Aaaahhh, you went there!

That's what we're doing at SGC these days. We're 'going there' concerning marriage relationships and the raw truth behind the lives of our people. One of our core values at SGC is authenticity, so what you will witness here is all that and then some. Meet Ray and Micle Flora. They are professionals working in the field of health and medicine and they are loads of fun to be around. Micle is one of our amazing worship leaders with a gift from God that saw her through many dark days. Here they share their story of overcoming a nightmarish season of their life that led them to the brink of divorce. Five years later they are going on a cruise to Hawaii... to celebrate 15 years of marriage. Rough & Tumble? Yes! But worth it? Absolutely! Congratulations, y'all!

On the floor.

This is the way we want to lead our church.

Hitched

New series has begun at SGC. We are connected to some people in our lives by choice and we're connected to others by fate or by virtue of our family line. Whatever the connection, relationships take work. We will delve into some of the key ingredients that produce winning marriages, families & friendships. The first message, Obsession can be summed up in this sentence: Becoming obsessed with what people think about you is the fastest way to forget about what God thinks about you. Join us live on Sundays at 10:30 or catch the podcast here.

Broken

Jesus said he didn't come to earth for people who are well. He made it very clear he came like a doctor to the sick and broken among us. And while it is true that we are all sick and broken to some degree, we are not all put off to the side like some of the kids I met this morning. One of the unique things about Southgate, the church I get to lead, is our relationship with an alternative school called The Crossing. Each day they hold school they take time out to talk about life...Family Time. Today a young man named Jonathan shared his story of how God has kept him safe after being left alone by his parents and losing his brother in a shooting death a couple of years ago. What a story! The best part is that Jonathan was a Crossing kid but now is Crossing staff. He is still healing but he is definitely less broken. Prayer requests? Two kids at the end asked for prayer for their dads who were in court that day. Broken, but asking for God to help them become whole. This goes on under our roof each day of the school week here at SGC. People think we have church on Sundays and we do, but they probably don't know we have it every other day of the week as well. It's just a little bit different than one might imagine. "The church is the school and the school is the church..." Steve Chalke

Who's on your team?

A guy asked me some time ago to be on his 'Board of Directors.' I asked if he was starting a business or non-profit or whatever.... He said he was trying to build a team of people around him who he respected to help him manage his life and challenge him to growth & godliness. That is brilliant! Life is a team sport and we all need a team or a board of directors. I am grateful to my team who make me better in so many ways. Think about it. Who stretches you? Who challenges you to be a better you? This doesn't happen accidentally. Go ahead and fill those seats. Who is on your team?

The Zalas' Journey of Faith

On Sunday morning February 7th, SGC featured an interview with John and Joyce Zalas. They spoke candidly about their marriage journey as they cared for their daughter Alesia who passed away one year ago. View their story here.

A Few Reflections from last year

Here are some things that I fondly look back on as 2010 matures.

• Cynthia and I ran two 5k's.
• The Crossing school (an outreach to public school casualties) moved into SGC.
• My son Austin announced his engagement to Meagan Allen, his longtime sweetheart.
• SGC was finally & officially out of debt!
• Notre Dame hired Brian Kelly as its new head coach.
• I was selected to be part of a coaching community with Scott Hodge of The Orchard and 12 other pastor guys. It began yesterday. It was amazing.
• We put our house up for sale to downsize since we will soon be a family of three co-habitants
• Bought our plane tickets for Honduras to go on a two-week mission in July with Max and Garret, my two youngest sons.
• Celebrated my 20th year on staff at SGC (the last 5.5 in the senior role)

I think this will be a good year, too.