Mark Riggins

Pool Party

Our small groups are hosting a Pool Party on Friday, July 10th from 6-9pm at the Goodfellow Rec Camp. If you're in the area, come and hang out with your family and meet some new friends.

We will meet at the large pavilion at 6pm. Grab a hot dog and enjoy the "family friendly" area (playground, basketball courts, and lots of shade).

We have the pool (adult and kiddie pool) reserved from 7-9pm. So come and bring your family, appetite, and swim suit!

Please RSVP at markariggins@yahoo.com.
 

BJ = Heaven's new worship leader

Today I had the honor of "delivering" the message at a friend's funeral. His name is BJ Gulley. You've probably never heard of him. He was pretty quiet. He led a simple life. He was never married. He never had any kids. He attended a small rural church. But man did BJ love God!

BJ was one of about half-a-dozen men in my life that I genuinely liked being around simply because he was so in love with God. 

BJ also led the music at his church.

That was significant to me because for several years I had the honor of leading a worship ministry. So I will always appreciate people who are willing to publicly lead others in worship.

I wish I could tell you BJ was an unusually gifted worship leader. The truth is BJ simply did an adequate job. He would choose the hymn, announce the page number and then sing as best he could to keep everyone together. He probably wouldn't have been hired at a larger church to lead their worship. But those who knew him appreciated his willingness to serve and his love for God.

Earlier last month, BJ found out he had esophageal cancer. 

On Friday at the age of 58, BJ died. 

Sadly, most people have never heard of BJ.

Oddly, in the past few days several celebrities have died (Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Micheal Jackson, Billy Mays, Steve McNair). And tomorrow the world will observe one of the most visible funerals/memorials in history when Michael Jackson is celebrated at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

In contrast, today we had a small, quiet service for BJ.

But BJ's celebration is just beginning. People like BJ are the true celebrities in Heaven! BJ not only entered Heaven but now he owns some crowns that are incorruptible. 

The cool part: BJ will lead many of us in worship one day when he casts his crowns at the feet of the Savior he spent his life serving. BJ will make a great worship leader! 

"The Principle of the Path" - Book Review

Just finished The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley. One of those simple but profound books!

Book in one sentence: "Direction - not intention - determines destination".

Quick Review:

Ch. 1 - Embracing the principle of the path is the key to avoiding regret. "Experience is a brutal teacher."

Ch. 2 - "Direction - not intention - determines destination." Simply put, you and I will win or lose by the paths we choose.

Ch. 3 - "Nobody wants to wake up in his fifties and wish he had made different decisions in his thirties."

Ch. 4 - "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it." (Prov. 27:12) "The primary difference between the prudent and the simple is not what they see but what they do with what they see."

Ch. 5 - When shopping we should always translate the cashier's question "cash or credit?" as "happy later or now?"

Ch. 6 - Choosing the right paths begins with submission not information. (Prov. 3:5-6)

Ch. 7 - To cut through the emotion that accompanies ALL decisions filter decisions through these 3 questions:

    Does it violate God's law?

    Does it violate a principle of God?

    In light of the story I want to tell in the future, is this the wise thing to do?

Ch. 8 - Private decisions ALWAYS become public so don't make them in private.

Ch. 9 - "Attention determines direction which determines destination." Whatever or whoever you've chosen to give your attention will determine the direction of your life.

    "We never drift in good directions." (Heb. 2:1)

Ch. 10 - Tough chapter to read but so important. It is entitled "Road Closed". Using David's story when his own son Absalom turned on him and his authority Andy wrote, "When it dawns on you that your dreams can't come true, the best response is to lean hard into your heavenly Father - even when it appears that he is responsible for your disappointment."

My personal takeaway: When it comes to raising my kids, I don't want to be the dad who in his fifties regrets his investment into his family when he was in his thirties. I want to invest in my kids daily in some way. I have also created my "reminder jar" which I mentioned here. God please help me become a Godly dad.

Foyer, Living Room, Kitchen

At San Angelo Church, we believe that environments are extremely important. In fact, we would presume that significant spiritual growth in your life has probably been the result of truth being introduced to you in the right environment. The right people, the right setting, the right message. We have found it helpful to use the metaphor of a home as we explain three key aspects of our church life.

FOYER

The place in your home that serves as the welcome area for guests and new friends. It is the first step, and it's often your only chance to make your guests feel comfortable enough to return. That's exactly how we've designed our entry environments at SAC. Our Sunday service will be our foyer environment. We want our guests to come back, so we do everything with them in mind. This environment serves as the perfect place to introduce newcomers to the life of San Angelo Church.

LIVING ROOM

Once your guests arrive and are welcomed into your home, you invite them into the living room. Everyone finds a comfortable place to sit, and the interaction begins. At SAC, our living room environment will be designed to help you connect with people like you. As you get involved with Strategic Service Teams, you will begin to develop relationships with others in a smaller and more interactive environment.

KITCHEN

Think about it. What is the most popular room in your home? Where do you end up when guests or family come over? Probably the kitchen. This is where lasting friendships are made. And that's the kind of environment we are striving for in our community groups. Community groups are where people meet regularly for Bible study and prayer and commit to accountability, friendship, and support. They are safe places to open your heart, share your life, and ask the tough questions. We currently have several small group meeting weekly. Community groups are the places where ministry happens at SAC!

Check out this 10 minute video which further explains the foyer, living room, kitchen concept. 

Does San Angelo Need Another Church? (pt. 2)

Generally, there are two primary arguments against starting a church:

1) "There are already so many churches here in our town." I addressed this question last week which you can read by clicking here.

2) "How will this new church be different from existing churches?" This is the question I want to address today.

How will San Angelo Church be different from the dozens and dozens of churches already ministering here? This is a good question especially when you consider the variety of churches that exist.

I believe there are 2 primary differences:

1) Our Vision

"To create a church that unchurched people LOVE to attend."

That means EVERY decision we make regarding our Sunday morning service is filtered through this simple grid: "Will it make our environment more relevant, helpful, and engaging to the unchurched person?" 

"Yea, but what about so and so - what will they think?" This will not be part of our decision grid. Our vision is clear and if you join us . . . you join us. That gives us clarity and freedom to pursue the vision God has given us.

2) Our Mission

"Leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ."

Our mission determines how we measure success.

We will not measure success based on our Sunday morning attendance. We will not measure success based on the number of ministries/programs/services we offer.

Instead, we will measure success with how well we move people into our small groups. This is where we believe sustained life change takes place. People sitting in circles studying the Bible, sharing life's challenges, and encouraging each other. You can check out this video which addresses this topic.

So we don't want anything competing with this process. That means we will not have a high volume of ministries/programs/services which compete with this process.

It's our vision and our mission that allow us to utilize a simple and powerful model!

However, I realize that at the end of the day it's all "dead cows, pigs, and chickens." Virtually every restaurant sells dead cows, pigs, and/or chicken. It's just presented and cooked differently. The prices vary accordingly.

Similarly, most churches are offering the same gospel (death, burial, and resurrection of Christ). They are just presenting it differently. Our distinction is that we are completely consumed with creating a place that unchurched people LOVE to attend. (Acts 15:19)

Watch this video which explains our approach.

Announcing NP Online

So excited about an opportunity coming soon . . . click on the image and check it out:

Beginning Aug. 16, North Point Online will offer a live webcast of the 6pm service from Buckhead Church, including worship, Andy's teaching, opportunities to build connection, and an online community. 

FMI - Click here.

13 years ago today

I have four GREAT kids! I have a WONDERFUL wife who is an unusually gifted Mom! I love to come home to my family and know that I'm HOME. I am so blessed.

It all began when I married my amazing wife Ginger 13 years ago today. I love you Ginger!

570 weeks are going by too fast!

Reagen, Kennedy, Lincoln, and Madison,

I dream of being a great dad. Seriously! Not one of those good dads but a GREAT dad. I want to be a dad you guys always see as wise enough to talk about life's serious issues. I want to be a dad you guys LOVE to hang out with. I want to be a dad that you guys KNOW are my priority.

I dream that all four of you will become secure, confident adults who passionately love Jesus. (Your mom and I are in the middle of a huge step of faith that we hope will inspire you one day.) 

I dream of you guys growing up but still wanting to come back home often to enjoy time with your mom and I.

I LOVE you guys so much!

As you know, this week I went out and bought a BIG jar and bought 570 marbles to fill it up. Each marble represents a week. There are 570 weeks left before Reagen graduates from high school. So each Saturday I'll take a marble out of the jar to remind me of our fleeting time together living in our house. Today I took the first marble out . . . one week is gone. Now there are only 569 left.

If I have regrets at the end of my life, I do not want it to be in this area. 

But there's a problem: My dreams and my actions don't always match. As you know, there have been nights where I'll spend a couple of hours in front of the TV and you've all heard me say, "MOVE . . . I can't see the TV". Some nights I come home tired and "less than interested" in spending time real quality time with you.

My heart and head want a great relationship with ya'll but my actions determine the actual relationship. 

I wish you could see and hear my heart and know how much I love you guys. But I know that you see and hear my actions.  

So I have some choices. Whatever I decide, I can't mess this up! I LOVE you guys too much.

As you know this week I swore off the TV. It's been fun! We've had fun. When I get on the floor and you guys pile on and beg for "rides" there is nowhere in the world I'd rather be. (The one exception is when Lincoln jumped on me off of the couch and onto my back. I think he bruised my spleen . . . seriously.) 

On this Father's Day weekend I want to make a commitment to you. I want my actions to follow my heart. 

From now on the evenings are yours. There will undoubtedly be exceptions when an "interruption" gets in the way. Or I slip up and focus less on you. But as a rule, I want to bring my best to you guys for the time God has given us to share our home. One day I know you'll have a new home. I just want you to always come back to OUR home.

Please be patient as Daddy has some "unlearning" to do and some "safer" games to learn! 

I love you Reagen, Kennedy, Lincoln, and Madison.

  
 

Does San Angelo Need Another Church? (pt. 1)

I've already addressed the question, "why am I planting a church in San Angelo". You can Click here to read that.

Generally, there are two primary arguments against starting another church. 

1) "There are already so many churches here in our town." 

2) "How will the new church be any different from the existing churches?"

Today I want to try to address the first argument.

There is an old debate for any city in America . . . especially a city located in the "Bible belt". The push back to starting a church usually goes something like this: "Since there are so many churches in our town, why would you start another one?" On the surface this seems like a logical argument.

Seating Capacity 

In San Angelo there are around 130 different churches. Now that's a lot of churches! Isn't that enough to serve a town of 90,000 people? Actually, not even close!

Think about it. Let's figure up the potential church seating capacity in San Angelo. Even if every church auditorium could seat 200 (and that's an extremely generous number), San Angelo has the church seating capacity of 26,000. That means we can currently seat less than 29% of the city! 

Multiple services can increase our potential capacity. However, many churches that offer multiple services have done so to increase their style or schedule options not their seating capacity. The truth is most church auditoriums are at half capacity during a given service. 

So while we might pray "God reach this entire city!", we don't have near the seating capacity for the city to attend church. 

Impact

Research consistently reveals that new church plants have a higher ratio of people giving their life to Christ than churches which have been in existence for several years. Check out these amazing stats.

"The single most evangelistic methodology under heaven is planting new churches." - C. Peter Wagner

Knowing the tendency for new church plants to see a significantly higher ratio of people coming to Christ, why aren't we planting more churches?

Sign Up for San Angelo Church eNewsletter

Next week the first edition of the San Angelo Church eNewsletter will arrive in email inboxes. This will be a great way for you to keep up with the latest news and announcements about San Angelo Church. 

If you'd like to receive this twice-a-month update, simply email me at markariggins@yahoo.com.

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