TravisAgnew.org

Welcome Back Lander Students!

Travis Agnew — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:38:34 +0000

So excited to see Greenwood buzzing with all the new and returning Lander students this week! As you guys get back in the groove, I wanted to let you know about a few things for college students:

RELI 101 – I still have some openings at TR 1:15-2:45 for my Religions course I teach. Would love to see you in there!
BCM – Scott Smith and the gang are having some free BBQ tonight at the center at 5:30. Their services kick off Thursday at 9pm, and the following 2 Thursdays, I get the privilege of speaking – can’t wait to see you there!
College Lunch – This Sunday, we are having a free homecooked meal for college students after our 11:15 service (around 12:30). Come on out, we would love to have you!
NS College Group – Starting next Wednesday night, I am leading a college Bible study at North Side I would love you to be a part of. We are meeting in the Family Life Center at 8pm on September 8th. Bring a Bible, bring a friend, and we are going to get after it – can’t wait to spend this semester doing some serious discipleship with college students.

Any questions on how you can get involved or serve in any of these areas, please comment and I will get back to you!

Irrational Animals

Travis Agnew — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:04:09 +0000

Bold, arrogant people! They do not tremble when they blaspheme the glorious ones; 11 however, angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring a slanderous charge against them before the Lord. 12 But these people, like irrational animals—creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed—speak blasphemies about things they don’t understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed, 13 suffering harm as the payment for unrighteousness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, delighting in their deceptions as they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and always looking for sin, seducing unstable people, and with hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!

(2 Pet. 2:10b-14, HCSB)

God hates sin. He is especially appalled when sin takes place in the lives of his children. Unfortunately, believers often categorize sin. We tend to think of certain sins as more evil than others. We see other sins as not so severe.

We live in a culture that diminishes the seriousness of sin. Lying to another person has been reduced to “a little white lie.” Sexual advances to a coworker is simply labeled as harmless flirting. People follow their desires and either claim that was just the way they were made or that the devil made them do it.

In this passage, Peter leaves no room for question at how God sees sin. He hates it. Sin is simply when people believe like irrational animals. They follow their appetites. They see something that they want, and they are fixated on possessing it. The ability to rationalize is one of the things that is supposed to differentiate animals from human beings. A dog is not expected to have the rational skills to understand not to steal food from another dog. A human being is expected to have the rational skills to understand that they can’t act upon every instinct that they experience.

Peter classifies such living as bold, arrogant, blasphemous, slanderous, irrational, carousers, deceivers, seducers, unstable, and so much more. As believers in Christ, we cannot act on every craving we experience. King David’s irrational behavior brought about many consequences. His sin started when he wanted something that didn’t belong to him and he took it (2 Samuel 11). God punished David for such actions and we won’t get off the hook either.

Today, realize that you are a child of God with the Holy Spirit inside you. Do not act on every whim like irrational animals. Fight against the sinful self-indulgence tendencies and choose true freedom in Christ.

Expected to Grow

Travis Agnew — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:07:16 +0000

What a great day as we concluded “Solitary Confinement.”

We’ve encouraged people to join community groups, but we’ve never really expected people to join. If God expects us to grow, and he uses relationships to help us grow, then shouldn’t we make Christian relationships a priority?

Versus hyping people up today and trying to get them to join a community group, we decided to do something unthinkable: cut the service short and sign them up while they were all here! Don’t get used to shorter services, though! Jamie Parler, our Community Pastor, gave a short message that really drove it home. God expects us to grow, and we grow in the confines of Christian relationships, so go sign up now!

The picture above shows what a really effective invitation looks like – giving people a specific, clear way to respond right then and there! Praise God for the OVERWHELMING response!

The testimonies during “I Need You to Survive” also really drove the message home today! Life change is happening all around us!

Today, we worshiped to:

Made to Worship – Chris Tomlin
Our God – Chris Tomlin
Unite Us Together – Travis Agnew (on North Side Worship release 10.10.10)
I Need You to Survive – Hezekiah Walker

If you didn’t say yes during the invitation today, it’s not too late to sign up for a group! Or you can watch some of the service here.

Overcome: A Night of Worship & Hope

Travis Agnew — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:16:04 +0000

A Night of Worship and Hope

Come join us on October 10 at 6:00 p.m. here at North Side Baptist. This will be a time of worship through music, prayer, and testimony. Come and find out what it means to Overcome!

This night of worship will help people who need hope find the next step. We are inviting all types of ministries to be present to help people in need. For those who need a night of encouragement, hope, worship, prayer, we want to see you there!

North Side Worship’s “Overcome” release will also happen this night and proceeds of the album will go to help those who need to overcome (you see a theme, yet?).

The event is free. Doors will open at 5:30.

Contact jessica@northsidebc.org for more information.

Help us get the word out on Facebook.

A Week With North Side Worship

Travis Agnew — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:37:58 +0000

As a part of the training I provided at the Worship Summit this weekend, I put together this video from my phone to show what a week looks like as I prepare a bunch of musicians, vocalists, and technicians to prepare to lead worship.

Watch the behind the scenes footage of how North Side Worship gets ready to lead each week. http://northsideworship.com

Worship Summit Recap

Travis Agnew — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:56:22 +0000

We had an absolute blast at the Worship Summit this weekend. I am still processing all that took place. Our team, North Side Worship, got to lead worship 4 times for a training event for worship leaders all over the state. I then taught 4 sessions (5 Things That Will Kill Your Worship Team, The Big Idea, Cookie Cutter Worship, and Guitar/Bass Master Class), and the rest of the team helped teach master classes in voice, keys, and drums.

Mark Powers, the director of worship for the South Carolina Baptist Convention, told me that people were going out of their way to share encouraging words about our group. I must say I have never been prouder to be on this team! I never doubted how they were going to bring it, but people’s comments to me reminded me how blessed we are as a church to have this crew.

These were some of the comments I received there, through email, etc.:

“Your group sounded powerful on stage, but off-stage they were even more powerful. So relational and helpful.”
“Enjoyed you and your praise team this weekend ministering to us at the White Oak Worship Summit. I did not get to attend any of the sessions your group did but others from my church and my daughter did. They were really over joyed with the passion that was demonstrated through your love for Christ and in with working with one another.”
“I’ve never been led by such humble and passionate people.”
“Can your group come to my church?”
“Part of your team invited me to eat lunch with them and that meant so much to me.”
“How did you assemble so many quality people?”
And much more.

I am so very proud of them and honored to lead worship alongside them. Due to questions about the notes from the class, scheduling times for part of our group to come to other churches, or other great questions, I am listing a bunch of resources that hopefully should help you. I have pdf versions of the main 3 sessions and also our application packet. Also, I have some links of some upcoming events and way to get more resources from us on the regular. It’s all free – enjoy! Make it better, make it your own, Just equip your team!

I also wanted to tell you about a few opportunities that I have had some emails concerning since I got back this week.

Overcome: A Night of Worship & Hope - 10.10.10 – At 6 PM that Sunday night, we are going to have a worship concert coinciding with the release of the new worship album. These songs are the storytellers songs I was telling you guys about this weekend. The event is free, we would love to have your whole teams come out, just contact us with any questions. More info here. Or get info on Facebook.
Lift: Worship Workshop – 1.29.11 – An all-day Saturday free worship workshop held at North Side Baptist in Greenwood, SC. Bring your whole team and get equipped on how you can lift your worship, your team expectations, and your team’s abilities. Tracks in musicians, vocalists, technicians, host teams, etc. More info soon.
Consultations/Worship Leading – I talked with a few of you about coming by myself or with a team to your church to either help do some training or worship leading. We would love to help. If you want more info on that, click here.
Onsites – I was also asked if your team could ever come on a Sunday or a Wednesday practice to just hang out with us as we prepare and lead, and that is a definite yes. You just need to contact jessica@northsidebc.org and setup a time and we would love to have you join alongside us!

Feel free to contact me and I would love to help out in anyway possible. We were so humbled to walk beside you and serve you this weekend! Pray we can continue our partnerships to leading our congregations to the throne of Jesus!

Make sure to check back here at my blog or at northsideworship.com for updated resources to help equip you lead worship!

Resources

The Effects of PDA on Your Children

Travis Agnew — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:27:51 +0000

While there are varying degrees of PDA (public displays of affection), and you and your spouse’s personalities should definitely be considered, how visible is your love for your spouse? Many people will say, “We don’t have to do all that stuff to show how much we love each other.” That’s true, but it’s not a bad addition.

If your children had to rate your marriage’s connection strictly based upon what they witnessed, how would they grade you? Check out these two quotes I received a few months ago:

“It was no surprise to me when my parents got a divorce. They never used that word, but I never saw them remotely affectionate towards each other. When I visited my friends’ houses and they would comment at how gross it was to see their parents kiss or hold hands – I quietly wished my parents were like that. Their divorce came as no shock – I never really saw them be in love.” -Beth, 16 year old with divorced parents alternating on the weekends
“When I was sixteen, even though I used to say it was gross when my mom and dad hugged and kissed each other in front of us, I can’t tell you the amount of stability it brought to my life.” -Erin, Beth’s friend, whose parents have been married for 28 years

Have you ever thought that the level of affection you show your spouse speaks something to your children? I’m not talking about handling yourself in such a way that others think you need a room, but I am talking about intimacy and affection that spills over into life.

While our boys are two, they get really excited when they see mom and dad hugging or giving a kiss. It shows connection. It shows that they aren’t at the center of the world. It shows them that we had a relationship before they were around. You might think it sounds funny, but our boys just seem secure when their parents show affection towards one another.

With which statement do you most agree?

Parents who display affection in front of their children are inconsiderate.
Parents who display affection in front of their children are gross.
Parents who display affection in front of their children are immature.
Parents who display affection in front of their children enjoy attention.
Parents who display affection in front of their children are perfectly healthy.

Authentic Christian Community

Travis Agnew — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:53:40 +0000

What a great Sunday at North Side as we continued through our 2nd week of “Solitary Confinement” as we focused on the big idea of “Authentic Christian Community.”

Some of us struggle to grow in our walk with Christ because we fail to get in the right environments. In authentic Christian community, God uses other believers to strengthen us. Are you making sure you are setting yourself up for spiritual success?

The above picture is Jeff’s big boy tomato that he has been growing in his backyard. Something is definitely wrong (garden, soil, water, planter…)! As he pointed out, many of us are like that because we aren’t planting ourselves around the people of God. His message was so powerful today – can’t wait to talk about it tonight in my C-Group.

Other ways we drove home the big idea was through a great small group video and a wonderful testimony about C-Groups from one of our elders, Scott Davis. Here was today’s full service guide.

Today, we worshiped to:

Our team pulled what energy they had left from a long weekend of ministry and left it all on the stage this Sunday. After a weekend of pouring into other worship teams, this crew gave it their all yet again. And I must admit, my challenge for the congregation to sing like a bunch of worship leaders from this weekend must have paid off because you guys got after it too! It was an amazing time of worship today, and I am honored to get to do it with this team and with this church!

Can’t wait for a special conclusion to this series next Sunday!

Leaving for the Worship Summit

Travis Agnew — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:55:00 +0000

Gear is packed, presentations ready, and our team is rowdy as we leave for the Worship Summit this afternoon.

I was honored and humbled when our group was asked to lead worship and I was asked to do the training at a worship training event for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Today and tomorrow, our North Side Worship group will be pouring ourselves out. If you only knew the humility and the dedication of this group. They are not going in a spirit of showing off their best chops. They are going to minister to fellow worship leaders.

I would love your prayers! Here’s what we are doing:

Leading worship 4 times to a group of worship leaders from around the state – pray that they are refreshed and they actually get to worship instead of trying to evaluate
Teaching 3 Large Group Sessions – I’m teaching on 5 Things That Will Kill Your Worship Team, The Big Idea: Moving Beyond “Special Music,” and Cookie-Cutter Worship. Pray that God uses me to help these teams lead worship more effectively.
Master Classes – We are responsible for instrument master classes as well on drums (Jamie), keys (Woody), guitar (me, Eric, and Cory), and vocalists (Amanda, John, Angela, Amy, Peggy, Richenda, Jodie, & Nancy).
Encouragement Times – Pray that we build relationships and encourage this crew rather than just lead from the stage.

We appreciate your prayers and can’t wait to tell you how it all goes down!

Why North Side Changed to a Clover Site

Travis Agnew — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:52:02 +0000

Last week we launched a whole new site for northsidebc.org. We have heard some rave reviews of it for a few different reasons:

Sermons on video
SIMPLE navigation (compared to our previous)
Mobile phone viewing
Removal of clutter
Changing/temporary content being moved to northsideblog.org
You can get your Compass devotionals in your inbox early in the morning by subscribing
And much more…

We have received some great ideas to improve a couple of elements and are working on those as well. This site has enough information for visitors to get connected and members to get important information. A simple website CANNOT contain everything about a church our size, but we have a plan for something that can (coming in January…).

That’s what the site is, but why did we make the change? Previously, we had a site designed by one of the premier developers in the country. It was snazzy, but since its been over 3 years ago since they made it, so many advances on the web have taken place. For us to get our site updated into their system with all the bells and whistles was going to cost a pretty penny.

That had me thinking. If the web has made such advances in 3 years that you need to do a complete site overhaul, when will the next time we will have to shell out that kind of cash again? 3 years? 2 years? 1 years?

It wasn’t sitting well with me. I kept going back to my love for cloversites.com. These guys see their ministry as creating clean, beautiful website templates for a low cost. While you have to get creative on how to make it your own, it can be done. And their pricing was going to be 1/15 of the cost that other places could have charged us.

Our church is with the times, but I wouldn’t say we’re cutting edge. We like to be up to date, but we honestly desire to be trendsetters in areas other than bells and whistles.

We want to be known for our commitment to stewardship over uniqueness.

Why I love Clover is that we used wise stewardship principles and we still have a better website than I think we would have had with a lot more money spent. Their commitment to excellence, simplicity, and easy updating has made a wonderful product. There are other churches out there who have the same website frame as us, and that doesn’t bother me at all! We have saved money (on a unique design, staff position to be a web programmer, etc.) we can put towards reaching an unreached people group, and we have a more effective tool to make disciples. Thank you, Clover!

If you haven’t checked out the new North Side site or the new blog, make sure to do so today!