I want you to see the beams that are going up on Phase 1 of the New Campus.. Folks we have gone vertical. And it is a lovely sight. The pictures below are of the steel skeleton around the north end of the worship center. Wow.

   It has been two years today. She came ashore in 2005 on this date, and changed our world. Forever. But not all of the change is bad. In fact, good things are coming out of Katrina everyday. 24 months ago there was five feet of water in our auditorium. Our shopping center-church was destroyed along with most of our equipment. But today, on the second anniversary of her arrival in Louisiana our new campus went vertical. We are hanging steel on the new worship center on the second anniversary of Katrina. How ironic is that ? I will take some pictures tomorrow and post them on this blog. Two years. Here’s to starting over. Life is good.

   Rootbeer is an amazing drink.( Maybe that’s an exaggeration) Maybe not. There are so many good brands of Rootbeer. Unlike cola, where the top two names rule the industry, Rootbeer has room for many variations. Some of my favorites are A&W, Barqs, IBC, Stewart’s, Hires and Dads. I haven’t meet a Rootbeer flavor that I hate, yet.  I have even tried the root beer extract that’s available on the baking aisle in the grocery store, the kind you make yourself. It was okay. But my favorite Rootbeer is …… it’s a toss up. Barqs Rootbeer is my first choice with Louisiana food. Barqs was created in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and it goes great with po-boys and red beans and rice. Or anything cooked here for that matter. But the best root beer for floats is A&W. I love A&W root beer floats. LOVE. Here’s my recipe for a great root beer float:
 
   1 frosted mug
   2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
   Fill the mug with frosty A&W
   Eat/Drink/ Repeat process

   Life is good. Better with Rootbeer.

  I was sitting on the steel beams this morning at 4.30 AM. The moon was shining in the south western sky as the first concrete trucks rolled in. About a dozen men were waiting for the pour to begin. Our job superintendent has been on site since 2.45 this morning, organizing and overseeing the work. The quiet of the morning is a special place. As I sat there on the slab of our future worship center, using the steel beams as a chair, I reflected on the last eleven years. It’s hard to believe that Journey turns Eleven on October 6, 2007. What a decade. In 1996 this was all a dream. Since that first Sunday service in the Fall of ‘96 so much has happened. A new George Bush as president, The Twin Towers went down in flames, Hurricane Katrina, and a 140 acre campus for Journey are just some of them. That first service eleven years ago had 43 people in attendance. Since then we have met in 15 different locations and grown exponentially. What a decade. I need a nap. I love this church.

   It has to be one of the coolest gigs on the planet. Church – Planting. (That’s starting a new church from the ground up.) I got saved in a church plant. Preached my first sermon in one too. Rachel and I volunteered for years at a new church on the campus of a local university. And then in 1996 we were sent to plant this church, The Journey. Most of our adult life has been dedicated to serving the Lord through the local church. I wouldn’t change a thing.
   This morning Journey sent out a team of 25 people to plant a new church in Covington, LA
Pastor Jimmy Malone brought the message today. He is the leader of the new church. It’s called The Lighthouse. They will be meeting in Covington on Highway 190 in the old Allstate Building. Great location. Jimmy told the funniest story. It will be on part 4 of our series, “Don’t just go to church Be the church”. Download it for FREE from our resource page on www.journeyfellowshipchurch.com . I love this church.
   Hey did you hear about the Game Balls ? I’ve been giving game balls to some of the folks at church who completed their mission with the $50.00 random act of kindness. You can read their stories on the church web-site too. Well today we concluded the series and instead of game balls we gave away 4 tickets to a New Orleans Saints home game. I have been blown away by you all this month. You took the challenge to “Be the Church”. I’m proud of you. Journey rocks.

   I wanted you to see where our very own Journey Worship Band holds weekly practice. We are jamming on the bayou. Some awesome friends own a camp near the Lake and they invited Rachel and the team to practice there. ( At least until the new campus opens).         I tagged along last night and brought my camera. Musicians are a rare breed and it was fun to hang out with them for a little while. Here’s a backstage pass to see my favorite band getting ready for the weekend. Modern day Swampers.

.

   The 138 was buzzing today. I was out there around 1 PM and the place was jumping. The prep work for the second pour of concrete is almost done. While the water well is being drilled to a depth of 480 ft., the steel is being unloaded from big trucks nearby. And Straightline is digging the retention pond. (For fun I’m calling the retention pond Lake Journey for now.) The next portion of the slab is scheduled to be poured on Wednesday August 22nd and the final pour is planned for Tuesday August 28th. We should be erecting steel by the end of the month. We are going vertical. I love this church.

   We enjoyed some really nice weather this week. Lots of sunshine. Little rain. And we made some progress on the prep work for the second pour of our concrete slab. I was on the ground today at the 138. The crew was working hard on getting things ready for pour number 2. That should happen on or about Tuesday. Which will be followed in short order  by the third and final pour. When it’s all said and done we will have a slab of about 26,000 square feet. The steel is being delivered in a few weeks. I can’t wait to go vertical.
   Also the parking lot is being built now. Sweet. Here are a few pictures from August 11, 2007. They were taken about 2.30 PM. I love the Journey.

   I have been in Indianapolis most of this week at the General Council of our Fellowship of Churches. It was an amazing week. We elected a new leader for our 12,000 churches. Dr. George O. Wood is now the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God. Dr. Wood played a huge part in my becoming an ordained pastor. He’s been a good friend to Journey. You rock, Dr. Wood. Also we bought a new podium for the new campus. I think I may start using it tomorrow. Also we ate at some really good restaurants in Indy. The Saints were playing Friday night on the big screen at Weber’s Grill. We ate there twice this week. It was my favorite. It was a cool place to eat with an outdoor bbq grill theme. Hmmmmm. So glad to be home. I missed my family and I’m pumped about part two to my new series.
   Be The Church ! Oh yeah and I saw a bunch of my friends……….Brad Bullock, Jeff Ables, Dr. Orfila, George Neau, Anthony Freeman, Kendall Bridges, Gary Sapp, Al Eden, and the beat goes on….

   We are busy Being the church this month. The Journey accepted the challenge to do the work of the good Samaritan. That whole love your neighbor thing. Here are some fresh thoughts from the story in Luke 10:25-37. This a list of 5 things Jesus taught me from the story  of the original Good Sam…

1. focus on the big picture…Eternity
2. live what you believe
3. your biggest distraction is your need to be validated
4. big opportunities often come disguised as impossible situations
5. the great ones always give more than they take