Steven Gibbs

Dental Work

Nothing like dental work to make your day. John has been waiting for his new tooth all summer. Debby has been waiting to get braces since she stopped wearing her retainer in 8th grade...

Saturday experiences

Everyone should live on the wild side!

Who to believe?

After the hail storms a few weeks back, we had a ton of roofers descend on our neighborhood. They began knocking on my door – because they’d looked at my roof through binoculars while inspecting my neighbor’s roof!

Of course, I needed a new roof, and some other very expensive repairs (according to them). So I called my insurance company, like many of you. According to them, I needed some housing repairs, but no new roof. Who do I believe?

Of course, we may jump to the conclusion to believe the roofers. The insurance company has a vested interest in our NOT needing a new roof. Now, I have had my share of struggles with an insurance adjuster. But if I am suspicious of my insurance company, why do I pay them every year for my homeowners insurance? Why would I trust the opinion of a roofer who is only in town to make some money, and then leaves? If I am that suspicious of my insurance company, I must not be too intelligent to pay them all that money!

So, instead of jumping to conclusions about the company, I called an independent third party who had a good reference. They helped clear it all up.

It seems so easy in life to believe the person we know less about. We hear part of the truth, and we run with it. It happens in businesses. A work associate of yours has been let go. Of course he had no idea it was coming. He’d been performing above average for years. The big, bad boss let him go, for no reason. Really? Oh, yeah, and come to find out, this was the third time.

It happens in our neighborhoods, and in our families, and with our friends. We find it easier to be angry with the people that are closer to us, than with someone we don't really know, and shouldn't trust. Of course, our friends can be in the wrong. But we should probably start with the premise that the person we know has his own view of the story. It would probably be the "polite" thing to call them and ask. And biblical. Always be objective. It’ll save you a ton of heartache.

Image of Sex Struggles

I knew that would get your attention. The title of Sunday's message is "Image of Sex." I'm struggling with so much info to teach on!

We'll be landing our Silhouette series. It's been great, and we have gotten great feedback from all of the creative elements and musical touches.

Checked Out

I've been checked out of the blogosphere for a while. We went to Jamaica last week with our high school students. We built 2 houses, poured 3 foundations, and moved A LOT of rocks. I’ll never look at a bag of cement or a shovel the same again. I’ll post some pics in a few days.

Also, we had a great time hosting John Eldredge last night. John is on a book tour, and spent a couple of hours talking through his book with around 1100 people. God has used the materials that his ministry produces to greatly impact my life, and it was great to be able to host that event.

Everyone who came continually talked about what a great church we had. Yeah, I know (smile). You guys rock.

Control Freaks

You may have seen Roger Clemens appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The chairman of the committee, Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), regrets holding the hearing, The New York Times reported.

"I'm sorry we had the hearing. I regret that we had the hearing. And the only reason we had the hearing was because Roger Clemens and his lawyers insisted on it," Waxman said.

How is it that a baseball player has the control to get a hearing before Congress? Last time I checked, baseball was America’s pastime, not lifeline. Now, I respect baseball, but it is a GAME.

In reality, a baseball player does not have that control unless it is given to him. You know what, we can give away control as well. We can feel forced into a decision by someone who makes us feel guilty, inadequate, defensive, or wrong. So we cave in to what they want. They make us feel like we have to. Their issue is usually not what is right, or the truth, but about control.

Jesus never did that. When someone wanted him to go to a certain city, he didn’t. When someone wanted him to establish his kingdom, he didn’t bow to the pressure. He stayed focused on his mission.

We don’t have to give up control to another person, either. Just because someone wants something from you doesn’t mean you should respond. It doesn’t mean that you should cower to those control freaks that want their way. Just like Henry Waxman, we’ll find that it isn’t just a waste of time, but actually damaging. Stay focused on what is important. Let those freaks work their control magic on someone else.

Upcoming Series

“Dump Your Junk” featured some pretty heavy creative elements. Our new series, “There’s Something about Benjamin” will be great, but with much more humor. While we value fun and laughter, I think this Sunday may be one of the funniest services we have seen in a while.

For you hyper-spiritual folks – laughter is in the Bible. We can still teach “deep” (note of sarcasm) truths, and we can do it while having fun. You definitely want to invite someone.

Curious

On Friday, someone dropped off a dog, with a bowl of food, at the church. They were driving a very nice Range Rover. What I mean by dropped off is "dumped." They did not come back to get the dog.

The dog is still around. We've tried to catch the dog, to no avail. We've called the appropriate authorities. I'm just curious, if you met this Range Rover driving person, what would be your reaction?

Scatter Shooting

Great post here on MLK. Love the imagery and message.

This Sunday will be an incredible opportunity to invite your friends and your One Life. Don't miss it.

I was frustrated when I couldn't find my keys. Imagine misplacing $7B!

What's up with Heath Ledger's death? It's always a time to reflect on the brevity of life and what we should be doing with the time we have.

Giants or the Patriots? I like the Patriots, but I also like an underdog. That's different than a loser, and I'll post more on the difference later.

I was an early reviewer of an upcoming book, Pop Goes The Church by Tim Stevens of Granger Community Church in Indiana. Because it has not been released, I can't use any material here. But it did have a couple of statements that I think will have some pretty strong impact. As one reviewer put it, "it is both engaging and provocative."

Sunday Services

We have cancelled services for Sunday, January 20th due to weather. We held off as long as we could. The Georgia DOT is suggesting that people stay off of the roads after dark. It doesn't seem that it will warm up anytime soon after that. We have cancelled mainly because we are concerned for our volunteers and staff. We are concerned that the road conditions that early in the day could prove to be hazardous for them.

For this week at Stonecreek and schedule changes, click here.
For message downloads, click here.
To give online, click here.
To invite a friend, click here.