Brad Wilkerson // COC Metro

Easter 2010 - BE THERE!!

COC Metro Easter Invitation from Dane Blankenship on Vimeo.

Easter Week...TO DO LIST:

1.  Doing all that I can to invite people to church this weekend.
2.  BEGGING God to do something amazing this weekend....not strategy but SUPERNATURAL.....He has a great track record of doing some pretty incredible things on Easter…dating back about 2,000 years!
3.  Put finishing touches on the most important sermon I will preach all year!
4.  Fast on Friday...praying for all those who have received an Easter Invite card or passed by our billboard on 380 and had this thought, "Hey, maybe we ought to go there on Easter Sunday!"
5.  Attend a Good Friday worship service in the area w/COC Metro Staff
6.  Wednesday night Staff & Elder's challenge & prayer meeting...7 p.m.
7.  Purchase visual aids for Easter sermon
8.  Set up the school and add extra stage design stuff...Saturday 3 p.m.
9.  Service run throughs Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
10. Prepare for the biggest Celebration Party of the Year at COC Metro.

What's on your list this week?

Ignite

Since it snowed the first weekend of Spring 2010 in the DFW area I decided just to get out of town and go somewhere warm.  So I caught a flight on Sunday afternoon to Phoenix so that I could actually enjoy some Spring weather this year.

Well, not actually.  In all reality, I have been scheduled to be here for over six months.  I am in Phoenix for our annual Converge Worldwide Conference, "Ignite."  This year's conference is hosted by Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Chandler, AZ.  Of course anytime I come to AZ, I stay with our sister church COC Maricopa's Lead Pastor, Josh Barrett.  So far we have had a great visit and this morning I am sitting in on their Pastoral Staff meeting.  Also, in the room is new and future church planter, Troy Wolfe.  Troy and his wife Jennifer will be planting this coming late summer/early fall in the North Ft. Worth area.  Movement Church in North Ft. Worth will be our first endeavor to be a part of multiplying ourselves in church planting in the Texas area.  I am not only excited to be a part of Troy and Jennifer's lives as their church planting coach but I am stoked that COC Metro is having the opportunity to be a part of getting this new work started in Texas.

Tonight and tomorrow morning we will all be ignited but the incredible communication ability of key note speaker, Perry Noble.  Perry is the Lead Pastor of Newspring Church in Anderson, SC.  Perry planted Newspring 10 years ago with just a handful of people and now worships with over 8,000 people every weekend.  I look forward to not only hearing from him but hanging out with him as well.  Pastor Josh Barrett is in charge of getting Perry to and from the conference and making sure he is taken care of so I am like a fly on the wall in the car and at each meal.  Gonna be a great week for me and all those attending.

Look out COC Metro....I am getting ignited for days to come.

He's Coming Back

So if you are a golf fan, and all of you know I am, Tuesday was like one of the biggest days in the world of GOLF.  That's right; the great Tiger Woods is coming back to the golf world just 24 short days from now at The Masters in Augusta, Georgia.  Even though Tiger is an incredible, if not the most talent golfer that has ever lived, I was never really a huge fan.  I enjoyed watching his talents between the ropes but was disgusted with the news of his lifestyle outside the ropes.  The stories of his reckless lifestyle confirmed even more my love for a great golfer and family man, Phil Mickelson.  However, I am glad Tiger is working through his stuff and is ready to get back on the course.  I never had a doubt that he'd play in The Masters.  All the "I'm Sorrys" aside, he simply wants to win majors.  The four majors is what he is all about as he chases Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 career major victories.  Let's face it, he may take some tough questions and some heckling from the galleries over his poor decisions but none of that will change his talent with a club in his hand.  I look for him to not only compete well at Augusta National but I wouldn't be all too surprised if he won the thing.  So, in case you are dead and haven't heard, Tiger Woods is back to playing golf.

As word of his return came down I had to chuckle at all the press coverage on it.  ESPN, The Golf Channel, Fox News, CNN and even our local news were reporting it all day on Tuesday.  It was like we were going to war with the old Soviet Union and all our war tactics were being debated.  It did soften all the NCAA Championship discussions that everyone seems to want to predict.  Crazy...just simply crazy.

So as I sat down at my desk on Tuesday to write my weekly blog this thought came to my sometimes crazy mind, "Would the world, the media outlets or even you be as excited if Jesus had announced that He was coming back in 24 days.  I just wonder what kind of press coverage that would get?  Certainly, He and His return would deserve worldwide attention and change but I am concerned that many would simply turn a deaf ear just as they have been doing for decades.  Sad as it is, I'm wondering if the Creator of the universe would get ESPN or CNN's attention if He (not His agent) said, "Hey, world, I'm coming back!"

WAIT a minute....He already has! (See first 10 verses of John 14)

Folks, the greatest return of all is just around the corner.  Look around you, signs are everywhere.  Earthquakes, wars & rumors of war, floods and economic uncertainty all point to the soon return of someone much more important than Mr. Tiger Woods.  (See the book of Revelation)  I love golf and the enjoyment of watching it (including Tiger) but I just wonder today if the world anticipates HIS return or his return.

I hope for you as it is for me:  I am more interested in HIS return.

18 Years And Many More To Come!!

Sunday, March 14th, Sarah and I will celebrate 18 years of an incredible life together as husband and wife.  Add to that the 4 1/2 years we dated and you will see that we have been together for over 22 years.  I wanted to take time this week to just give you some reflections on what I think about the gift that God has given me in Sarah:

1.  She is the best Christian woman I know.

2.  She is an incredible Mother who works outside the home and still has time for her kids and simple things like family meals.

3.  She is the best Ladies' Minister I have ever seen.

4.  She knows her role as a Pastor's wife...her job is not to control & run me or the church...she is my partner but understands her role. (Believe me, this is so important in ministry.  Nothing is worse than a Lead Pastor's wife who runs the church!)

5.  She is my best friend.  When the dust settles and everyone else is gone...she is always there.

6.  She is SMOKIN HOT!

7.  She sacrifices like no one else.  Willing to always let others shine...including me.

8.  She makes the best Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole.

9.  For those who really know her...she is so stinkin funny.

10.  She is confidential....so important in the life of a Pastor's wife.  If you tell her something, it stays with her.  Incredible quality to have.

So as Sunday approaches, here's to you my wife, best friend and lover.  I am convinced more and more everyday that I am what I am because you love me.  Thanks for the 18 years of marriage, the 4 1/2 years of dating and for our two awesome kids.  Here's to many more incredible years and fun to come.  You are the, "Wind Beneath My Wings."

BLESSED

It seems as though every Sunday at COC Metro God shows up in some new and fresh way.  This past Sunday was just that kind of day.  To put it into one word, it would be:  BLESSED!  I am blessed to be the Pastor of such a wonderful group of people who truly have a desire to worship God and serve those in their communities.  We are absolutely celebrating Jesus with every breath of our lives.

Sunday was just a God thing.  First of all, Pastor Dane had been lined up to preach for over a month and, well, I guess God wasn't ready for him to deliver his message.  Pastor Dane was hit with a kidney stone attack late in the evening on Saturday night and ended up in the Emergency Room by 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning.  So with about 5 hours of lead time, I prepared to preach a sermon in which I was no where prepared to preach.  That is where God took over.  When I stepped on the platform I said to God, "I got nothing but I know you have everything....it's time to do YOUR work."  And He did it.  I can't tell you 1/2 the things I said but I know God led me to go back to the basics.  Go back to John 13 and tell His people to get their knees dirty and wash some feet...that is why He did it that night in the Upper Room; as an example of what not only the disciples should do, but I believe and example for His church.  Since Sunday I have had many people tell me that it was one of the best sermons I have ever preached to which I can only say, "GOD did it!"  That's just the way HE likes it.  HE did it!

Now the icing on the cake Sunday was the eight baptized at the end of either our first or second service.  Congrats to Keith, Trevor, Matthew, Gracen, Alison, Kerry, Kristian and Fronzell.  Your step of faith to follow the Lord by obeying Him to be baptized is incredible.  I am proud of each of you very much.

We were blessed again by two full houses in both services.  Our attendance Sunday was just shy of 400.  Not bad for a church that is only 19 months old!!!  Again, a GOD thing!  I totally believe when a group of people sell out to HIS calling and do things with the highest degree of excellence...the sky is the limit for HIM.  I never want COC Metro to get caught waiting on God to do what He is waiting on us to do.  We will move forward with excellence, and by faith we pray for Him to guide those steps.  Wow, that was a pretty cool statement.  Someone ought to steal that and use that somewhere.

We are now in full gear with Upward Soccer with over 100 kiddos kicking the ball up and down the field every week and on Saturdays.  Only God knows how many souls will be added to HIS Kingdom because of a soccer ball and two goals.

Transformed Student Ministries is now in full gear with our new leadership, Kaleb & Kaci McMillan and Tyler Kelso.  Sunday night's Youth Worship, "The Edge", is rockin with right at 50 each and every weekend.

CCity and Little City are the best they have ever been and of course the worship at COC...well once again BLESSED.  Ryan Oliver and the band just get better and better every week.

One word sums of up the blog this week:  BLESSED!