Inside the Mind of a Church Planter

Church Planters are their own breed. Or at least that's what some people think. I've questioned myself before: "Kevin, why leave when you have it so good to start something that you don't know if it will work?" Great question, Kevin. Glad you asked...yourself. The answer: every church plant is different and every church planter is different.

Over the last few weeks, I've been on contact with some other guys who have recently planted churches. Some very recently, others, a couple years ago. I asked them all the same 9 questions. Over the next few days, you'll have a chance to peer inside the mind and hearts of some church planters. You'll see their vision for their church, heart for the Lord and the people of the city they live in, as well as hear their different takes on lessons they've learned so far, how people can get plugged in to their church, and more.

I've enjoyed reading their thoughts and I'm really looking forward to sharing them with you. Stay tuned here this week for some great insight into the mind of a church planter. Also, if you know of someone interested in planting a church or just a person that would be interested in reading about it, make sure they know to swing by here for some food for thought. Hope you enjoy it.

Are You A '1:21er' or a '2:21er'?

There are many categories you could place yourself in these days:

Mac or PC

Tall or short

Owner or renter

iPhone or Blackberry

Pepsi or Coke

Sweet n Low or Sugar

...and the list goes on. I want to add 2 categories that not many people think of. I believe they're the most important categories you will ever ponder. Where you fall in 1 of these 2 categories could determine where you spend eternity. They're that important. Here they are:

1:21er or 2:21er

Let me explain.

1:21ers live life based on Philippians 1:21:

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

2:21ers live life based on Philippians 2:21:

"For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus."

A 1:21er's life is wrapped around the life of Christ. They're not perfect, but they strive for perfection. Their daily activities are planned with purpose and in light of eternity. They see every day as a new opportunity to serve the Lord and share their faith with others. To live IS Christ.

A 2:21er's life revolves around themselves. They are the center of their own universe. They're always on a quest for more friends, more pleasure, more stuff. You might catch them with a bumper sticker on their car that reads "He who dies with the most stuff wins." That's their motto: get more stuff. If what they're doing doesn't make them happy, don't expect them to stick around long. Life is about their comfort.

As you can tell, there's a huge contrast between the two. Not only do these categories effect life on Earth, but most importantly, they effect life after Earth. For a 1:21er, ...to die is gain. The same thing can't be said about a 2:21er.

So which one are you? When you die, will it be to your benefit?

A Nice Addition

Just a normal corner of the nursery, right? WRONG. It used to be a normal corner of the nursery, now it's been given a nice addition: speakers. They're small, but they work. Not just to listen to music, but most importantly, they're wired with a live-feed of the service going on in the next room!
Although whoever is watching the kids won't be able to open their Bibles and take notes, they'll at least be able to track with whatever is being taught next door.

So, if your excuse for getting involved in helping with the kids was that you didn't want to miss a service, consider your excuse busted. And as always, we have each service available online at awakenchurch.org or on CD at the back table. Hope you enjoy it and are blesssed!



By the way, this is my 100th blog. I didn't picture myself blogging about computer speakers in the nursery, but I am glad that the message is able to reach a few more people.
100 blogs. Ahhhh. What an accomplishment.

7 Words That Rocked My World

"Do ALL things without complaining or disputing." - Philippians 2:14

I taught on those words last night in addition to quite a few others in Philippians 2. These were by far the easiest to understand (compared to human responsibility & God's sovereignty in vs. 12-13), but definitely some of the most challenging to put into practice.

Whenever I preach something, I get many chances to live it. Sometimes I do well with the tests that come my way, and other times, not so well. You know how it goes. Today, I was tested.


I went Christmas dress shopping.

With 5 girls.

For 4 hours.



I kept this verse in the forefront of my mind, quoting it to myself over and over throughout the day. I was determined. I certainly was not perfect. I complained a few times. But, for the most part, keeping this verse on hand rocked my world today. I realized today what a whiner I can be. Whether it's waiting for someone to get done in a store, feeling hungry, wondering when we're leaving, or any other "whine-worthy" reason, I could have whined, but (for the most part), I dodged the whining.

My take on it: I like it. It felt good to be positive and not bummed out. I should try this more often, like maybe every day?!

Have you tried fasting for a day from whining? I heard about a pastor who challenged his church to fast for a week from it. Whenever they whined, they had to contribute $1 to their "ugly jar", then turn in that money the following weekend at church. In one week, just from whining, they raised $11,000 that they gave to local charities. I guess that's good?

Stop complaining and start cooperating. It's such a better life.


You can donwload Saturday's message on Philippians 2:12-18 called "A Well-Oiled Machine" from our podcast in iTunes by clicking HERE. Hope you're blessed by it.

Uncharted Territory

That was the title of a message from Philippians 1:12-18 that I taught a little over a month ago. One thing I love about plunging the depths of the Scriptures and only covering a couple verses at a time is that you get to go deeper and see new things you've never seen.

It's like scuba diving versus snorkeling. They're both cool, don't get me wrong, but when you merely skim the surface with a tube sticking out of your mouth and some funny-looking goggles, you miss a lot. Thankfully, since you don't even know what you missed out on, you still walk away from snorkeling happy. However, I wonder how many scuba divers go back to snorkeling. It must be challenging after knowing what is really out there in the depths of the ocean.

Same with Scripture. I've settled for "snorkel preaching" where we skim the surface. I enjoyed it. But I think I enjoyed it because I'd never heard any "scuba preaching". I had never plunged the depths of the Scripture. Eventually, I did, though, and I can't go back to snorkeling.

Here's where I'm going with all of this...
As I plunged into the depths of Philippians 1:12-18, I ran across one word in verse 12 that rocked my world (I think you'll be able to tell which word):

Philippians 1:12-13 - But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident ​to the whole ​palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;

Furtherance, in the Greek, is a super cool word. In Greek, it means "to cut before" and it refers to a group of men who went in front of an army cutting through vines and branches in an impenetrable forest. As these men cut back the trees, the army could advance into areas that they could have never gone to before - uncharted territory. How cool that Paul could have that outlook on his prison chains. Instead of viewing them as something that held him down, he viewed them as something that broke down barriers and enabled further ministry! Before prison, Paul might have seen Roman soldiers on the streets, but he would have never had years of uninterrupted ministry with them like he did now. A Roman soldier's shift was usually 6 or 8 hours long and Paul was chained to one at all times - 24/7 (actually, I think the soldiers were chained to Paul). Paul would have cycled through 3 or 4 Roman soldiers every day. You know they didn't stand a chance at not hearing the Gospel! That week, I challenged us all to take that view into our daily lives. However, as the teacher, I often get to learn these lessons even more hands-on than the rest. That's where my bus driver job comes in.

Thankfully, driving a bus is nothing like prison. No chains, no sentence, no starvation, no Roman soldiers following me to the bathroom. I really enjoy my job and I'm very thankful for it. However, after thinking through this word, I realized that I had an opportunity for the FURTHERANCE of the Gospel right at my fingertips: my school bus! You see, as a trainee, I have to either ride along with someone or they have to ride with me. In the 6 hours a day that I'm in a bus with someone, inevitably, there's plenty of time to talk. I always pray for the person that I know I'll be riding with and ask God to give me an open door to share my faith with them. With that mindset, it's hard NOT to find an opportunity! Sometimes, they bring it up, or sometimes, through conversation, I use something they said to bring up their beliefs and the Gospel. Whichever way it happens, I recently realized, God is writing His own version of Philippians 1 through my life:

Philippians 1:12-13 [Kevin Miller Version (KMV)] - But I want you to know, brethren, that the job that I have has actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident ​​to the whole Montgomery County Transportation Department, and to all the rest, that my bus driving is in Christ...

 That's right - the whole transportation department...at least that's my goal. I've only been driving for a month or so now, but I'm already known as "the preacher." I try to give everyone I ride with a little dose of some Gospel medicine. I've already gotten to pray for reconciliation with people, give Biblical counsel, marriage counsel, talk about the struggles of cancer and how God is in control, talk about the coming of Christ and what I believe happens when this life is over, and much more. Super cool opportunities.

One of the ladies from work has started coming to the church and has been inviting others. I actually walked in after lunch the other day as she had a group of bus drivers around her, telling them about Awaken!

One lady rode with me, and since she had the map, she told me which turns to take. On our way back, we got a chance to talk about her beliefs on the afterlife. After our route, I told her, "Thanks for steering me in the right direction (referring to the map)," and she said, "No, thank you for steering me in the right direction!" I walked out of there smiling, realizing she had taken to heart the things I said.

Every day is a chance for the furtherance of the Gospel, so what if we started viewing our circumstances through that lens?

What if we viewed our circumstances, detours, and jobs, as opportunities for the furtherance of the Gospel?

What if every day was used to take the Gospel into uncharted territory?

If we lived this way, it would revolutionize our life, our view on the Gospel, and change more lives than we ever imagined!


By the way, if you want to hear that message from Philippians 1:12-18, check out our newly re-vamped service archive page, or download our audio podcast from iTunes.

What you have in common with Pocahontas and flat tires

"Emery, wanna help me fix the bike tires? They're flat."
"Yes! Lemme get my tools."

Moments later, she emerged from her room with a bucket full of Disney princesses and bouncy balls. I pulled out the wrenches, the tire flat fixing kit, and pulled off the bike wheels. Meanwhile, Emery was at work "fixing fings". She had Pocahontas out and all the other 9 wrenches that I hadn't used, and she was working on that bike.

Same thing happens when she wants to "help" one of us cook. All that involves is her standing on a chair and taste-testing everything before AND after it goes into the mixing bowl. Once, she even managed to grab a stick of butter mid-air as I attempted to drop it into a pot. She took a bite out of that bad boy like it was a juicy peach.

That's her definition of "help".
I would define "help" much differently.
If we're honest, we'd all agree that getting things done is a lot easier and a lot less messy when the little ones aren't around and have their hands in everything. That's why we get babysitters. Although that's the truth, there's something great about involving them. They love it, we love it, and although it takes a little longer and things may end up a little messy, it's always great when they want to "help".

It's the same way with us and God.

Let's continue this honesty trend by recognizing that if God chose to do ministry without us, things would be a lot easier and a lot less messy. There would be no need for clean-up, no pastors falling out of ministry, no church splits. Everything would happen efficiently and effectively. After all, toward the end of the Tribulation, in Revelation 14:6, as one last attempt at getting people to accept Him, God deploys an angel to fly through the sky proclaiming "the everlasting Gospel" to whole Earth in every language. Hold on, didn't Jesus give us the task of sharing the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20)? Yeah, He did. And He gave us a good run at it. Then, toward the end of the Tribulation, He'll come show us how it's done.

Just like how I knew a bunch of tricks that Emery and Pocahontas weren't aware of when it came to fixing bike tires, God has a few tricks up His sleeve as well. Not only are we not aware of some (most) of His tricks, we're also incapable of performing them. And yet, although He could do the job far more effectively and efficiently than He could, He lets us "help". I like it that way.

So, be honest about yourself. View yourself as a little kid standing on a chair in the kitchen, apron tied around your waste, munching sticks of butter as they fall into the pan. Or, for the more hands-on fix-it types, see yourself using a Disney princess to fix a bike tire. In reality, that's what our attempts at doing God's job look like compared to His techniques and abilities. You're not the Master Chef and you haven't conquered bike tires. If anything productive actually comes from the ministry you're a part of, all the credit goes to the One who actually caused it to happen.


What ministry are you a part of and how have you seen God move through it?


What are some evidences you've seen that remind you it's not you doing it - it's God?


What are some practical ways to keep the right perspective about God's plan and your tiny contribution to it?

"Hey everybody, look at me!"

That's what our new billboard is screaming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the next month. Maybe not audibly, but hopefully graphically.

I've been eying this billboard location since we moved here, but it's been taken...until this weekend. It's in a prime location: exactly 1 mile from the church (according to Google maps), across the street from the college campus, in a very busy part of downtown, plus, it's in a school zone, which means that for a large portion of each week day, people have to drive 20 mph past our billboard. Nice.

I've done a lot of design over the last 5 or 6 years of my life. I've designed websites, fliers, business cards, t-shirts, sickers, buttons, logos, but this is my first billboard. I like it. It's fun designing something on the computer then seeing it on display for the whole city to see in a very large format.

It seems weird at first thought to pray for a billboard, but that's what I've been doing. As simple as a large piece of vinyl plastered to a big metal sign is, it's also an opportunity to spark an interest in the hearts of passers-by. I love that God can use something simple like this to grab their attention. Ultimately, though, the goal is to get them to come to the church and from there, we pray that God rocks their world. Join us in prayer that God would use this simple form of media to change people for eternity.

Wanna see some more pics? Of course you do. Click HERE.