We have a simple church paradigm at Grace Point. We only do three things: weekend gatherings, small groups, and community service. We are adamant about maintaining this simple approach. We believe you can do many things good or a few things we excellence and we have chosen to stay with the few with excellence approach.

With this simple church paradigm it seems sometimes that we have very little going on at church. For instance, this Sunday we have ZERO announcements to put in our worship guide! We have put in a few notes of thank you but we do not have any major events or programs coming up to “advertise” in the worship guide. Now don’t get me wrong, there are times when we have more announcements than space but there are also seasons where we have nothing outside of the norm going on. Love the simple church.

We did participate in the annual Independence Day Celebration for the city of North Las Vegas. This is a great event and we connect to a ton of people at this event. Over 25k attended last night. We had volunteers serve for the city by running the children’s rides. We sponsored a face-painting booth for the city. And we had a Grace Point booth where we gave away free temporary tats for kids and pinwheels (both huge hits by the way). We love serving our city. It is such a part of our DNA. Our volunteers are awesome.

I believe if churches would adopt a simple church paradigm that included radically serving their community it would make a huge difference in restoring the “shalom” (health and wholeness) of their communities.

When we lived on the East Coast, it would drive me crazy how frequently I would get bitten by mosquitoes. I would get 5x the bites of those around me. I always thought that was weird but it did not make sense to me that these pesky bugs would choose me over others. I finally saw a news report that affirms my theory - some people are more prone to mosquito bites than others.

Thankfully I live in the desert now where mosquitoes are not an issue. But if I ever move back East, I guess I will have to stop showering, shrink in size, and cool down. Here is the report.

“Season” is one of those terms we like to throw around in Christian circles … a season of change, a season of life, a season of whatever. We ended a “season” this past Sunday as we had our last Sunday at Brian Cram Middle School. We transition next Sunday to a high school. We are very pumped about this move and the potential it holds. It is time for us. We do leave Cram with great memories of what God has done the last 2 1/2 years there. The story of how we secured Brian Cram is a miracle in and of itself and God really blessed us there. Yet we feel no sadness as we prepare to move. We reflect but more importantly, we anticipate. I don’t know what the next season of Grace Point Church holds. We approach it with uncertainty yet confidence in a God who is able to do so much more than we can ask or think.

Buckle up GP. Here we go.

We are doing a series at GP called Whiteboard. It is basically a 2-week study on justification. I have to admit that it is difficult to teach theology in a way that is understandable and applicable. Theological terms do not mean a lot to new & not-yet Christians. And I am not sure they mean very much to Christ-followers who have been on the journey for an extended period of time. Teaching in this context has challenged me. Teaching theology is easy for me. Teaching theology in a way that is real and relevant is difficult.

I have been reminded in preparing for this series that justification is so much more than the old cliche “just-as-if-I-had-never-sinned.” Justification not only involved forgiveness (wiping the slate clean) but it also includes placing someone in right standing. It is one thing to forgive someone for wrong doing. It is something else to say that person is in the right. Justification is God’s declaration that we are in the right - not based on our own performance but based on His own righteousness and what Jesus Christ did on the cross.

We focused last Sunday on 2 Cor 5.21 - a verse that reminds us that the sinless Son of God became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. My sin was reckoned to his account and His righteousness was credited to mine. For that reason, I am viewed by God only through the righteousness of Jesus.

I often see myself as sinner first and saint second. From an eternal perspective, God only sees me as saint! My sin penalty has been paid by Jesus on the cross. This truth reminds me why salvation must be eternal by its nature. When Jesus paid the penalty, I was forever pardoned. The payment cannot be revoked. He is the Final Sacrifice. What He did on the cross finalized my eternal position before God. Salvation is not about me. It is about Him. He became sin so that we might be declared right - an eternal position that can’t be altered by human actions (or lack thereof).

This Sunday we will examine Romans 3.21-26 where we will discover God’s justice demands payment and His grace made the payment.

Gas prices are absolutely ridiculous but I guess there are positives even amidst the gas crisis. I heard yesterday on the radio that the infamous brothels in Nevada are down in business 45% and many are closing their doors. Why? Diesel fuel is so expensive that many of their primary clients, truckers, do not have the extra cash to spend on sexual favors. I guess that could be considered a positive amidst the craziness?

* By the way, brothels and prostitution are NOT legal in Las Vegas itself - another common misconception about Sin City. Doesn’t mean prostitution does not happen in abundance. Just means it is not legal.

I sat through several hours of performances this weekend. Not good for someone who can’t sit still very long…

- Starla and I were able to get some “no kids” time briefly on Friday night. We ate Outback and went to see Get Smart (funny but long).
- Kayleigh had several girls over on Friday night and they watched Disney’s Camp Rock. Pre-teen girls eating skittles and talking about everything from Webkinz to music. Fun times.
- Saturday was performance day for us. 3 hours at Kayleigh’s performing arts recital. A total of 38 songs plus skits! I had to get up at least 5 times. I am worse than a little kid.
- We took the kids to the Ringling Brothers Circus on Saturday night. Fun time but another 2+ hours. The kids were so tired that Ragan fell asleep at the circus. It is difficult to compete with the cirque shows in Vegas when it comes to aerial stuff.
- We started a new 2-week series at GP on Sunday called Whiteboard. I am teaching on justification. It is a challenge to break down theology to make it interesting and applicable. The people responded very well. We did a unique creative element as one of our artist created a drawing on a whiteboard during the message. It was very effective.
- No Five20 on Sunday night. Enjoyed the time off. Played sand volleyball with some friends.
- The summer has hit. Our attendance was down yesterday.
- Only one more Sunday in our middle school before the big move.
- Not quite sure you ever feel completely prepared for a transition like this.
- Mission team here this week.
- It was the last Sunday for Ryan and Megan Johnson yesterday. Ryan has served as a GP intern for the last year and has now taken a full-time student pastor position in Greenwood, Indiana. Megs has been with us from the beginning and has been a true servant. Both of them will be missed and yes I am still bitter at Ryan for coming to Vegas and sweeping Megan off her feet and then leaving.
- It is HOT in Vegas.
- I did not play golf last week!

Busy week ahead …

Today is the first official day of summer and the longest day of the year. What does that mean in Las Vegas? 109 degrees! But the good news is that it is a “dry heat.” Whatever - I can still fry an egg on my back patio. It is almost too hot to even play golf - and that’s really hot in my book. Gotta love the desert.

In January, we launched a venue at the IceHouse Lounge in Downtown Las Vegas. We named it Five20 (taken from Romans 5.20) and sought to target 18-25s in the city, which seems to be a needy demographic that few churches are touching. Five20 has encouraged me at times and discouraged me at others. It has had its ups and downs for sure. As of this past Sunday night, Five20 is officially taking a hiatus. We have never been able to get Five20 off the ground as effectively as I desire and so instead of investing the time, energy, and money to continue it, we are going to give it a pause and re-evaluate it.

In my opinion, several factors have contributed to the stagnation of Five20.

1. Location: The IceHouse Lounge is not in a great location. We wanted to use UNLV as a source for people but the IceHouse is not convenient. Also there is no real “target group” around the IceHouse to pursue. I did not foresee the importance of location.

2. Leadership: I had intended to only teach at Five20 and lead from a distance. Upfront I had 4 solid young guys committed to its leadership. One of them a GP intern devoted exclusively to Five20. Two of the leaders bailed within the first few months. If I had it to do over, I would devote more time and energy to leading it myself. No one will understand or embrace a vision as deeply as the primary leader - which creates huge ownership and passion issues. Lesson learned the hard way.

3. Demographic: 18-25s is a tough, tough demographic in this city. For some reason, we have not been able to tap effectively into them.

4. Vision: “church in a bar” is a cool concept for some Christians. Not so cool for nonbelievers. Although we did have some nonbelievers come to the IceHouse that would not step foot in a church building, it is not enough of a factor to “cause” a young adult in this city to come. We have some of the hottest clubs in the world in this city. Why would a nonChristian young adult step foot in a less-than-mediocre bar to hear the gospel? Church in a bar seems to make the bar less cool - not a good thing when trying to reach nonbelievers.

5. Identity: I’m not sure Five20 ever identified exactly what it was supposed to be and who we were supposed to reach and how to reach them. “Church in a bar” does not define what the nuts and bolts mean or look like. With leaders from different philosophical perspectives, I am not sure we ever landed on the same page on what we were seeking to do and who we were seeking to reach. I learned a valuable lesson on identity - knowing who you are as a church or even as a second or third venue.

We are not giving up on Five20 just yet. We are exploring the option of some other venues and if we can secure a better location, we will perhaps relaunch Five20 with a clearer identity and a solid launch team. I still think this age group is a needy demographic in this city. Most 18-25s in this city are here for the wrong reason. They need Jesus. I know of few, if any, churches in the valley that are making a significant impact on this age group. The need is there.

Five20 has been a lesson for me. It is the first “ministry” I have attempted that did not grow quickly and significantly. I have learned some valuable lessons on leadership and trust. I have also realized what is cool to us (the church) is not always cool to those you are trying to reach. Hope you can learn from our lesson.

The good news is that I no longer have a Sunday night commitment!

Never too early to talk UNC basketball. Three of our top players “tested the waters” of the NBA draft this year but did not hire an agent - allowing them to return to school if they so choose. I was confident that Wayne Ellington and Danny Green would return but not so sure about our All-American point guard Ty Lawson. Today was decision day and all three have decided to return to North Carolina next year! Add this news to the fact Tyler Hansbrough has already decided to return and UNC seems a lock to contend for the national championship. I am predicting another Final Four year and maybe next year we will bring home the gold. Go Heels!

The purge…

- Enjoyed a birthday party Friday night with some friends. Ate at a Japanese Steak House which is always fun.
- Took Zac to see The Incredible Hulk on Saturday. Enjoyable movie.
- Swim party with the kids on Saturday night.
- A group of our friends are in “prank” mode. Some funny stuff happening but too much at some point.
- Finished Storm Watch on Sunday. Definitely a series that received a lot of positive feedback.
- We are creating some hilarious videos to advertise our move to Legacy. Man vs Wild spoof video on Sunday was hilarious.
- Nick Storm is history. He was fun while he lasted.
- Father’s Day reminds me how rewarding and frustrating parenting can be. Love my kids. Love being a dad.
- Five20 has taken a serious hit over the summer.
- Busy days with the move ahead.
- Just 2 more weeks in our present location!
- Sunday is always coming.

Out…