Mark Hunnicutt

Mark's '08 Christmas Present Rundown

Dirty Debrief

Amazing spirit at SNC. Regular leadership was gone but newbies stepped up, thanks Ruben and gang.

Everyone looked great in their new Christmas clothes. Christmas songs aren't the same after Christmas.

Dennis has the band rockin'. I'm really to loving that guy. He is a great addition to our team and is here to stay.

Filling in for Ryan tommorow in Life Groups with our youth. I'm looking forward to it! I've got Morgan doing music which helps with the cool factor.

Really diggin' Whale Wars on Animal Planet. You've got to watch it.

Tough message tonight on Gifts and the Corinthian Church. We want to avoid their immaturity.

We are almost finished with Pastor Greg's book entitled God is Able...I'm I Willing. Can't wait for you to read it this spring.

Looking forward to watching some real football this week.

7 people started the membership process tonight at SNC! Huge!

The neighbor's kid got a thumpin' car system for Christmas. It is shaking my house. My head in bobbing, love the beat. If he doesn't turn it down after 10pm I'm going to have a word of prayer with him.

Big group of college kids attended tonight. They are home for break. Man do they worship!

Keaton, Jared and Anne's bady girl is due Friday! I think she coming tonight!

Missed David, Cory, Joey and Jon tonight. Major leadership vacuum when all those guys miss.

Cheryl already has our Christmas decorations down. She is a cleaning machine. Our 15th anniversary is in March. What is the gift for 15? Paper? Better start saving.

My nieces turned 14 today. I can not believe how beautiful they are on the inside and outside.

I ate too much over the holidays. I feel like someone has poured sugar in my gas tank. One word, sluggish.

I watched a 14 year old coach an adult through a problem tonight. This dad's son is facing a problem that the 14 year old overcame. Loved that picture.

Gene Walters, one of my prayer warriors, is preaching tommorow at his church. He is one of the most prepared Bible teachers I've ever heard. Did I mention that he is blind? I hope to catch the end of his sermon.

Looking forward to our marriage retreat this weekend. 80's theme should be fun! Those retreats are one of my favorite venues to teach in. Everybody seems to be laid back.

My entire Community Group was gone tonight except for Jon & Cindy? Missed you guys! Sandra, I know you read my blog at like 2am. Go punch Gene in the stomach and see if the Kettlebells are doing anything.

Snow in the future?

Planning some big community mission events for spring, any ideas?

Cheryl just asked me, who tatse test cat food? Great question!

I'm looking forward to '09! Happy New Year!

How Should We Respond To Christmas?

Merry Christmas!  I love the simplicity of Christmas.  How should we respond to Christmas? 

First, we need to understand what Christmas is all about. 

Watch the first video...

How should we respond to the Christmas message in '09? 

Watch the second video...

 

4 Praise Him with ... dancing! Psalms 150:4

My prayer for you is because of God's grace you dance.  You dance in your relationships, you dance in your ministry, you dance in your finances and you dance in your disciplines in 2009. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

 

A Great Chirstmas Gift For Next Year

This past Spring, Cheryl and I screened a documentary about refugee children from Burma called Freedom House.  The reason we went is because two brother, Andrew & Benjamin Schultz, that were in my youth group over a decade ago filmed and produced the movie.

Cheryl and I sat and watched these young men capture the hearts of 31 young refugees.  It moved us to prayer and participation.  We pray for these children's safety because they are living in the longest civil war in the history of the world.  Burma is literally a death zone.  We participated by giving to keep some of these kids out of refugee camps.  Those prayers, participation, the providence of God, $2000 a lot of paperwork and leverage from the United Nations can resettle an orphan teen here in the United States. 

Andrew just sent me an update.  Seven children featured in Freedom House now live in the United States!  Picture #1 is Mark who now lives in Omaha.  Picture #2 features Andrea and Joy, sisters who witnessed a parents' death and now live in Charlotte, NC.  Picture #3 is Klop Lan Paw who literally escaped the refugee camp and may be united with her entire family here in the States in January. 

This is an incredible documentary that I would encourage everyone to purchase.  Imagine if every small group or Sunday School class in your church bought, viewed and donated $2000 in 2009.  Wow, what a Christmas gift for next year.

Gifts #2 Community Group Questions

       My favorite time at SNC is our Community Groups.  We meet right after the worship service around 6:30pm until 7pmish.  Several of you couldn't make it this week so I'm posting the communiation handout.  Click on the image on the right to view.  There is a Communicty Group for you so make plans to attend this SNC.

Gifts #2 - Romans 12

The church at Rome was a very diverse culture with no iconic leader.  This church was known throughout the entire world for it's impact, why? Romans 1:8

They knew and exercised their gifts.

They were likeminded.

They desired to make Jesus famous.

That is my Christmas prayer for churches around the world.  Click on image to left for entire message outline. 

Gifts #1 - 1 Peter 4

One of my favorite gifts was a 22 rifle.  That rifle is a great illustration of NT gifts.  You are the bullet, your ministry context in a local church is the barrel and the gun powder is the Holy Spirit.  A bullet by itself is of no practical use.  A bullet, a barrel and a blast can make an impact! 

How do you identify your spiritual gift?  One of the best ways to identify your gift is to get involved in a variety of ministry experiences.  In those experiences look for...

ministries in which you feel the most fulfilled   

ministries in which you seem to be the most effective

ministries in which others affirm your abilities

How do you identify your gift?  Take a online gifts assessment...

http://www.elmertowns.com/spiritual_gifts_test/

http://mintools.com/spiritual-gifts-test.htm#begin

For the complete outline click on the image below.  Let me know what your gift assessment revealed.  Merry Christmas!

Dirty Debrief

Just to reminder, a dirty debrief is just my random thoughts from the week.

Got '09 budget & deacon affirmation in am. Good SNC response to process tonight. Pray I don't get a paper cut as we wade through 1000s of ballots.

I still want it to snow! Crazy spring like weather is not helping.

Did better with my disciplines this week. God, Cheryl then ministry is a way better order than the other way around.

Love teaching on spiritual gifts. God reveal Yourself to these special people.

Started back swimming yesterday. Forgot how much I enjoy it.

Childrens transition team is rockin'. Miss Lynn. Pray for Big Ev, he is on mission trip in Memphis.

Looking forward to Nativity tommorow night @ church. The screenwriting is incredible in that movie.

Pray for Garret Shehan, his cancer is back. Trying to decide if I'm going to do Triathlon or 100 mile bike this year with TNT. Both? We can find a cure for this sickness.

Meet two nice families tonight at SNC. Thank You God for sending us people. I need to invest and invite more intentionally.

I haven't washed my truck since October. I love gray.

I'm really diggin' cookies this Christmas.

I pray that you have a great Christmas!

Bikes or Bust - JR Lee

Several years ago I meet a guy named JR Lee.  He was one of those guys that goes right past making an impression to making an impact.  I wasn't around him long before I knew he was willing to do anything to make Jesus famous. 

Recently we reconnected through Twitter.  JR is the Lead Pastor @ Freedom Church in Acworth, GA.  He and his team are going to camp out on a crane, 50 feet in the air,  for 50 hours tomorrow in Walmart parking lot.  The reason, to collect new bikes for children in their local elementary schools because Freedom Church believes all kids deserve to have an incredible Christmas. 

The bicycles are $35 for the younger kids and $50 for the older students.  Cheryl and I bought two tonight by going here and clicking on the Egive Link.  I want to encourage you to purchase a bike or pray for a deserving kid in GA. 

Keep making an impact Freedom Church!

Christmas Reminders

I heard two great Christmas reminders today. One was expected and the other unexpected.

First, the expected. Pastor Greg brought great clarity to Phil. 2 and the questions, where Jesus came from and why He came? Jesus took a long Christmas road trip to romance this world back to Himself. To Him we were worth this trip. It was a round trip from heaven, to the earth, to the cross, to the grave and back to heaven. By the way, He is scheduled for a return road trip soon. Think more Theology and less tinsel and twinkle this holiday.

The second reminder was unexpected. It came from our preschool choir. They opened with a Christmas song about telling and teaching this season. Like most kids songs it had motions. They would point with authority when they sang, go tell, go teach. Their command was backed by biblical authority because those are Jesus' words.

This Christmas let's make sure to add some Theology, some telling and some teaching to our busy agendas. What great Christmas reminders have you heard lately?