jayhardwick.com

Friday Five: I'm Getting Old

Five signs that I'm getting old...

1. Our oldest daughter had her first preschool music program last night. Yes, I was one of 500 dad's standing along the back holding a video camera trying not to shake too much. I even wore knaki's and tucked my shirt in...

2. She also turns 4 this weekend and she's having a Princess Tea Party birthday party. I heard one of those sappy father/daughter songs this week while flipping through the radio in the car and I most definitely teared up like an old sap. Good grief they grow up fast...

3. I started a rant with, "Kids these days..."

4. I sang the classic line from WHAM!, "Do Do Do Da Da Da Da Da...Somebody tell me...Won't you tell me...Why I work so hard for you..." and the guy I was meeting with thought someone slipped some crack in my coffee. Apparently WHAM! was a little before his time...but not mine...

5. One week into my experiment...I don't get Twitter. What to post? How often? And every time I'm posting or think to post, I wonder, "Who really cares?" You know you're old when you don't get technology...

Anyone else feeling old? Share your feelings with the group...

Friday Five: Random

A random Friday Five for you...

1. The new Pike's Place Roast at Starbucks is lovely. A new constant. Always fresh. And the vintage design completes it with a touch of unrivaled coolness. Yeah, I'm in.

2. Anyone else mildly disappointed in the comeback episode of The Office? Maybe my expectations were too high...

3. Did I mention that I finished #1309 out of 3.5 million entries and won both my groups in ESPN's Bracket Challenge? Don't ask me about the church planters group on Yahoo...someone else used my name and put that trash in there! :-)

4. I am inside of two months until I turn 30. Lara Beth will be right behind me. We're actually ready for it...maybe people will quit thinking we're in high school! Any blindspots to watch out for?

5. I'm speaking at Willow Ridge Church in Irmo (suburb of Columbia) this Sunday, North Greenville University (my alma mater) on Monday, and 5 Point Fellowship in Easley (suburb of Greenville) next Sunday. I'd appreciate your prayers, especially next Sunday. 5 Point's pastor is Dean Herman...Dean played on Clemson's 1981 national championship team and we're hoping he'll meet Jesus next Sunday when a Gamecock stands on his stage! Did I mention he's three times my size...I might not make it out next Sunday! :-)

Friday Five: ESV, HUB, Cubbies, Masters, and Horn

Quite the busy week this week...I've not yet mastered the discipline of writing time released posts. Something about writing and posting in real time that I just can't break out of. Now...on with the Friday Five:

1. Got an ESV. Two words: LOVE IT! I got the single-columned personal-sized reference edition in brown. Fantastic!

2. Speaking this weekend for HUB, the retreat for the Baptist Campus Ministry leadership teams from all the campuses in South Carolina. Really, really looking forward to it. I love college students and I especially love investing in students who "get it." Pray for me, pray for them, and pray for a move of God on our campuses in South Carolina.

3. My beloved Cubbies kicked off the 100th year since their last World Series title with a flaming 0-2 start. Tim Kurkjian or Buster Olney or one of those other baseball brains on ESPN picked the Cubs to win the NL pennant...kiss of death fellas. Thanks. Can Ryne Sandberg make a comeback please?

4. Next week..."A tradition unlike any other - The Masters on CBS." Nothing signifies spring like The Masters. Still holding out hope for a chance to go...anyone out there who feels compelled to help, let me know. :-) Didn't get to go last year and I didn't know what to do with myself...

5. And finally...the quote of the week was turned in by new Gamecocks basketball coach, Darrin Horn. When asked who our primary hoops rival is, Horn said, "Do I have to say it? Don't they wear orange...to say the name would justify its existence. WE are THE University of South Carolina." I love him already! :-)

Friday Five: Peeps, Pollen, Books, Bibles, & Twitter

Oh yeah...it's a random Friday Five.

1. I got a box of Peeps for Easter. What's the coolest thing to do with a Peep? I ate one, and we put one in the microwave. Any other ideas?

2. Pass the Claritin, please. My car is yellow, my head is clogged, and my eyes are on fire. I'm convinced that hell will be filled with pollen.

3. This week's sign that church planters form the greatest fraternity ever: an up and coming church planter in a state far from South Carolina sent me two books off my amazon.com wish list...for no reason at all. Are you kidding me?! And somehow, he knew which two I wanted the most: The Reason for God by Tim Keller and Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll. Man, what a blessing!

4. I need a new Bible. I've primarily used the same Bible since 1992. But alas, the duct tape binding job I did about 2 years ago has run its course. Thinking about getting an ESV...any thoughts? What translation do you use and enjoy the most?

5. Twitter...yes or no? Do you? Should I? What's the point?

Friday Five: Stories to Follow

These are some stories that have captured me recently and I think you'd do yourself a favor to follow them as well. These are real people who are taking extraordinary steps to follow the call of God on their lives.

1. Chris Reeder :: Chris and his wife Susanne are great friends and are in the very beginning stages of their journey to launch Revolution Church in Florence, SC. Chris is a computer programmer turned church planter and has been blogging for like 100 years or something. :-) Chris and Susanne are the biggest sponges I know...they're learning like crazy! And, God is shaping them and their three kids and preparing them for big things, I do believe!

2. Jason Salamun :: Jason is taking his first steps in planting Project Church in Rapid City, SD...yep, South Dakota. I didn't know anyone lived in South Dakota...but Jason, his wife, and their two kids do and they know a lot of other people who do, but don't know Jesus. Jason is fired up to reach them! He's a training and development manager by day and a church planter by night...gotta love that!

3. Boyd Bettis :: Boyd currently resides in Jacksonville, FL and is on a church staff, but will be sent out from that church to start a new one sometime in the next two years. I love the fact that Boyd and his wife are in a position where a unique vision can be birthed inside them while they get "on the job" experience and expose themselves to learning environments like churchplanters.com. They are young and full of energy!

4. Paul Peterson :: Paul is finishing up his church planting residency at Mountain Lake and will be heading to Cincinnati, OH to launch Walls Down Church this summer. I also got to meet his first team member, Rindy Walton. Paul was pastoring a growing, established church in New York when he sensed God calling Him to launch a new church in a new city. All he did was move his wife and 4 kids to a new place to get ready to go to another new place to launch a brand new church. Wow!

5. Ben Arment :: Ben has become a great friend of mine over the last year. He took an audacious step a week ago that I know and understand all too well. Ben resigned from the church he started a few years ago in Reston, VA in order to...well, he doesn't know yet what he is to do. He realized that his gifts didn't match his role and what his church needed to move forward and he made the difficult decision to step aside. For now, Ben will focus his attention on his baby, The White Board Sessions. After that is a big fat question mark. Ben and his wife Ainsley have two boys and a bright future that isn't quite clear yet.

There are others that I want to share with you, but can't right now because they aren't public knowledge yet. But, I am following these stories and praying for God to use these courageous leaders to advance the Kingdom in big ways! Join me!

Friday Five: Best of...

1. Best day: Yesterday. My mom came up to keep the girls so LB and I could go out for V-Day. We looked at houses, dreamed about all that God is up to in and around us, hit up some Five Guys...remember, we're planting a church...and saw Fool's Gold. Good movie, great burger, big dreams, and my incredible wife...can't beat it.

2. Best blog quote: "Jesus does not invite us to follow Him for what we can get, but He invites us to follow Him for what we can give! We can be a part of serving, loving, and reaching the people around us!" - Eric Bryant

3. Best book: Jesus in the Margins by Rick McKinley. Love his humor and honest writing style. Felt more like a conversation than a book. Very inspiring stories and challenging content. Review and nuggets coming next week.

4. Best tune: God of This City by Chris Tomlin on the new Passion album. Love the chorus: Greater things have yet to come/Greater things are still to be done/In this city. God's vision for my city and yours is SO much bigger than anything we could ever cook up!

5. Best random thing: Got a call from Shawn. He looked at the Guitar Hero competitors at next week's Evolve Conference and said, "Man, we need a bottom-dwelling, mid-major to be the sacrificial lamb for all these top seed power conference dudes." Guess who he called? Yeah, yours truly who has never even laid eyes on Guitar Hero. :-) But, thank goodness for my student pastor brother in-law who is hooking me up and helping me out. The real story is someone dropped...anyway you look at it, I am going to get smoked! But, at least it will be funny...:-) Any pointers you have are welcomed!

Friday Five: Let Me Go Home

By the time most of you read this, I'll be flying the friendly skies on my way back to the dirty south from Louisville, KY...via Detroit.  Go figure on that flight plan...:-)

Crazy week this week...really missing my girls and big time ready to hear, "Daddy's home!" and give LB a hug and kiss in a few hours.

A few things rolling around the cranium ...

1. 6 flights in 5 days...haven't been on a plane in about a year until Monday and now I've been on 6 planes in 5 days.  One observation...Self check-in kiosks are a beautiful thing.  One question...what happened to peanuts?  Did we give up peanuts to get kiosks?  If so, is that a good trade?

2. Speaking of one question, I got Steven Furtick's answer back last night.  It's a good one...look for that early next week.  I wasn't sure which question he'd pick, but I'm glad he picked the one he did...you will be, too!

3. More from Rick Warren next week, including his answer to the One Question I asked him on your behalf.  His answer challenged me...shoot, everything he said for 2 hours challenged me.  Between his talk at Catalyst 07 and my time with him Monday, my respect for him has flown off the charts.

4. Stoked to pick up 3 books for $15 yesterday at LifeWay - McKinley's Jesus in the Margins and The Beautiful Mess and Wilhite's Stripped.  And, a gracious friend bought them for me while I tried to figure out if there was room in the budget for them.  I'm telling you, God just does the little stuff to let you know He has you right where He wants you.

5. The "connector" between Concourse B/C and Concourse A in the McNamara Terminal at Detroit's airport is like an acid trip in the back of a VW van...not that I would know or anything. :-) Has anyone seen what I'm talking about?  I'm going to do my best to take a pic or shoot a quick video when I pass through there today.  It is straight up crazy...

Now I've had my run/Baby, I'm done/I gotta go home...nothing like a little Buble!

Friday Five: People I Want To Meet

YOU! It's killing me to know more about the people that come by here often. So, even though it's late on Friday, let's do this...leave a comment with your name, where you live, what you do, and your favorite ice cream flavor...hopefully there will be more than 5. :-)

I'm Jay.
I live in Columbia, SC.
I'm a church planter.
I love me some mint chocolate chip.

Your turn...

Friday Five: Pastors I'd Like to Meet

Pastors I'd love to meet at Starbucks for coffee and conversation:

1. Rick Warren - Rick's talk at Catalyst blew my mind.  What this guy is doing right now to leverage his influence and affluence for big Kingdom stuff in incredible.  He is on the front lines of what God is doing all over the globe.  Just to hear stories and what he is learning would be enough for me.
2. Erwin McManus - Erwin is hands down one of my favorite communicators and favorite authors.  I love Mosaic and how they are creating culture in L.A.  I'd love to just hear what's on Erwin's mind related to the future, creativity, ad leadership.
3. Dave Ferguson - I love what I see from Dave, CCC, and New Thing Network.  I really feel like Dave has blazed a trail that more people need to jump on - decentralizing leadership, releasing networks to launch more networks, and multiplying everything...leaders, artists, movements, and disciples.
4. Craig Groeschel - You know someone has loads of integrity and humility when you can read it in their blog posts!  Craig has learned so much...and he shares it so willingly...I'd love to talk with him about integrity, humility, and leadership.
5. Tie: Rick McKinley & Alan Hirsch - Rick pastors a church that is loving, serving, and reaching people who are far from God in one of the most unChristian/liberal cities in the U.S.  Alan has done similar work in Australia using an organic, missional/incarnational strategy and has written about his learnings in The Forgotten Ways.  I want to learn from anyone who is reaching people in largely unChristian contexts, regardless of how they do it.

I'll share some other people I'd love to meet next week.  Any pastors you'd love to meet?

Friday Five

Five random thoughts on a rainy Friday morning in the South...

1. Sick stinks. Literally...:-) Glad to finally be climbing out of it...thanks to all who prayed!

2. Keep praying BIG for Catalyst Church. God is on the move in some pretty unique ways up there...can't say enough how proud I am of Casey, Jake, Ryan, Sarah, and the whole crew. Guys, we're praying and believing BIG!

3. Ben Arment is the most encouraging person I have ever met in my life. The funny thing...I've only met him once face to face and that was for about 10 minutes. Who says you can't build real relationships through the blogosphere? Looking forward to finally visiting Ben on his home field for Whiteboard.

4. It's getting close to "go" time here in Columbia. I'll be sharing more of what God is up to in the coming weeks...there's still a lot to work through, but the possibilities are endless and the people He's connected us with are amazing. A mentor of mine said once, "You can't start a missional church without missional people." He's so right and the good news is that God has brought us some passionately missional believers who will not rest until this city radiates the glory of God!

5. "If you want to win this world to Christ, you are going to have to sit in the smoking section. That is where lost people are found, and if you make them put their cigarette out to hear the message they will be thinking about only one thing: 'When can I get another cigarette?'" - Neil Cole, The Organic Church