Travis Agnew - Travis Agnew

Is Church Membership Like a YMCA Membership?

December 30, 2016June 14, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Below is a great snippet from Jeff’s message on church membership:

Bad Church Sign: Tired of Contemporary?

December 30, 2016June 13, 2013 by Travis Agnew

This week’s bad church sign says:

TIRED OF CONTEMPORARY?

COME TRY US.

I don’t know what town this is. I’m unsure of what church this is. But I know the situation exactly. Want me to paint the picture?

It’s in the Bible belt. It’s in a city where there is a lot of transfer growth. Sheep hopping from flock to flock. There is one (or more) churches who have grown recently due to a contemporary service or flavor. Some of them are traditional existing churches that have turned more and more contemporary over the years.

The church in the picture has lost some members due to that fact. In an effort to lure people into their flock, they use an advertising campaign for anyone passing by. But the ad is not for just anyone, is it? Read it. Is it for church people or unchurched people?

It’s for churched people of course. Outsiders don’t even know what a contemporary is in the context that us regulars understand it to be. This church is appealing to members of another flock. Actually, they are appealing to disgruntled members of other flocks in hoping that those worn out with the 20 minutes of contemporary worship music within a week’s time (which is .1% of the 10,080 minutes we are called to be the church all week long) will now join their flock. Let’s gather a group of disgruntled sheep in hopes that all their hopes and preferences will be met at our church house.

That’s a flock full of quite the dynamics, I would say.

This sign reveals a bunch about the state of the American Church today:

Great is Thy Faithfulness (9 Years Later)

June 12, 2013 by Travis Agnew

It was 9 years ago today that everything changed.

Her last name. My responsibilities. Our address.

The bridal processional on our wedding day was one of our favorite hymns, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” As her father walked her down the aisle and our family and friends worshiped along with us, the emotions kinda let loose. We both glanced at one another and cried. We did one of those ugly sings at the altar. It was kinda like when they make the American Idol singer sing after they have just won. It ain’t pretty, but it is pretty honest.

That’s how we sang at 5:04 on June 12, 2004.

We choked out the words, “all I have needed Thy hand hath provided, great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”

Simon Says Parenting

June 10, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Whether they are board games or video games, children can easily latch onto a favorite activity in which to play with others. One of the enduring games over the years has been “Simon Says.” This copycat game has a catch that usually tricks players into doing something they are not supposed to do. If the leader of the game doesn’t start the instructions with the phrase, “Simon Says,” you are not supposed to do the action.

Why this game frustrates people so much is that we are prone to do what we see more often than what we hear.

As players around you begin to do the action – even if the leader hasn’t said “Simon Says” – it is difficult to refrain from doing the same motion as well. Even if the instructions are otherwise, oftentimes, we repeat what we see.

That’s why a parent’s personal relationship with the Lord is so vital to a child’s spiritual health.

The Membership of the Church

April 25, 2017June 9, 2013 by Travis Agnew

What a special day to be a part of North Side! Our service started out with the band leading and then we got the joy to pass the microphones over to Point of Grace’s Leigh Cappillino and her husband, Dana, and their daughter, Darby. I tried to give them some band names for the day but they never stuck (The VonCapps, The Flying Cappilinos, The Cappillino 3, Leigh & the Cappillinos).

Jo Anne Reinhardt gave a great testimony about giving or going to Shake-n-Shine this year, a great church membership testimony from Terri Budreau, and then we got to hear a fantabulous message on church membership.

Leigh Cappillino sang with the Parlers and Kennerlys in college at Charleston Southern and have remained friends since then. They were nearby visiting family and were gracious enough to pop in and sing for us this morning. What I love about this family is how real they are. With all the success Leigh and Point of Grace has had over the years, they are so grounded, humble, and genuine. And in addition to their character, they are phenomenal musicians! They did such a great job!

Today, we worshiped to:

Kissing You is Too Risky

June 6, 2013 by Travis Agnew

For the boys’ birthdays, we took the family for a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge. Piled in the hotel room, I couldn’t find my razor.

Once we returned, I decided that when I preached the following week, I was going to do a monologue from Job’s perspective. To do such, you need a good beard just in case you decide to rip some of it out.

After the message, it was too gruff for a 5-minute shave. It would take longer, so I kept it, until…

Christian Pick-Up Lines

January 3, 2017June 5, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Something happens when Christians start to date. There are two extremes. One group tries to over spiritualize everything, and the other group unfortunately just takes God completely out of the equation. Let me show you what it looks like when somebody is trying to over-spiritualize a situation. Just a simple Google search of “Christian pick up lines” will show

Bad Church Sign: A Ride to Hell?

December 30, 2016June 4, 2013 by Travis Agnew

As the summer heat begins to grow in intensity, threats concerning the stifling weather of hell will begin to grace many church signs.

To start this wonderful time of year where we try to scare people into church, I give you this week’s bad church sign:

HOT?

IMAGINE HELL

FOR A RIDE CALL…

Not only is this church willing to tell you how hot is, they are also willing to give you a ride there ;)! That’s very thoughtful of them, but I’d rather pass.

A few thoughts:

The Authority of the Church

April 25, 2017June 2, 2013 by Travis Agnew

While Jeff Lethco can preach anything well, I love the stride he gets in when talking about the church.

It was a powerful start to our “Church Matters” series today as we focused on the authority of the church. For us, it’s Scripture. We won’t be conditioned by expectations. We don’t have to cave in to comparison traps. We don’t have to try to woo or keep anyone based on preferences. We want to be obedient to God’s Word. And oftentimes, churches can begin to base all of their activity and identity on something that is totally absent in the Bible.

Today, we worshiped to:

Church Matters

December 30, 2016June 1, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Sunday, we are starting a series at North Side entitled “Church Matters.” During the summer, we are going to look at what the New Testament says about what a church is and is not.

Much confusion exists today on what a church is and what a church should be doing. We hope to clarify that. Not with our opinions or thoughts, but the Word of God.

We recently got some church members together to talk about how being a part of North Side has changed their lives. It was incredible to listen to their stories:

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