this blog? Well, the post dates don’t lie... Sorry, but it has been a wild summer for us. A great one though. Tawana and I spoke at LTG’s youth camp in Gatlinburg and had an incredible time then came out of that into Pure Worship Institute with Jeff Deyo and Worship City Ministries.... What a week! The worship with Eddie James was intense and just what I needed. I love those moments when the music fades and the voices of the people continue, not in simple song but in fervent worship! I needed that :) Spent some time with my friend and brother, Kent Henry.... He always speaks volumes into mine and Tawana’s lives. At the end of that week we went into a great season of change and growth at Living To Go. God is doing some amazing things and I am so fortunate to be a part of a community of believers who, not only speak the language of a servant but live the life of a servant as well. It’s going to be a great fall at LTG!

PWI

2009-07-12T22:51:00.001-05:00

Pure Worship Institute

2009-07-12T22:27:00.001-05:00

Tonight was the first night of Jeff Deyo’s Pure Worship Institute. What a start! It was a powerful evening of worship and the packed house was alive with passionate praise. I look forward to this every year now and love the spiritual fervor that it stirs up in the people that attend. I encourage you to attend one or all of the nights that are available. Here is the rundown for the worship nights: Sunday-Jeff Deyo Band Monday – Micah Walley Tuesday – Closed to the Public Wednesday – Jonathan Lee Band Thursday – Eddie James Friday – Jeff Deyo Band... So come on out and experience the presence of God! Seriously, if you’re spiritually in a slump this is the ticket for you! Join the Revolution!

Who are you playing for?

2009-06-30T21:18:00.001-05:00

Someone came to me frustrated about their current life situation. They explained how irritated with God they were because they had been faithful to Him. They went on to tell me how they attended church faithfully, at least when they weren’t busy with their kid’s traveling sport’s team. We continued the talk.... They were faithful in their giving, mostly, and all their friends knew that they were believers. How could God allow them to befall such a horrid lot in life. We talked over a latte from Starbucks as he was spinning his new i-phone on the table. I listened until he was finished and it hurt my heart to see him so confused and very understandably frustrated. Now there are a lot of things that we could pick apart about this conversation but I wanted to touch on 2 things very quickly... First, He needed to realize how fortunate he really is... To be able to meet with me in the mid-afternoon.... To be able to buy a latte at Starbucks.... And to have the latest in phone tech... The point is that most of us are so affluent that we completely forget that very few people in this world enjoy the luxuries that we take for granted. Second quick point is this... So we attend a lot and give a lot to our local church but here is the BIG question.... Are you attending for you or for the Kingdom? Are you giving for you or are you giving for the kingdom? This is a vital question to answer and to understand. It’s about our motives. So who are you playing for? For your own benefit or for the benefit of the kingdom? The Bible teaches us to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and then all these things will be added to us”... Is the Kingdom of God really first in your life? What are your true motives? Just something to think about..... :)

2009-06-09T20:13:00.005-05:00

Looking forward to the new series this weekend at LTG. We address the old statement that what you don't know...can hurt you. We'll take it a bit further and say that what you don't know can kill you! many people attend church every week and have no idea what the core of Christianity is all about. Ignorance is no excuse for us... It's time to get back to the basics of our faith and really start living it!

Bad Eye Sight

2009-05-22T09:33:00.001-05:00

You find what you look for: good or evil, problems or solutions... I'm a pretty positive minded person and i really try to look for the good in whatever situation I'm in but so many people actually seek out the bad in everything. The sun is shining and the birds are singing and they are looking for rain clouds and bird poop! There are no perfect people so if you look long enough you'll find the flaws. However, i also believe that if you look deep enough you'll find the heart of the person that will always be amazing. So my challenge to you is this... Look for the good in whatever circumstances you're in today... you might be surprised ;)

New Glasses

2009-05-12T14:59:00.002-05:00

I’ve never HAD to wear glasses but I do notice that as I’ve gotten older that some things are a little harder to read than a few years ago. I’m not “speaking” blindness on myself (lol) I’m just pointing out a fact of life. There are simply times in our lives that we need a new prescription in order to see accurately. In our spiritual lives the same is true. As we grow up spiritually our eye sight changes... But it is the opposite in the spiritual. As we mature in our faith-walk we need to occasionally get new glasses in order to see properly. The storms of life tend to distort our perspective and we fail to see things with clarity. The truth is that we do feel these pressures in life. We do hurt and are hurt. We do fall flat at times and we do find ourselves in bad deals, even unfair situations, on this journey. But if we will try to look at our circumstance from a different perspective things may look a lot different than before. What if the very break-through or miracle is right under your nose and you just can’t see it? I can’t count how many times I’ve lost my keys or my cell phone and became so frustrated that I blamed everyone and everything for taking my phone! :) then I find them in some weird place like in the fridge.... (true story!) so to wrap this up, maybe you need to shift your outlook a bit. Try being grateful about what you do have instead of what your losing or don’t have. I could post on that but it would be too long and Andy Andrews can tell the story much better than I can. Start with a grateful heart.... Be thankful for the small things.

Launch

2009-05-08T10:11:00.001-05:00

The new series that i will be starting this week is called Launch. So many of us never get anywhere because we are stuck on the launch pad of life. We have so many dreams that never happen... Why? So many life goals that we never attain... Why? That's what we are talking about. I want to see us reset our launch timers and get prepared for a successful mission. To break free of Gravity, so to speak. What chains are keeping you on the ground?

Crazy!

2009-04-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

Have you ever watched “fans” before and just kinda scratched your head in wonder? Not ceiling fans or box fans but the kind that you see crying and screaming in hysteria when a particular star or pop icon comes close to them. You know like the old news reels from Beatlemania.... Or how about those people who throw certain pieces of clothing on the stage for performers..... I mean you have to ask yourself, “who would want that stuff anyway? Why do they think anyone would want it?” I’ve often wondered at the fact that people seem to give their hearts away to these “icons” who don’t even know they exist. And what have these Super stars given to these, obviously, devoted fans? A song or a movie that will be forgotten by next summer usually. I watch people, who are “believers”, paint themselves for football games, scream until they’re hoarse and spend a fortune on clothes and accessories to look like their favorite celebrity (you get the idea) I watch them balk at the idea of being different for the cause of Christ. I mean, Heaven forbid that we catch some flack for being a Christ-follower. I think that difference is that when you’re passionate about something or someone you don’t care what anyone thinks... You just want the person of your affection to know how much they mean to you. So, to my point; How passionate are you about God? God didn’t just release a single about a broken heart! He created the entire universe from the smallest particle to the largest planet. As big as He is He still cares about how many hairs are on your head.... I don’t know about you but I want to be far more passionate about the awesomeness of God than I am about U2’s latest CD. (which I have and love) If I’m gonna be accused of crazy love I want it to mean something....

Holy Week

2009-04-08T15:41:00.001-05:00

Direction

2009-04-02T22:44:00.001-05:00

How important is to know where you are going? How vital is the direction you move in? I wonder sometimes if most people get this... I’ve met people who have a destination in mind and I’ve also met people feel like their life is moving in the right direction. However, I think many people end up wasting years of their lives (and ministries, respectively) because they have one or the other. So you know where you’re going? That is awesome! Then what are you doing to get there? Who and what things are you aligning yourself with in order to arrive at that destination? Trust me.... The people that you align yourself with influence you in ways that you might not even realize until it has completely derailed your vision. What organizations are you associated with? Are they moving along the same path as you? I believe that, generally speaking, many of the things that we attach ourselves too, actually slows us down. I like the idea of being lean and mean when it comes to vision. Tawana and I made the decision to prune a lot of things that we like in order to get to our destination. Now, what about those who don’t know where they are going but feel like they are moving in the right direction..... Seriously??!!!! So how’s that working for you? I know people who just like to get in the car and drive with no destination in mind. You know, just kind of meander. Ok, that might be cool on vacation but to live life that way is unprofitable and, my guess is, unsatisfying. Driving isn’t my favorite past time so I want to get to a destination as quickly as possible... So my point is this.... Look at your life. Honestly! Get a vision of your destination then start moving in the right direction. Take the steps needed. Align yourself with the right people and watch your life begin to change. God placed a seed of greatness in you! Don’t let it be wasted. Life without a destination is boring. And a destination without any movement in it’s direction is never realized. Hmmmm... Just a thought. (maybe I need a vacation :)lol

Finding God's Will

2009-03-17T07:20:00.001-05:00

I have often been at places in my life where I couldn’t seem to find the ever-elusive will of God in my life. I’ve heard it described as not being able to hear God too. I found the answer, at least for me, in Romans 12:2. “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God.” (tev) I have found in my life that when I’m in that place where I’m desperately seeking God’s path for me and just can’t seem to hear His voice that it’s not that He doesn’t want me to hear him but that I’m polluted. I have to ask myself, where am I conforming to the world’s standards instead of His standards. Usually that is where I find the problem. It’s hard work to keep our ambition in the check and our “master ambition”, as Oswald Chambers called it, always in front of us. What is the master ambition? 2 Corinthians tells us that we work and labor that we might be accepted by God. In other words, our work is to please Him and that is the key. “God’s will is not a great mystery to be solved but it’s an awesome path just waiting to be uncovered.” Where are you conforming today? Think about it.....

Wild Ride

2009-03-16T11:33:00.001-05:00

Last week was a wild ride and it kept on through the week-end. It was an incredible week in every way. I participated in the Southeastern University Leadership Forum in Lakeland, Florida and had a great time. I got to hear so many powerful speakers that my mind is still processing what I heard :) From Henry Cloud to Tim Sanders, from TD Jakes to Jack Welch.... It was incredible! I flew home to speak at the TN Worship Conference on Saturday and then had a powerful day of Services on Sunday. This has been one of the most intense and heartfelt series that I have ever shared. The idea that every life counts is so central to the Christian life yet the truth is that most (professing) Christians seem to care less about the people around them even while the teachings of Christ tell us to love others as we love ourselves.... How can I say that? If we really cared and believed in the missional values of Jesus wouldn’t everyone of us be passionate about reaching everyone around us? I am AMPED about this month and the fire of God that is burning at LTG. Living To Go Church is missional in name and in Spirit and now it’s time to be missional in action! What are you doing this week to touch someone’s life? What are you going to sacrifice to invest in someone else today. Close the laptop (for a bit :) turn of the playstation, unplug the TV and love someone this week.

One Chair

2009-03-07T10:43:00.003-06:00

One Chair.... One Life.... One Choice....

Tomorrow we are talking about the power that we all have. the power to reach one! most people never share their story of faith with anyone... So this month LTG is challenging everyone to touch one this month. The chair represents a brother, a mother, a dad, a child... It also represents ONE BIG CRAZY DREAM! Come dream big with us this month! GET AMPED!

Radical Edge

2009-03-01T20:47:00.002-06:00

I know a lot of you might not read “business” books.... And of course not those “devilish” self-help books...... Hmmm... I really think that it is more like many people just would rather NOT think at all.... Just for the record, I read from both areas. There is some weird stuff out there, for sure, but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water! I have found that most of the people I find myself drawn to are men and women of faith anyway...... Let me move on. One of those books that affected me, greatly, was a book by Steve Farber called “The Radical Edge” (Kaplan Publishing). I have found that, because I stay in the Bible first and foremost, that my spirit gets empowered..... Or AMPED UP by what I read. One of the powerful things that I found in this small “parable” style book is that we MUST develop a keen awareness of what is happening around us. The Word teaches us to be aware of the times....... Hmmm... Sounds similar right? Most believers are totally unaware of anything outside their “circle”. They have fallen to the rut of inward focus. The church was never designed to only be inwardly focused. The church was designed to be outwardly focused. Once again we see the expansion and contraction deal happening again. Simply stated; if you fail to open your eyes and be aware of what happens around you then you are living in contraction. God wants you to move from that place, where He empowered you, to the place where the power is expended.... The mission field! So in short..... We need, as Steve Farber coined it, a W.U.P. upside the head! It’s time to wake up! GET AMPED UP!

Expansion and Contraction

2009-02-03T12:38:00.001-06:00

Holy Rollers, Closet Christians, Tongue Talkers, Dead Heads, Frozen Chosen...... Uummmm...let’s see.... Pentecostal, Charismatic, Evangelical.... Let me go little further... Baptist, Assemblies of God, Church of God, Presbyterian, Catholic... More you Say? Well.... Traditional, Modern, Emergent, immerging..... OK I have to stop before my brain begins to sizzle. Labels are energy suckers and vision killers. They are used to box us in to what people around us want us to be. I don’t think it was meant to be detrimental to the cause of Christ but it has. It keeps us away from each other based on things that are really minor. The Bible tells us to desire spiritual gifts because they, ultimately, do one thing. They Increase the Kingdom of God. However, we, followers of Christ, have used the very things that God has given us for Kingdom expansion and used them for Kingdom contraction. We have to throw away the labels. We must discard the divisions and embrace the things that make us Christians. Diversity is a strength. Diversity on the Gifts of the Spirit is a strength. But if we, as Christians continue to contract our influence then it is not only us who suffers. It is the people who need to hear the Gospel of Jesus that lose in contraction. So loosen up a bit and expand the Kingdom of God. It’s time... Right now!

It's been a while

2009-01-22T14:53:00.001-06:00

Good grief! I can’t believe that this month is almost over. Geez! But I realized I didn’t tell anyone why I wasn’t blogging. I have taken the month of January off from blogging as part of our Corporate fast. So I’ll talk to you in February!

Reflections and Expectation

2009-01-01T10:09:00.001-06:00

It seems so weird that it is now the year 2009. It is crazy how quickly time flies by. I wanted to take a minute and share a few personal thoughts with you. Reflecting back on 2008, Tawana and I have learned so much... In 2008 we partnered with so many great people and ministries. From Jeff Deyo and his team to Sam Hinn and Kent Henry... It’s funny, we were just trying to facilitate Jeff Deyo’s passion to train worship leaders and we ended up being blessed! How cool is that? We saw a lot of changes in 2008. We added Kimberly and Roger Wallace to our leadership team as our creative arts pastor. We felt God directing us to stream-line the finances of the church (geez, that was soooo much fun :) We have moved toward new relational ministries that will launch February 1 (I’m really looking forward to that) and in 2008 God has radically changed our church. Our at least our paradigm. Rev. Eddie Turner has always told me, as well as my father, that a healthy church is not built by programs or church growth models but through prayer and fasting. So, late in 2008, after we had experienced incredible moves of the holy Spirit, we planned an all night prayer meeting. WOW! It changed everything, including me! God called us to be a house of prayer and intercession and a place of healing. So here it is the call has been made and 2009 is the year to give the call its feet. One of the things that I know God is requiring of me is to step up my prayer and fasting. God really laid it on me that if I wanted things to stay the same then I should continue with the same amount of prayer and fasting but if I wanted to see more..... I am required to give more. All of us, as leaders, have an expectation that we desire to see God do in 2009. My question is this.... (thanks for the idea Pastor Jory) What price are you willing to pay for it? Are you battling sexual addictions? Porn? How about those sins that just keep coming back and causing you to stumble? Are you cheating on your spouse? Do you long for intimacy with God but just can’t seem to get to that place where you FEEL him that way? It’s time to lay down our children’s toys and pick our sword of faith and boldly move forward. It’s gonna take a commitment from you to do what you’ve never done.... I’m talking about prayer and fasting. IT’S TIME! It’s gonna be a great year for the Kingdom of God and for Living To Go. I’m challenging you all.... Are you able to make time for your favorite TV show but can’t seem to find the extra time to pray or to go to a prayer meeting? Come on!!! It’s time to get real in 2009 and embrace the spirit of God!! It’s gonna be awesome. Happy New Year Everyone

Wed. Christmas Eve Service Cancelation

2008-12-23T08:10:00.001-06:00

As most LTG’ers know, my dad usually does our Christmas eve service since I am unavailable that night. We have decided that instead of shuffling and stressing over speakers this week that we will just cancel Wednesday’s service this year. It’s weird because we have never not had a service in our history. We will just have to make up for it next year. We love you and hope that you will have your own family communion at your house. I know that we will be doing so with Tawana’s family. Take a few minutes and make this Christmas Eve a special memory this year. We love you and pray God’s blessing over your family.... Merry Christmas!

Update on Dad

2008-12-22T23:29:00.001-06:00

Hey all, Great News! Dad is home. Today he had the heart tests that we were waiting for and the came back normal so all of you across America, Canada and beyond. Thank you for your prayers. He is back in business and ready to go (if mom will let him :) ) He wanted you to all know that he loves you so much and is so in awe of how many people were praying for him. What great friends he has. He will be in Mississippi next week and Florida after that for more ministry. So, as you can tell, keeping him stationary is far beyond my control. He is one of a kind and we are so blessed to have him teaching us and speaking into our lives. His generation has so much to give and we as, young leaders, need to absorb the knowledge and wisdom of these men and women. You know, they planted churches with NO budgets. My dad dug ditches while building a church in Ripley MS and etc... And it worked!!!! I have learned so much from my dad and look forward to many more years of ministry together. He Rocks!

Update on Dad

2008-12-21T16:04:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone, I wanted to update you all on dad. I’m sitting with him now and he’s as loud and ready as ever. He has won over the nurses and I think he’s ready to start a church here at the hospital. :) He’s doing fine. He had some chest pains and thought it was best to come on in to be on the safe side. We haven’t heard from the doctors yet and don’t expect to until tomorrow. He is resting and wishing he could have a cup of coffee! Lol... If you want to send him an encouragement you can email him at pastor@livingtogo.org .. I know he’d love to hear from you.

Christmas Sunday

2008-12-20T16:49:00.001-06:00

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's Christmas service. The drama team is presenting a new play written by our creative arts pastor Kimberly Wallace. Roger & Kimberly have added so much to our church community and they have worked so hard on this production. I know it will rock! What a day to celebrate Jesus! The gift that really keeps on giving! Tomorrow we'll take some time and remind ourselves of what God has done for us through Jesus Come hang out with me and our church family (including the Happy Pastor himself) ;) It'll be great!

Saying Goodbye

2008-12-17T10:03:00.001-06:00

Today we’ll be saying goodbye to Charlie Walker. He passed away this last weekend. One of the cool things about being a pastor in the church that you grew up in is the connection with the people that watched you grow up. Charlie and Helen haven’t been able to join us for services consistently for several years because of health issues but that doesn’t make them any less part of the family. I meet young (and those that wish they were young) pastors who don’t have these generational connections and it makes me grateful for the path that Tawana and I have chosen for our family. There were many times that it would have been easier to go another route but we’ve never regretted where we are. I love the fact that God has given me the opportunity to carry the mantle of pastor that has been handed to me by my father. It does get heavy at times though. However, the connection to other generations is invaluable. The Dovie Ray’s of yesterday teach us incredible lessons of commitment to our community of faith even in hard times. So...... Today we say goodbye to Charlie but be rest assured that he will not be forgotten. For all of us at Living To Go, We love you Helen and grieve with you and your family at the loss of Charlie. But remember.... No matter how painful it is now..... “Mourning may last for the night but joy comes with the morning.”

Kent Henry

2008-12-12T10:20:00.001-06:00

Don’t forget!!!! KENT HENRY will be with us FRIDAY the 19th at 7pm! We will be having Christmas Communion and worship led by him. I’m really looking forward to it. Kent always brings a cool prophetic anointing with him. See ya there!

Fresh Expectation

2008-12-12T10:16:00.001-06:00

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I'll be speaking about Fresh Expectation...
In John 1:14-17 we see what really matters.. That grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. If we want to see the power of God keep operating with the intensity that we are seeing now and if we desire to see His presence in a greater way then it is vital that we maintain a Fresh Expectation of a Holy Spirit impartation. We have to expect it every time we gather together. I know that for me another run of the mill kind of service is not appealing to me in the least. We need a fresh anointing that will light a real revival in our lives and in our cities. Maybe the reason that unbelievers are not drawn to "religion" is not because of religion itself but the dead lifeless things that we call church services that represent "religion" to them. Then on the other hand we have organizations that promote "anything goes" services and that is the other side of what unbelievers see. Is it really a surprise that they question the validity of Christianity as a whole? I don't think so... because the real benchmark for a real move of God is changed hearts and changed lives. Not whether or not you learned the latest worship dance... :) What I'm saying is that we need a true, fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit that is invited by God's people through fasting and praying, as the Bible shows us. Revival is a sovereign move of God not simply a worship concert or a special speaker brought in to get us excited... I don't know about you... but I'm looking for a move of God that radically changes people and in turn changes our nation. Where God heals broken hearts and brings together families. Where people are healed from cancer and set free from addictions.... (I'd better stop. I’ll get old school on ya! ) :)
I hope to see you this weekend!

Last night.. This morning..

2008-11-29T12:24:00.001-06:00

OK! Last night... or this morning.... Whatever... was so incredible... We worshiped and prayed and laughed and shared some of the awesome things that God has done in our lives and it was over so quickly. Jeremy Medkiff, our worship pastor, and his team was so great. I guess they played for the entire time except for about 20 min. 9pm-5am... That’s a marathon worship set! I was blown away by how many people showed up! LTG is a special place with super people! I know that God is doing something new and exciting! I’m just glad to be a part of it! Come expecting a miracle Sunday!!!

All-Night Prayer Meeting

2008-11-28T11:20:00.001-06:00

I’m really looking forward to the prayer meeting tonight. Tonight is a big deal and I believe that we are charting a new course for LTG as well as the body of Christ in our community. Some would say that 8 hours of prayer is too much to handle but I think the greatest days of the church will follow the same pattern as the New Testament church in that their effectiveness was preceded by prayer.... So without going on and on :) we are going to, as I’ve heard it called, pray through and believe we will have an Acts 4 experience.
Acts 4:31 “The place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke the Word of God boldly.”
So join us tonight for a night that will change the course of history. We start at 9pm and finish at 5am. We will be starting with worship and it’s gonna be exciting.

“More is wrought by prayer than this world dreams of” -Alfred Lord Tennyson

FYI

2008-11-24T16:23:00.002-06:00

Sunday Reflection

2008-11-23T20:25:00.001-06:00

Well what do you say?.... It always amazes me when God just seems to take over the service. Today was one of those days that you just wanted to hang out in the flow.... You know the truth is that the Holy Spirit can do more in a few seconds than I can do in speaking for 30 min. Sometimes we just need to shut-up and let God move. I mean..... It is His church right :) Today was a blast and I’m looking forward to what God has in store for us next week.

How do you pray?

2008-11-21T10:24:00.002-06:00

Hmmmm.... Prayer. It’s one of the things that is required of us as Christ-followers but I find that it is also one of the most under-practiced and under-taught disciplines of the church. If God has called His church to be a House of Prayer then it would seem that we as believers should all be involved in that prayer but, sadly, most believers fall asleep at the mere mention of a prayer meeting. I think that we, pastors and leaders, have dropped the ball. Most prayer meetings are boring if we are honest about it. So..... The question is how do we change that? I have started teaching the practice of prayer from the Hebrew perspective.(you’ll have to attend to hear more about that) I think we, the western church, have forgotten that what brings the presence of God into our lives are the audible prayers of His people. Notice I said audible. I was reading an article about Dr. Cho’s church in Seoul, South Korea where their corporate prayer was described like this: “Their praying is so powerful it sounds like a giant waterfall. One cannot be in the sanctuary when people are praying and not be moved”. That’s what I’m talking about..... Matthew 18:19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” Agree in Greek is symphoneo..... Our prayers should be a symphony to God. All of us play different notes but the same score. We have just come to the place in the the American church where the norm is praying under our breath but the biblical norm was praying audibly. Is it just a cultural deal? I’m not sure but, just being honest, if praying out loud is going to release God’s power more effectively then I’m all about it. Anyway, speaking of exciting prayer meetings... We are having an Acts 4 prayer meeting Friday Nov. 28th from 9pm to 5am. What is an Acts 4 meeting? Acts 4:31 “The place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke the Word of God boldly.” This will not be boring. Remember, prayer changes the course of History! One of my Mentors, Eddie Turner, has always told me that “you pray it through in the spiritual before it is manifest in the physical”. That’s Cool! Some come on..... Let “Pray it Through” together!

WOW!

2008-11-16T21:43:00.001-06:00

Another great day! I can’t really begin to tell you how great it is to be a part of what God is doing at Living To Go. The presence of God has been so....... Tangible over the last few months but the last 2 weeks have been so intense and people have been showing up like crazy! Today it was so a packed and someone turned the heat up..... Literally. It was so hot that all the projectors started overheating and the little warning signs pop up and say “check air flow” right in the middle of the screens.... Funny stuff! (I am easily entertained :) You know, if you haven’t been in a while you need to get back in a service at LTG and jump in. God is really doing some cool stuff... Come early though... That is If you want a good seat :)

Hope for tomorrow

2008-11-05T16:42:00.001-06:00

Geez... How many emails and calls can be sent about how bad or how great the election was. Regardless on where anyone stands on the issues we have a new president-elect. The one word that seemed to resonate across the nation (for 2 loooooong years!) was change. I am reminded of another nation who longed for change as well. Israel wanted a king like all the other nations, they wanted change on their terms and what is amazing is God allowed them to have it their way.... They chose a king that reflected the way they believed and the way they felt for the change that THEY wanted. And they Got it in King Saul. Apparently not God’s first choice, but God still anointed him king. I have 2 points to share today.....

Christianity is not about our take on things or how we feel about matters (that is relativism, a cancer that has spread through the church in America) but it IS about the unchanging, uncompromising Word of God. Sin is sin no matter what I think about it or how I feel about it. God’s Word never changes
Even if President-Elect Obama wasn’t your choice realize that God will give him a choice, like every leader, to honor the God of Israel and bring blessings on our land or..... Well, I think you know what or entails.

Our jobs as followers of Christ is to realize that God truly is control and to intercede and pray for those in authority over us. Positive change that will bring blessing to America will come when we honor God and wave His banner not ours. I’ll leave you with this thought..... Be a person of vision, a person of hope, a person who acknowledges that God is God and will always be God.
“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJV

New Ministries...

2008-11-05T06:57:00.002-06:00

GO VOTE!

2008-11-04T08:08:00.001-06:00

Make sure that you go vote before or after work today. We, as leaders and Christians, should not complain about policies and decisions made by our government if we don't vote. So don't stay away from the polls because the lines are long... (and they are...I'm in one now) Go Vote! Let our faith and Christian values be heard through your vote. Every vote does matter...

oooops!!!

2008-11-01T22:10:00.002-05:00

Man... when will i learn? i crashed the website today and lost all of our email accounts! so if you are looking for www.livingtogo.org it's not there! give me a couple of days and it'll be back up with a new look to go along with it. In the meantime you can reach me at clay.baggett@gmail.com.
Anyway, I'm expecting a great day tomorrow! be sure you're there expecting a miracle.....

Titans are Rocking!

2008-10-27T22:52:00.001-05:00

Tawana and I watched an entire game tonight! It is a miracle! Haha... I love the story with Collins.... The back-up quarterback for Tennessee who has led the Titans to a 7-0 season so far. I’m always about those people that have been written off and get energized when you see them defy the odds. Steven Furtick talked about the power of a moment in one of his blogs and it really stuck with me. Everything can change in one moment.... Never forget that a moment where God is involved can accomplish more than we can in our entire lives. No matter what your situation looks like never stop looking for that MOMENT! Look for every opportunity and be a Doer! Someone who is a person of action!

Oct. 26th Announcements

2008-10-25T21:27:00.002-05:00

Week-end wrap up

2008-10-20T11:11:00.001-05:00

Another great week end. I'm tired but energized. We had a great service Sunday morning. People were fired up and ready to worship. That always makes for an exciting service. We even had a runner! Lol.. I haven't seen that in quite some time. There was just something....well...joyful about the moment. It was cool.
Then I did a wedding for Steph Coffee or now Steph Loza in Adams TN. Then bolted back just in time for connect groups at 6pm at LTG... Long day but so worth it.

Media Files

2008-10-11T00:13:00.001-05:00

Hey, just a quick update.... I’ve had a tone of emails asking about the service media not working right.... Well, you are right. When I checked I was informed that they were transferring the files to a new server and should be up and running by Oct. 15th. Sorry for the inconvenience but we’re gonna get it back on line as quick as possible.

Crazy Week

2008-10-11T00:05:00.001-05:00

Hey everybody.... What a crazy week! I’ve been a little distracted from blogging but I’m ready to get back in the groove. This Sunday I’m starting a new series of messages called “Where are You Going?” I’ve really been consumed with the that thought process for the past week or so. Let me explain it like this... It seems that the American church is consumed with small insignificant things for the most part. Like focusing on temporal things like wants and desires, how we can be successful in 5 steps, or 15 ways to increase your portfolio... I was watching a news program the other day and saw how the major nation’s stock markets were all crashing and the more I watched the more I began to really think about how close we actually are to the days spoken of in the book of Daniel and Revelations. I’m not saying that as a pessimist but an optimist! If we believe what the Bible says then we must realize that there is an urgency like never before to reach people for Christ. So, in a nut-shell, we MUST get our eyes off of the insignificant and get them on the significant. Who cares about what color carpet is or if your church is singing I’ll Fly Away or Today is the Day. Let’s, as the American church, regroup and refocus before it’s too late. It’s an awesome time to be alive.... Who knows? Tomorrow might be THE day...
See ya Soon!

This Weekend...

2008-10-03T09:44:00.000-05:00

Sorry for no update on the web site or the blog. I’ve been out of town and in the mountains where there is very sketchy internet connections. Oh how I love the city :) My dad, the happy pastor, will be speaking on Sunday so come ready for the “Apostle” experience. It is always an adventure when he takes the platform :) I’ll see ya Sunday!

Thoughts on the Weekend

2008-09-28T22:18:00.002-05:00

Today was a great day.

Jeremy and the worship team really blew the doors off.
When Heather sang “Beautiful” it messed me up (that’s a good thing)
The drama team did such an awesome job with set design and the skits through-out the Full Service Series. Really proud of Pastor Kim and her team.
The closing message for the series today was “Trust”.
The main questions were “Do you really Trust God?” and “Can God really trust you?”

I really strive to a person that God can trust with everything that He has given me. I’ve been blessed with a great family and beautiful daughters and granddaughter and an incredible wife. A great church family to serve with and all the people that are being added to that family. I have my health. A home. Food to eat and a job. But the trick for all of us is giving all that back to God. I think it’s a lot harder than just saying it or typing in a blog... Trusting and obeying God completely is a challenge for us all but one that brings more reward than you can imagine...
Well, that was my week-end. Now I’m off to the mountains for some hang-time with my staff. I’m looking forward to some great brain storming ideas.

The Grill-King

Positively Positive

2008-09-25T18:19:00.001-05:00

Wow! I’m a big believer in the power of positive thinking and positive speaking. The other day Tawana was relating how, in the course of the day, almost every conversation that she had with other people was them informing her of how messed up their day was and how they were either stressed out, maxed out, under-appreciated or just plain sick. Now I certainly realize that these are crazy times and we all have struggles that we will face and those feelings of frustration and despair or whatever you wanna call them are going to come our way, of course, but my deal is that we need to confront these feelings and learn to power through them with positive statements and positive thoughts. I have learned that I need that safe place to “vent” my frustration but then to leave it there and remind myself of what the Word of God says... “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 To remind myself that it’s not my strength that will carry me through (thank God!) but the strength of a God who never leaves me alone. I remind myself that God knows exactly what’s going on and that He is bigger than my storm.... I am MORE than an overcomer through Christ who gives me strength!
Oh yeah.... And then Tawana reminds me that it is she who reminds me of what I need to be reminded of! (lol) Thank God for women who tell us the truth! Positively!!!!!!!