Big Hair Preacher

The Fringe Benefits of Failure

This Sunday 7/12 I'll be speaking LIVE in Morristown about "The Fringe Benefits of Failure." That title is taken from the Commencement Address J.K. Rowling gave at Harvard University. Check it out here:

It's a fascinating speech in which Rowling-- the multi-millionaire author of the wildly-popular Harry Potter series-- says that the only reason she became a success... was that she was an utter failure first.

And it ain't some "fairy tale" story made for the popular press. Rowling said:

"Seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. The fears that my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew."

Is it possible that our biggest failure can become-- through God's power-- our biggest benefit?

Come to Liquid this Sunday 7/12 and find out!

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Rock & Run for Clean Water!

Liquid is hosting its first-ever 5K "Rock & Run" this September to benefit Clean Water Projects in Africa!

Wanna run with me? (I'm getting new sneakers ;-)

Register here to run... roll (on a bike)... or ride (your Harley)... or just volunteer!

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At the Movies - premieres June 21!

Our blockbuster summer message series kicks-off on June 21st!

Liquid Church | At The Movies from Liquid Church on Vimeo.

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John Boss

I am incredibly proud of our peeps who pour into the lives of our Kids & Teens every week at Liquid. Their work is literally life-changing-- changing the lives of people like John.

Wanna make a world of difference pouring into the next generation?

Talk to Pastor Bill.

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Church in the Streets!

Yesterday's Free Market was a screaming success-- over 1,000 people served in two different cities under a blazing summer sun! Read a news report of the Motown madness here.

Here are 5 of my fav memories from the day:

Hot & happy kids gobbling down sno-cone after sno-cone.

Liquid volunteers spreading the love of Jesus... with sticky fingers.

The boundless energy of our peeps loving on their city-- you guys rock!

Frank Sr. & Frank Jr. delivering 1,000s of hot pretzels...

A church without walls that planted a big ol' wet kiss smack-dab on the face of our cities!

(photo by Dan Salvo from atop the Heldrich)

And-- by day's end-- a little bit of Liquid refreshment!

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Love & Coffee

So peeps are starting to catch the vision for spreading the LOVE!

Starting with Greenberry's Coffee & Tea in Morristown, LiquidWater is now officially available in stores.

At $2 a bottle, spreading the love has never been easier.

As always, 100% of the proceeds go directly to funding new freshwater wells in Africa!

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Down with Diet Coke!

I've now gone 3 weeks without Diet Coke... and there's no turning back.
Fill 'er up with Liquid Love!

The Liquid Water Challenge from Liquid Church on Vimeo.

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Watch the Love Flow!

I think a lot of people associate Ethiopia with deserts & famine-- but it's a beautiful country with some of the most joyful people I've ever met!

At each village Colleen & I visited, we danced, drank coffee, rode horses... and celebrated the arrival of Living Water for a Thirsty World!

Watch the love flow here.

Liquid Love from Liquid Church on Vimeo.

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Live from Ethiopia!

This Sunday 4/26, I'll be sharing a message from northern Ethiopia-- the Amhara region where Liquid recently completed 20 freshwater wells for our brothers & sisters in Christ!

The time Colleen & I spent there rocked our world in the most wonderful way. We met some of the humblest people on earth, living in a primitive 1st-century culture, and yet our new friends were full of joy & hospitality!

Words fail to describe the impact fresh, clean water has on the children in Amhara. To provide a cup of cold water in Christ's name for the poorest of the poor... priceless.

I can't wait to share the impact with you guys this weekend! I have many stories to share (surprise, surprise ;-)

See you Sunday for the kick-off of Lub-Dub: Echoing God's Heartbeat!

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Off to Africa

Colleen and I will be in Africa over the next week (April 3-10) to see the Liquid freshwater wells in Ethiopia. 15 of the freshwater wells drilled by Liquid were just been completed north of Addis Ababa!

We'll be trekking with Scott Harrison to see first-hand the diffence clean, safe water makes in the lives of the African poor. Here's a pic of a Liquid well completed this Spring in the C.A.R. How great is the smile on this girl's face?

At some point, I'm scheduled to video a message from the Ethiopian desert as the kick-off for our new Spring series "Lub-Dub"! I'll have a chance to interview local folks and we'll hear how God's gift of Living Water is impacting a Thirsty World.

Water truly changes Everything. Col & I are so pumped about this trip (no pun intended ;-) It's a chance to see the fruit from last summer-- when God's Spirit blew through our church and ignited an outbreak of generosity. Remember this?

Colleen and I appreciate your prayers while we're gone. We got all our shots (sore arms) and will be back in time for Easter!

As we travel, our main prayer is a simple, but dangerous, one. We are asking God: "Break our heart with what breaks Yours."

Can't wait to see what He's doing on the ground... and share it with you all after Easter!

Love you guys!

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Easter in the Hottub!

I can't wait for Easter. No, not for the colored eggs & candy rabbits... but for the changed lives! This Easter Sunday (April 12th), we're hosting Baptism Celebrations at all Liquid services!

These are my favorite services all year... and you will experience the most powerful sermons ever heard at Liquid (largely because I'm not preaching... but God's people are! ;-)

The stories of how Jesus is changing lives from the inside-out are remarkable.

Ready to finally proclaim your faith in Christ this Easter?

Sign-up here to join me, Pastor Mike, & Pastor Tom in the hottub!

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I Am Second

I loved Pastor Tom's message "I Am Second" this past Sunday which really captures the essence of Cross-centered living. What happens when Christ takes first place in someone's life?

Ask Stephen Baldwin who became #2 and traded in Success for Satisfaction:

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Prison Break

Our new series on Philippians starts this Sunday... Can't wait to preach from prison to y'all!

Mega props to our Creative Team and Dan Salvo's original photography from Eastern State Penitentiary!

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Free Porn Help

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If you're struggling with porn, here's a link to free Accountability software. X3Watch is a great practical tool if you're fighting an online addiction to porn.

If you want to truly jumpstart your journey to Recovery (from porn addiction), X3Pure is the way to go.

X3Pure is an online workshop providing a plan of attack, a roadmap for recovery, and can be used by Married Men, Single Guys, and Women as well.

30 days to purity? Definitely worth the $99 bucks.

All this from our friends at XXXChurch.com. (Yes, it's a legit ministry ;-)

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For Men Only!

Guys, here's that free book I mentioned this weekend. If you struggle with pornography or masturbation (which guy hasn't?), Porn Again Christian is for you.

Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church (Seattle) gives one of the most incisive, no-holds-barred dissections of the stuff many of us struggle with from a Biblical perspective. Truly eye-opening.

Best part? It's free. You can download it or read it here.

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Text your Sex Q!

My lovely (and fun-loving!) wife Colleen is joining me onstage at Liquid this Sunday (2/22) to answer your questions about Love, Sex, and Relationships! You can TEXT YOUR QUESTION to 47201-- type "HEAT" then your candid question!

We'll pool the best, most relevant, candid questions and take our best shot at them. We can't promise perfect answers (cliches are banned)-- but we'll do our best to give a biblical perspective on real-life issues.

How cool is this? LIVE texting for the rest of the HEAT series... 2 COOL 4 SCHOOL! ;-)

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See Ya, Starbucks!

Exciting News: Attendance at Liquid is up 40% this year! The Challenge? Giving is down 20% (hello, economic downturn!)

How do we serve MORE people with FEWER resources? Watch here.

Thanks for your faithful support, guys!

Behind on your giving? CLICK HERE to catch-up!

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Barbie Blasphemy?

So the Creative Team at Liquid jumped the shark for our new series "HEAT: God's Honest Truth about Love & Sex." They kidnapped a bunch of my daughter's Barbies and used them to create this stop-action promo:

Can't wait for the series start this Sunday!