Update on Courageous

by

I’ve had some people ask as of late concerning progress for Courageous. On one end, the movie has been edited and being screened around the country.  If you have seen the Soul Surfer movie, you can check out the exciting trailer for Courageous. On my end, I have been asked to write a few more articles of helps for the …

READ MORE

Unpacking the U-Haul (The Problem with Emotional Hoarders)

by

With the A&E TV show, “Hoarders,” America has become exposed to people who are unable to part with their belongings.  These hoarders hold onto absolutely everything in which they become unaware of how their stuff is suffocating their lives.  When a hoarder decides to move homes, he or she finally can comprehend how much baggage they have weighing them down.

We do the same things emotionally.  We try to move along in our lives, but we have stuff in the back of the U-Haul slowing down the process.  Just like hoarders, you have some baggage that you have collected and you have some baggage that you have received.  In order to go the next step in your life, you need to address both.

Joseph lived with all types of baggage.  As the favored son of Jacob, his prideful stories told to his brothers kept him out of favor with everyone in his family except for his father.  His brothers beat him and sold him into slavery.  While taking a stance for purity, he was wrongfully accused of rape.  After helping others out in jail, he was left and forgotten about to rot in prison.

Joseph had baggage.  Some he collected, some he received, but he had to deal with both.

READ MORE

Derailed by Idolatry

by

What a pivotal day for North Side.  It was one of those days where God was so clear to me in so many different areas, that it was hard to shake.  Continuing on through Derailed, here is where we landed today:

Derailed by Idolatry (1 Corinthians 10-11).  The Corinthian church had gotten into the habit of gathering together in the name of the Lord but making it all about themselves.  They had become their own idols.  In this message, we hear how this warning still applies to us today and what it means for the future of North Side.

The picture above shows holding a document entitled “The Glory of God.”  As North Side has sought God’s leading on our future, we believe he has spoken to us concerning the future of worship styles at the church.

READ MORE

Most of My Creative Ideas are Stolen

by

I’ve heard so many encouraging words concerning Sunday’s bilingual worship service.  When my worship leading buddy came out and started leading in Spanish after our prayer for the Spanish speaking people in this city, it was an incredibly powerful moment.

I have a confession: I stole the idea.

READ MORE

Don’t Make God Pay for Your Dad’s Mistakes

by

[The following is an article assigned for an upcoming LifeWay curriculum.  The assigned task: help people who have a bad situation with their father understand God as heavenly father.]

Some people do not like to hear a certain word in church.  The word is bothersome to some.  The concept is down right offensive to others.  Due to so many people’s pasts, calling God, “Father,” is the worst possible name to ascribe to him and it leaves many Christians unsure of how to view God the Father.

Let’s face it: we live in a fatherless world.  Deadbeat dads are the cancer of our society.  A majority of children are growing up in homes with fathers either physically or emotionally estranged from them.  So when a person with baggage from their earthly father enters into church settings where the Heavenly Father is talked about, you see why so many people struggle.

Pastor and theologian, A. W. Tozer stated that “What comes to your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.”  The implication of that statement can not be overstated.  Your perception of God has everything to do with how you live for him.

The problem is that many people view their Heavenly Father in the same way they view their earthly father.

READ MORE

The 2nd Greatest Story You Will Ever Tell Your Children

by

One of your children’s most beloved books in your home might soon be your high school yearbook.  Your children know you as a responsible (or somewhat responsible) adult fully equipped with bills, a job, and a minivan, yet before they ever knew you, a lot of your life had already been lived.  Seeing your extracurricular activities, fashion statements, and funny hairdos in your yearbook open up an entire new world to them concerning your life.

For many of you reading this article, you also became a Christian before your children were around.  Even if you became a Christian later in life, your personal testimony is not information that they inherently receive.  The greatest story you will ever tell your children will be God’s story of how he brought redemption to mankind.  The 2nd greatest story will be how your story intersected with God’s story – the story of your salvation.

As your children grow, they will have different levels of doubt concerning the Christian faith.  You might even experience a child arguing with you concerning your personal beliefs.

While they may resort to arguments, they can’t argue with results.  One of the greatest ways to teach your children concerning salvation and walking with Christ is by sharing your personal testimony with them.

READ MORE

Be Careful Little Eyes What You See (OG, Obie, & the Cereal Bowl)

by

photo-1024x764

I snapped this picture on my phone this morning at the breakfast table.  Uncle OG was finishing off the last drop of his milk in his cereal bowl while my oldest son, Obadiah, learned from the entire spectacle.

Never a dull moment in the Agnew house.

“Oh, be careful little eyes what you see…”

This song was in my head going to work this morning.  You can imagine how Obadiah finished his cereal off after watching his Uncle OG.  Oh, the things my family teaches my boys!

While this episode is simply humorous (and I hope it made your day 😉 ), it was a great reminder that my boys watch my every move.  Would I really be happy as a father if they mimicked my every behavior?

Would I be proud if they copied my:

READ MORE

Derailed by Rights

by

What a fantabulous day to be the church!  Still buzzing from all God did in our midst this morning.

Week 6 in our “Derailed” series as we study through 1 Corinthians.  Today, “Derailed by Rights” in 1 Corinthians 8.  In Christ, we are made free, but what are we actually free to do?  Many areas confuse Christians concerning what is permissible and what is not.  In this message, we learn from the Apostle Paul concerning a life not derailed by personal rights.  Wonderful message.  Check it out!

Today, we worshiped to:

READ MORE

Founding Freedoms – New LifeWay Curriculum

by

  I was so excited to receive these copies in the mail of LifeWay’s LifeTruths upcoming quarterly edition.  The crew at LifeWay does a fantastic job at this Bible study curriculum geared towards parents. I was honored to write for the second time for this publication.  The first time I wrote a curriculum called “I (Still) Do” on marriage.  In …

READ MORE

College Bible Study – 2 Weeks Left!

by

It’s hard to believe that we only have 2 more weeks of our college Bible study at North Side.  I have LOVED pouring into these students this year, and I think I have some great ideas for next year and even something for those around this summer. For the remaining 2 weeks, I have some special things in store. Next …

READ MORE

Little Drummer Boys

by

On Tuesday, we had some eager people who wanted to bring something by the house for our boys.  This seemed a little different than other trips.  Something in my gut said this was more than handing out cookies. When I walked in my home, I realized that these people had already arrived.  These people brought a loud device with explosive …

READ MORE

Derailed by Sex

by

What a great day to be a part of North Side!  I got the privilege of preaching for Jeff on the topic of “Derailed by Sex.”

Questions concerning sex and marriage were plaguing the Corinthians church and still plague believers today.  The church raised questions through their lifestyle and in their letter to Paul in which he felt the need to respond on the issues of sex outside of marriage, sex within marriage, divorce, and singleness.  His instructions to them still hold true for us today.

It was a difficult topic to address and a whole lot to cover, but I pray that it was a benefit to those listening today.  If you want to check it out online, you can listen here.

Today, we worshiped to:

READ MORE

Good Friday Service

by

On Good Friday (April 22nd), spend your evening at North Side with a special service spent remembering the cross. Baptism & Lord’s Supper. We will include baptism and an observance of the Lord’s Supper this evening.  If you would like to be baptized on this date, please comment here.  Your RSVP is helpful too as we prepare for the Lord’s …

READ MORE

Should I Tithe While in Debt?

by

One of the most frequented asked questions I receive from people concerning giving is: “should I tithe while in debt?”

My short answer is yes.

Now, here is the medium answer concerning why I say, “yes.”

READ MORE

Fathers: It’s Better to Attempt Than to Regret

by

Last week’s evenings were pretty full for our family, and so I took off early last Tuesday to do something special with the Agnew boys.  Some of the guys in our college Bible study play for Lander’s baseball team, and so I decided this would be a great trip for us.  We had been playing a lot of baseball in the yard as of late, and I thought the game would mesmerize the boys.

After loading the boys in the truck, finding our way to the field, I realized something about taking 2 almost 3-year-olds to a baseball game:

It’s a horrible idea.

READ MORE

Lift Recap

by

Words can’t even express how humbled I was to be a part of Lift.

Having North Side’s own volunteers give up their Saturday to work on things they already do so well is a reminder of the quality of people we have.  Having groups from the Carolinas travel from up to 5 hours away to spend their Saturday to learn with us is a reminder of stewardship in the Body of Christ.

At Lift, we worshiped to:

READ MORE

Derailed by Lawsuits

by

I love loud worshipers, and North Side got after it this morning!

Wow, what an incredible time together.  4th week in our Derailed series through 1 Corinthians, and today we landed on lawsuits within the church.  You gotta love the Word of God that makes it so clear for us to follow!

In addition to a great message, we also got to hear wonderful testimonies and promo for our Priscilla Shirer simulcast next week, commissioned some more college missionaries, and sang our faces off!  For the entire flowsheet, go here.

Today, we worshiped to:

READ MORE

Definition of “Church”

by

Honestly, it is one of the most confusing terms in American culture.  Most people have an answer.  Most people are convinced of their answer.  And most answers are very different from each other. So I want to hear from you. What is the definition of “church?”

Praying With Your Eyes Wide Open

by

When we were little, adults taught us to pray with our eyes closed.  I suppose it had something to do with eliminating distractions or focusing on the One that we can’t see physically.

My son, Eli, has a different approach.

And I don’t plan on stopping him.

READ MORE

LIFT is This Saturday!

by

I was so encouraged yesterday hearing about the building excitement for Lift this Saturday!  We are only days away.  Our team is putting last minute touches on the event, and we could not be more excited!

On March 26th we will have a 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.  Good for choirs, bands, and anything in between!

The day has a funnel type schedule focusing on music, tech, and host teams that work in worship settings.  We start large, go to medium size, smaller groups, and then back all together.

This workshop is for seasoned worship team members and also for those who are just curious if they have the skills needed to join.  It’s free lessons, so nothing to lose!  Not only will we have a lot of information, we are going to have a lot of fun!

Here is our promise: we are teaching principles, not models.  We don’t want you to copy what we are doing, we are going to teach principles that we have been learning that can be applied into any context.  If you want to reserve your spot, you can do so here.

See below for the information on all the classes:

READ MORE

Derailed by Negligence

by

Within the church, a sin that can wield more damage than immorality is that of negligence.  When Christians don’t confront sin within the church, unholy living can become widespread.  The Apostle Paul handles this situation in a surprising way in this ignored passage (1 Corinthians 5).

Today’s service was all about being “Derailed by Negligence.”  We put the whole service together dealing with how do the people of God handle sin committed by the people of God.

In addition to a video on temptation, we had a prayer time for people who we knew that were getting far away from God.  Using James 5:19-20 as our prayer focus, we prayed and planned how we would lovingly confront that person.

We also used some help to start out the message today.  Using a mom, coach, and sheriff, we got everyone to imagine what those environments would look like if there was no discipline.  Jeff came up then and asked would a church would look like without any discipline.  Powerful message.  The 1st time I have ever heard a pastor preach on 1 Corinthians 5.

Today, we worshiped to:

READ MORE

Book of the Week: Christian Beliefs

by

This week’s book of the week is Wayne Grudem’s Christian Beliefs: 20 Basics Every Christian Should Know.  This book is a condensed version of the condensed version of his first systematic theology textbook.  The big one that I read in college is 1,290 pages, and he has a condensed version of 528 pages.  This volume is down to 159.

I’ve always known Grudem had a brilliant mind.  Just recently, I discovered he’s my hero as he shared a testimony concerning marriage at Family Life’s Art of Marriage conference.  He is truly loving his wife the way Christ loved the church.  Never imagined this great theologian as such a romantic!

So much good stuff in here.  A short chapter on each belief.  Lots of scripture references and study.  I’ll give you 10 great lines from the first chapters to whet your appetite!

10 of the 20 Chapter Summaries:

READ MORE

Sometimes the Best Notes Are the Ones Not Played

by

Sometimes the best notes are the ones not played.

It is very easy for a band to get too busy while leading songs. Every musician has something to offer or else they wouldn’t be in the band.

What tends to happen is that at a turn-around in a song, every instrumentalist thinks it is their turn to contribute. Leading from the verse to the chorus, oftentimes, a band will have a drummer going on a monster roll, the guitarist bending strings like never before, the bassist sliding up to a fret that’s not even on the neck, and the keyboardist ripping and roaring down the ivories.

Vocalists can get up in the trap too when they silently compete to hear who can hold at the note the longest and the loudest.

While your group members may not be intentionally trying to steal the show, inability to understand and create powerful dynamics can ruin a song. The end product can sound more like a group of independent musicians than an actual unified band.

Here are some questions to ask:

READ MORE

Anticipating the Arrival

by


There’s nothing like going home to me.  I wish you could follow along with me my drive up the driveway after work every day.  The excitement is at different levels at different days, but normally I walk into 3 people jumping around and cheering like I am the best person in the world.  No matter how hard the day had been, this hysteria at 5:10 makes all things right in the world.

The other day, as I noticed Obadiah and Eli’s faces pressed against the window, banging on it with their hands, I thought they had gotten taller.  Turns out, they had climbed up on the window sill anticipating my arrival.  I don’t know why Eli was still peering out the window when I was standing behind him, but regardless, it was a special moment as they climbed up eager to see my truck arrive in the driveway (even if they did disobey by climbing up there).

The reason they get that excited is due to their perception of the person they are anticipating.  I don’t think I’m that spectacular, but in this season of life, they do.  And they show me in how they eagerly wait and celebrate my arrival.

The problem is that we aren’t that eager concerning Jesus’ return.

READ MORE

AVL Field Trip for Our Worship Team

by

This week our worship team training time involved a field trip.  We didn’t leave the building, but I took all of our techies, musicians, and vocalists all around the building so they could experience how all the audio, video, and lighting for our services worked.

As we are teaching our worship value excellence this month, I thought it was important that the people on the stage realized that the work of the people off the stage was just as vital to our worship services.  Singers can lead a song, but without someone putting the lyrics up at the proper time, no one can worship along.

So we took a trip.

READ MORE

Hymnology: Brethren We Have Met to Worship

by

Some hymns have many stories attached to them.  I am coming up with very few leads on one of my favorites as of late, “Brethren, We Have Met to Worship.”

This is what I do have:

It was penned by George Atkins in 1819 who was a Methodist pastor.

And…that’s it.  So if you do have more, I would love you to share any info you find in a comment below.

We arranged it with a touch of bluegrass.  Since most of the chordal arrangement focuses on a 1-5 progression, I wanted to exchange some chords to open it up a bit.  At the second half of the verse, we go in a different direction with the chords, and I think it breathes some new life into the song as it opens up and builds.

I also wrote a chorus to go along with it.  The song is great in itself, but I thought it needed some type of break in the middle and an additional part to it.  The chorus is simple and carries the message of the song: “We have come together in the name we adore, we have come to worship Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Yesterday, I explained what “manna” meant to the congregation so that no one would be singing what they didn’t understand (“manna” is the food that God provided while the Israelites wandered in the desert – he provides, he is enough).

The only problem I had with the song was the theological implications of the end of verse 4.  Here are the lyrics:

READ MORE

Derailed by Immaturity

by

2nd week of Derailed, and what an incredible walk through 1 Corinthians so far!  Getting to 1 Corinthians 3-4, we learned that Paul taught that immature believers are still selfish at their core.  A believer, or a church, can get derailed when they make all the decisions based upon selfish desires.

It was great seeing the church in action today.  We got to watch a great Disciple Now video recap highlighting our youth serving the community this weekend.

We also got the privilege to pray for Lander BCM students who have said yes to God’s call to go this summer!  This crew is going to South Carolina to India and everywhere in between.  It was so humbling watch “strangers” come up to these students and pray over them commissioning them out.  Wonderful time!

Today, we worshiped to:

READ MORE

Book of the Week: Radical

by

I had already shared my problems with David Platt’s book, Radical, a few months ago.  Still having a few chapters left at that time, I finished this book this week and still have the same soul-stirring problems when I started it.  Platt is so dedicated to God’s Word and his commission.  I just pray it is contagious in my heart …

READ MORE

Help for Japan

by

My heart has truly burdened by the images across my TV screen concerning the Japanese.  Serving on 2 different trips to this spiritually dark place makes the magnitude of this disaster even harder for me.  But we serve a God who can bring salvation from such disaster! Here’s how you can help!

Hymnology: All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

by

Recently, I had worked through an arrangement of “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” for worship.  A couple of the upcoming Sundays were calling for a song with this particular emphasis, but I wanted to make it palatable for all types of backgrounds.

HPIM1336.JPG

Here is the story behind the hymn:

Edward Perronet, the son of an Anglican vicar, originally introduced “All Hail The Power Of Jesus’ Name.” His family was closely associated with John Wesley of the Anglican Church. The verses written by Perronet have been called “The Coronation Hymn.” The lyrics affirm the kingship of Christ and His authority. Much of the imagery used is from the Book of Revelation and from Jeremiah. The music sounds particularly beautiful when played by a violin. One of the more famous stories surrounding “All Hail The Power Of Jesus’ Name” involves the use of a violin.

A missionary to India named E. P. Scott learned of a wild mountain tribe that had never been introduced to the message of Christ. Since they had never been presented with the gospel, he decided to visit that tribe. When he reached their mountain home, he discovered a group of savages on a war expedition. They took him back to camp and threatened to kill him. He closed his eyes and starting playing ” All Hail The Power Of Jesus’ Name” on his ever-present violin. The natives were so overcome; they dropped their spears and invited Rev. Scott to stay with them. He lived among them for over two years, converting many to Christianity.

READ MORE

Why We Have Been Leading So Many Hymns Lately

by

If you are a part of North Side or follow my Sunday’s set list on my blog, you might have noticed I have reintroduced some hymns lately.  While we have always sung hymns over the years, we mainly have used arrangements that others have used, but lately we have been adding some original twists on some classics.

Why might you ask?

Because I believe that Chris Tomlin and Charles Wesley are both my brothers in Christ and both have been blessed to write songs for the Church.  Too many people get stuck in a particular style of worship music that they can’t appreciate how God has gifted the entire Body of Christ over its entire life.

READ MORE

Robert’s Rules of Order vs. the Holy Bible (Which Guides Your Church’s Meetings?)

by

I’m still in awe of a meeting we had at church last night.  A group of 100 leaders from our church have been gathering together to pray and to plan in this One Initiative our church has been going through.  Last night, we discussed some possible changes that would affect everyone.  From the report that I get from friends, if those type of changes were being discussed in some congregations, it would have gotten ugly.

Let me give you an example.

A friend called me a couple of years ago after a church business meeting.  In tears, he retold of the ungodly things stated among the people of God.  He told me concerning personal attacks that took place.  He told me of the name-calling, the cursing, and the selfishness that pervaded the entire meeting.

He asked me what I thought went wrong.

READ MORE

Derailed by Disunity

by

Each week, I start out my post from Sunday talking about how great a morning it was.  This week was no different.  The services were a great outpouring of God’s goodness, but I must admit the entire day was amazing of watching the church in action.  In addition to wonderful services, I watched a volunteer team give it their all amidst great setbacks, a Spirit-led business meeting, and a group of guys pushing each other on to selflessness.

In short, I love our church!

Today, we started a new series entitled “Derailed,” where we began our study of 1 Corinthians.  While we looked at Ephesians as a church who got it, this church is the exact opposite.   In 1 Corinthians 1-2, the Corinthian church found themselves way off track from where Paul had planted them.  One particular way they had become derailed was in the area of disunity.  Their preferences of different styles of ministry kept them from unifying around Jesus.  We would be wise not to follow their example.

Today, we worshiped to:

READ MORE

Book of the Week: StrengthsFinder 2.0

by

This week’s book of the week is Tom Rath’s StrengthsFinder 2.0.  This book was given to me as a gift.  Within each book is a code that allows the reader to take an online survey which determines the 5 top strengths of the reader.  You then can read more concerning your personal strengths. The premise of the book is found …

READ MORE

Critical Listening – A Tip for Unprepared Worship Teams

by

The manner in which a team member prepares for worship practice is immensely important. If members come to practice unfamiliar with the songs, the time together can easily get frustrating.

The best way to get the most out of your practice time is if you group will engage in critical listening. This is best if they do this on their own, but the process can also be done as a group.

I send out scheduling requests for our musicians at least ten days out from the Sunday they would serve. This allows ample time for preparation. In addition to getting chord sheets and lyric sheets, they also have access to listen to the songs we are going to lead.

While they have ample time to prepare, sometimes it is easy for any of us to get slack on prepartion. It is normal for any of us to resort to passive listening. Passive listening is when the music is going on in the background of the house while you are doing other things. Passive listening is when you just hear sections of the song or get distracted by one element in the song that you forget to really think about what is transpiring. Passive listening leads to unprepared musicians.

There is another way.

READ MORE

Shh…Eli Has a Secret…

by

I took this picture when we were getting our boys new shoes the other day.  We were on the way to do some ministry at North Greenville on Friday, so we took our time and spent some time together in Greenville.

These boys are growing up very fast.  Their abilities and speech are taking off week by week.  I feel like I have two little men around me.

One of the things we have been having fun with is whispering in each other’s ears if we have secrets.  I’ll lean into the boys and say I have a secret, and I will say, “I love you,” or “Daddy is so proud of you.”

Obie got the hang of it first and began to repeat some of my secrets back to me.

Then Eli got into it, but I wasn’t prepared for what he was going to tell me.

READ MORE

Confessions of a Narrow-Focused Church Member

by

I have a confession to make: I am a narrow-focused church member.  I look at all the possible changes at our church at how it would affect me and mine.  I judge the worth of programs based upon how they benefit me and my family.  If it can make me feel better, I’m all in. I tend to refuse to …

READ MORE

Homes for Hope (What a Year!)

by

Homes for Hope was started at North Side in 2010. After a message on orphan care in December 2009, we were overwhelmed with the response of families wanting to help out. The interest was so great that Jeff Lethco told me to figure out a way to organize this so we can help people regularly.  The mission behind Homes for Hope is to make orphan care simple. If you have ever attempted to get through the paperwork attached to orphan care, you understand that sounds like an absurd statement. We can’t make orphan care easy, but we can make it simple. Our goal as a ministry is to provide logical steps in the 5 major ways to get involved.

James 1:27 commands us to care for orphans: “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress…” There are many ways to help rescue the 143,000,000 orphans in the world. Here’s how our church is assisting people:

READ MORE

The Armor of God (for the Church)

by

What a great day at North Side!  We concluded a 3 month tour through the Book of Ephesians today as we studied the armor of God.

While this world is full of trouble, God has not left us defenseless.  In the concluding words of Ephesians, Paul includes directions for the armor of God that is meant to defend Christians.  Covered in his protection, the Church can endure the trials of this world.

I couldn’t think of a better way to end the study than the message today.  Jeff’s words were so good and God used him immensely in my life to really think about the armor of God and how it wasn’t written to the individual but to the church as a whole.  We are to all put on that armor so we can stand firm together!

Today, we worshiped to:

READ MORE

+ MORE POSTS