someone I'm watching

One of the fun things about Twitter is the new people you can discover pretty quickly, just by thumbing through who someone's following. (And don't tell me you don't do it.)

One of the people I discovered was Clayton Reed, who is the director of Global Church Planters and is the pastor of a church plant launching in September. They've named their church "Southlake Baptist: A Vintage Church," and on the church's website, they describe that concept thus:

"Southlake Baptist Church is a community of baptized believers in Jesus Christ rooted in Baptist doctrines, which we believe to be Bible doctrines. Our focus is to teach and preach the truths of God’s Word in a relevant manner that will guide lost people to a loving Savior and help Christians living in today’s culture. We describe this approach to ministry as 'vintage,' proclaiming timeless truths with effective application for this generation."

Recently, they posted the following video, which they are using in preparation for the launch of their church. I was impressed both with the quality and the content of the presentation.

chats with the staff from Southlake Baptist on Vimeo.

Clay also wrote a short series of posts at his blog that describe his thinking in this area, and it's a great read. I'm really jiving with the ideas he is articulating.

Among my tribe, this is definitely a group to watch and learn from!

facilitating conversation

I'm back to the blog after a hiatus. I discovered Twitter, and have been active on there. We had a vacation, which went well. Now, to breathe the sweet air of the blogosphere once again!

- - -

Here's an idea I had:

I have friends who are doing some incredible and interesting things. I often get the impression that young Christians making decisions about careers might not be aware that there are incredible and interesting things to do.

So why not bring the two together?

With that in mind, our church is hosting "How I Got Here: A Conversation with Eric Damron" this Saturday evening at 6:30. It will be an informal time in which Eric will interact with late teen/young adults about his career path, decisions that paved the way, what he would recommend for someone who might want to choose a similar career, and the like.


Eric's work with Independent Baptist Media takes him around the United States and around the world. The ministry's international focus is on installing radio stations that are operated by national church staffs, spreading the Gospel of Jesus across such places as Rwanda, Uganda, the Marshall Islands, Iraq, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. Domestically, they assist churches in installing radio stations, and also offer churches consultation and installation on media systems.

In addition to his work with Independent Baptist Media, Eric has also served as an assistant pastor. He is married to Tisa, who will join him for this event, and together they have three children.

We will have coffee and finger foods on hand to facilitate the conversation. I want for this to be a time not only of expanded horizons, but of making new friendships with others in a similar time of life.

If this sounds like something you (or late teens/young adults in your life) might be interested in, we'd love to have you! Send me an email or hit me on Twitter or Facebook (links are in the sidebar), and I'll get you directions.

I hope to do this once every three months or so. I have more friends doing interesting things that I'd like to introduce you to. We'll see what happens!