Big Hair Preacher

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!

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.

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!

1,935 Souls... and 1 Big Idea.

Confession Time: As the snow & ice rained down late Saturday night, I thought: "C'mon, God... why does it have to be this hard?"  We were hours away from the launch of our New Brunswick campus and the winter storm swirled outside.

Funny, isn't it?  How God sometimes allows the elements to remind us of a very simple truth:  When all the planning is said and done, WE HAVE VERY LITTLE CONTROL over life.

Seriously.  For weeks & months, our incredible team of Liquid volunteers & leaders have been planning, praying, sweating, and pouring over every detail to make sure all was in place for our LIVE LAUNCH this Sunday, January 11th.

(And it wasn't just New Brunswick-- our Internet Campus was launching too.  Our "Geeks-for-God Squad" have been testing, testing, and re-testing for weeks!)

So on Saturday-- mere hours before all went "LIVE"-- the Storm hit.  Snow.  Ice. Freezing Rain.

Man makes his plans... God laughs.

Here's my suspicion:  I think God does this intentionally.  Not to tease or frustrate us.  But to remind us of a simple truth: that when all is said & done, HE ALONE is in control.  (When you're knee-deep in details-- from a project at work to planning a wedding-- the subtle temptation is to believe YOU can "cover all the bases" to ensure a perfect outcome).

•  I prayed for sun, of course.  But I also went to bed tempering my expectations.  Reminding myself that Liquid has been-- and always will be-- a "God thing."  Jesus is our Leader, we are His church, and we simply need to get on board with what He's already doing.  (I recall hearing somewhere:  If God's truly behind something, it will be "unstoppable" regardless of the obstacles ;-)

So I slept peacefully, calmed by God's reminder that even if only a handful of people showed up in New Brunswick, it would be a significant win for the Kingdom.

I lack words for what happened 8 hours later.

They came. 

In spite of the snow.  In spite of the ice. 

In spite of the freezing rain... they came.

And they DID NOT STOP COMING!

All told, 650 men, women, and children PACKED OUT the FIRST-EVER Liquid services at the Hyatt New Brunswick... raising up the name of Jesus and worshiping God together in central Jersey!

650 new faces-- new families, little kids, Rutgers students, street people... they came then...

THEY JUST KEPT COMING!

We actually ran out of parking!  (how great a problem is that?!?)

The day was truly overwhelming.  The sight of all those people-- people with ETERNAL SOULS-- who were made BY God, and FOR God... coming back to their true identity in Christ.  In the middle of the 11 AM service, I had to step away into a men's room stall for a minute to compose myself because of the sheer emotion in the room during worship.  The sea of faces, hands raised in worship...

Does it get better than this?  

The Kingdom Came.

•  Colleen and I were once again A-MAZED by Liquid's army of volunteers.  I can't remotely express HOW PROUD I am of our people-- people who TOGETHER will literally do anything short of sin to "take church to the people."

As we toured the LiquidKids level, I teared up again.  All those little stools, tables, art supplies... the teachers, leaders, and mentors pouring hours of their lives... all in an effort to serve Jesus by leading the next generation into a relationship with Him.

Understand something:  There will be lives FOREVER CHANGED by what happened yesterday in New Brunswick.  Changed for eternity.  The stakes are that high.

Which is why, I think, God wanted to remind us with the weather:

In the end:

IT IS ALL ABOUT HIM!

•  As Colleen & I drove north to Morristown for afternoon services, we had to shield our eyes because the sun was so bright.  I laughed.  I laughed because as the snow & ice melted in the rearview, I realized God was using the weather to remind us all of a very simple truth:

It really is ALL about HIM!  And:  He is in TOTAL CONTROL (any control we think we have over life or outcomes is merely an illusion).

And-- when we surrender our hopes to His Lordship; drop the attitude of "We can do this!" for a simpler posture of childlike dependency-- guess what happens?

He opens the floodgates.  Surprising us in ways we can't even envision. 

Why?  Because CHRIST ALONE is "able to do exceedingly more than all we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).

 
•  After greeting all the new peeps in New Brunswick, it was so good to see your familiar faces in Morristown!  Here's an encouraging thing:  We had almost 1,100 people in Motown; which means that the majority of the 650 in Brunswick were truly NEW PEOPLE (not just transfer growth).  Goooooooo, God!

(This month I'll be shuttling back and forth between Motown & NB and am SO EXCITED about what God's going to do at BOTH OUR NEW CAMPUSES in 2009!)

Thanks again to EACH OF YOU who have been praying, serving, giving-- SACRIFICING!-- to fulfill our God-given vision to "take church to the people!"

If I had any lingering doubts of whether God was in the details, they were BLOWN AWAY on Sunday. 

•  The upshot is that 1,935 SOULS experienced Liquid yesterday amidst the snow and ice! 

Our Internet Campus launched under the expert leadership of Pastor Dave, Lauren V, and Matt J... and catch this: our church welcomed online participants from New Zealand, Korea, London, Amsterdam, Mexico, Brazil, Rome, and Hong Kong!

At 11 AM (New York time), our electronic map began "lighting up" as over 200 people logged on for the first time to participate in Sunday's service from around the world.  The IC team was giddy (especially since God miraculously overcame a last-minute technical snafu)... and plans are in the works to launch a Saturday night service (EST) which will reach people in Asia on Sunday morning (their time).

Guys, this is just the beginning.  The start of Something Big.  Can you feel it?

Can you believe we get to be a part of it?!?

I am speechless.

God is not just IN the storm.  He IS the storm.

His goodness beyond imagination...  His Spirit UNSTOPPABLE!

Especially when it snows.

Mare Cortese... Liquid Hero!

One of my heroes at Liquid is Mare Cortese-- just one of a legion of lion-hearted leaders who love on our children every week at LiquidKids.  Why does Mare serve?  I'll let her tell you:

Get involved with Liquid Kids!!!! from Liquid Church on Vimeo.

You gotta understand: at LiquidKids, we don't "babysit."  All our leaders understand the stakes are much higher than that. 

At LiquidKids, we LODGE AN ANCHOR in the hearts of little boys & little girls from which we hope they'll never let go & never recover.  During the most formative stages of their life, we have the privilege of introducing them to the love of their Heavenly Father.  There's no higher calling than that.

Mare embodies that passion... and her sacrifice serving my kids each week is why she's one of my heroes.

Wanna serve at LiquidKids?  Find out more here.

Holy Hottub... 62 Baptisms!

Call it Holy Hottub or Holy Ghost power, something special happened today at Liquid!  62 people took a huuuuge step of faith and got baptized to publicly profess their faith in Jesus Christ!

I'm still shaking my head in awe at how God does extraordinary things in ordinary lives: the baptisms ran the gamut from a muscled cop named Marty... to a little girl named Ireland who got baptized with her mommy. 

Every story was unique, one-of-a-kind, and utterly a God-thing!  (Wait til you see the video highlights ;-)

Perhaps most remarkable is that 18 of the people were SPONTANEOUS baptisms.  That's right-- they didn't come to church planning to get dunked, but then God showed up, stirred the water, and they jumped out of the boat. Talk about courage!

Brock was one of those spontaneous baptisms-- the look on his face (and mine) says it all.

20. 100. Boo-ya.

The totals are in and I am-- in a word-- speechless.

20 wells.

$100,000 dollars sacrificed in Christ's name.

That's 8,000 men, women, & children in sub-Saharan Africa whose lives will be forever changed because of what GOD DID through our church this summer!

Just incredible.  If you were at our "Party with a Purpose," you know what happened.  Water was the theme.  And God obliged.  The skies opened up 10 minutes before the party, soaking us all. 

Then the sun came out.  And so did the people.  Over 1,000 people in the city center of Morristown "walking for water"... partying with a purpose.

631 people took our Third World Water Walk... and then God touched down once again to do "immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine." (this is a recurring theme in our church ;-)

Water + Liquid + God = A generation of lives forever changed.  Both here.  And in Africa.

The stories of how Liquid peeps sacrificed to invest in the lives of "the least of these" continue to pour in.  Here are 2 recent ones:

• One couple ditched their home renovation plans to drill a well in Ethiopia instead.  $5k

• One man donated the ENTIRE down payment he'd saved to buy a Harley-Davidson this summer.  $5k

Speechless.  When a guy gives up his Harley for a freshwater well, you know God's up to something BIG!  So he won't have a cool ride this summer... but an African village of 400 will drink cool, clean water for the next 20 years instead.

I would call this a true downpour.  A downpour of compassion-- a tidal wave of Christ followers literally cashing in their chips to bring "up there, down here."

This is just the beginning, friends.  The start of something very, very special.
What's your story?

Liquid on CNN

So our Gas Giveaway last weekend stirred up some interest. The first person in line-- an elderly woman named Susan in her 70s-- lined up at 5:30 AM.  There were 175 cars by 9 AM.  By the time we opened the pumps at 10 AM, the line snaked 2 miles up South Street.

Then the news crews showed up.  I tried to tell them about our freshwater wells in Africa... but (big surprise!) all they wanted to know about was the gas.

CBS, NBC, ABC, channels 9, 11, 12... who knew that serving our neighbors "no strings attached" was news?

Then it all went viral and wound-up on CNN.




We weren't trying to raise money, convert people, or make a statement. All we wanted to do was remind our neighbors of a simple truth: whether they drive a Hummer or a Honda, God loves them!

Go figure. Gas & God's grace... global good news from the Garden State.

Ditch Church... and Party On!

Do not... I repeat... do NOT go to church this weekend!  We have much more important things to do... like PARTYING! (wink wink)

Well, the Big Weekend is almost upon us.  Our entire church is moving from our SEATS to the STREETS to serve at our first-ever Party on the Green.  Our worship "service" will be our service to the city of Morristown.  This is our way of taking church to our neighbors... and it's a gift to the entire community wrapped up in a big red bow.

Okay, make that a big yellow jug.  Remember, this is a party with a purpose-- part of our vision to "go glocal"-- to be a local church with a global impact.

An army of volunteers (between 600-700 of you guys) signed-up to serve this Saturday & Sunday-- and we'll need it!  We hope that almost 2,000 people take the WaterWalk and help us pour compassion into the lives of the world's poorest.

HUUUUGE thanks to all of you sacrificing time & pouring hours to serve this weekend!  Our band is going to rock on Saturday, for sure, but I'm most excited about the chance we'll all have together to rub elbows with our neighbors, serve & just love on them.

It's kinda weird:  but shutting the doors of our church like this so we can go out to serve together THRILLS me at the deepest places!  Here's why:  I suspect that the message delivered this weekend will be more powerful than 1,000 sermons I could ever preach.

There's something about loving & serving people "no strings attached" that cuts through all the religious hooey-dooey and gets back to the radical nature of God's grace that gives the Gospel its power.

And remember-- whether you're painting a child's face or running the WaterWalk or serving a bottle of H20-- nothing is insignificant!  As Jesus reminded his followers, EVERYTHING matters:

We're going to have an amazing weekend serving together & want to be sure you've got all the info you need.

Remember, this is a "Party with a Purpose"-- so here are answers to some "Frequently Asked Questions" you may encounter. 

FAQs about... our Party on the Green

•  What's the purpose behind the party?  1) To serve our local neighbors (especially young kids & families); and 2) raise awareness for drilling wells in sub-Saharan Africa!

•  What's the cost? Nothing!  The entire party is our church's gift to the community!

• What's the WaterWalk? The average Ugandan woman walks 3 hours every day carrying 2 yellow jerry cans of swamp water (80 lbs).  For every person who walks "a few feet in their shoes," Liquid Church is donating $20 to build freshwater wells in sub-saharan Africa.  All told, we are planning to donate almost $50,000!

• Where is your church building wells? We're currently drilling new wells in 3 regions of Africa-- Ethiopia, Uganda, and the Central African Republic.

•  How much is a well?  Each well we drill costs an average of $5,000 providing clean, safe drinking water for an entire village-- 400 people for 20 years!

•  How many are you drilling?   The people of Liquid Church have generously given almost $50,000 to drill these wells this summer!  We're currently up to 10 wells... and counting!

FAQs about... our Gas Extravaganza

•  Why are you doing this?   Our church wanted to serve our neighbors in a practical way.  We figured with the high gas prices, this would be a tangible way to show God's love.

•  What's the catch?  There is none!  There are no strings attached-- we literally just want to let people know that God loves them & our church cares!

• What exactly are you doing? For every person who gets in line, we are doing 4 things:
    - Clean Your Car - we'll wash your windshield & clean your tires.

    - Refreshments - we'll give you snacks and something to drink.

    - Gas - we'll give you enough money to buy 10 gallons of gas at .99-cents/gallon.  That works out to $31 (That's the difference between the price of $4.09 and $0.99 for 10 gallons).

    - Pray - we'll pray for any needs if you have them.

• How much gas do I get?  Each car will receive a maximum of 10 gallons.

 

Don't worry about the crowds or the inevitable frenzy around the Gas Station, we've been working closely  with the Morristown Police to ensure everything runs smoothly & we have a great day serving together!

This is going to be the most amazing church "service" I've ever been a part of... can't wait to see what God does through us all!  See you on the Green!

Melbourne Makes it 10!

We are now at 10 wells for Africa!  And the way we got to double digits is truly amazing!

If you wonder whether God's truly at work around the globe, you've gotta watch this video from Liquid Melbourne.  Our Life Group in Melbourne, Australia has 20-30 of the most incredible people who meet every Sunday, watch the Liquid worship service via Apple TV (thanks Internet Campus!), eat & serve together.

First off, it blows me away that there's a Liquid community 18,000 miles away who like vegemite.

Secondly, when our Aussie brothers & sisters learned about our plans to build freshwater wells in sub-Saharan Africa, they were keen to build a well of their own.

So last Sunday-- in the rain & 30-degree weather-- they staged a WaterWalk of their own:

Yes, you saw it right. They painstakingly created their own bottle labels, balloons, printed photos of the crisis, and had total strangers carrying 40-lb jerry jugs across a bridge at a Melbourne shopping center.  (My favorite image is the kids carrying the tiny jugs... Brilliant, just brilliant idea!)

When we watched this video as a Staff, it made us cry.  Completely put us to pieces.

Here's why:  Because God's family is SOOOOO much bigger than any local church or denomination or country... and when God's kids get passionate about the things that break God's heart, spiritual tremors start half a world a way.

Liquid Melbourne, you guys friggin' rock.  I know of no other way to say it.

Living Water for a Thirsty World... from America to Africa by way of Australia.

Love-- and I mean, LOVE!-- your work!