Moved and Improved

Again.

I am at: http://www.lifeasamissionary.com/

Thanks!

Moved and Improved

Moved to http://marcuswilliamson.wordpress.com/ just so you know

UnderConstruction

Hey guys I have not been writing because I have been fooling around with different templates and mods here and there. I should be back up and running shortly. In the meantime check me out on facebook or twitter.

Facebook: Type in Marcus A. Williamson

Twitter: http://twitter.com/mawill

Crazy Love

It always feels good when you can finish a bible study and feel like you can take something away from it. Recently there was a bible study I had been attending in the a.m. and it was based off the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

We had some really deep discussions every week and to top it off we either had Bojangles or Chick-Fil-A for breakfast. It is one of the better bible studies I have been to. Francis Chan and his team really articulated the idea of getting closer to God in such a way that anyone on any level could understand.

If you ever question the "Christian Life" then this book is for you. If you ever feel convicted when you pass that homeless guy that is asking you for some change, (and yes I know how that system works but there are ways around it) I recommend this book. If you just want a book to read over the summer then I recommend this book. Kind of get the theme here. If you don't have the money to get it borrow one. If you live in my area I can make that happen for you.

I leave you with a question Chris Tomlin poses in the foreword.

"...in Acts 11, at the end of verse 26, it says, 'The disciples were CALLED Christians first at Antioch.' What I find interesting is the simple thought that the Christians didn't name themselves. But rather, they were called(or named) 'Christians' by those watching their lives. I wonder if it would be the same today. Could someone look at your life or look at my life and name me a Christian? A humbling question for sure."

Better Pic of Batman

Man-Hole for Genders Wars Baquet

Me painting Batman

Care(De-Stress) Packages

One of the cool things I have been able to play a significant role in has been assembling together care packages or as I have officially dubbed them the DE-STRESS Packages for our college students here. Its amazing some of the things that were picked out for them. Stuff I have never seen given in a package. Can not reveal too much but lets just say I would want one if I were still in school.

Exams are fast approaching for everyone and people are in crunch mode. I was talking to one of my friends and here is his schedule for the next couple of weeks:

Pass Exams to get his Masters Degree
Graduate
Get married
Find a job
Move to a new place

What a schedule! And I am sure if I line him up with many of you that yours is just as CRAZY. Its good to know that it will only be for a short while then SUMMER will be upon us. I pray that you don't get overly stressed and that what you study comes to remembrance when you need it to.

Side Note: What does you schedule look like in the coming weeks? Post a comment.

Marcus

Lancaster

It was good being home this weekend for Easter. Some highlights were spending countless hours on the PlayStation without a care in the world. Laughing it up with the family. And going back to the old stomping grounds of the home church and being a servant. We had sunrise service like many churches and I helped with prepping food and did cleanup by myself. It honestly felt good to serve.

Marcus

Guest Blog

Check this girl out. This is a friend of mine and she was recently on a mission trip where she really saw God work in mysterious ways. Here's her story.

Guest Blogger: Leigh Hall

This is what He has done! Know that I had nothing to do with it.

I've been learning more and more everyday to totally let go of myself through continuous prayer and let Him Live through my steps, breaths, touches, looks, everything, because I now know more than I did a day ago that I can do nothing without Him. Ha! It brings on a whole new meaning when communion comes into the picture. I will never forget my lesson learned in Guatemala last year (see "Guatemala Supper" blog). There's no excuse to live a totally human life after you've gone through it... if you really understand what you're doing.

The reason I went to Beach Reach this year is because I used to be the Spring Breaker-type we went there to reach. I grew up in a Christian home and didn't realize God was my confidence until I walked away from Him. Because I did so, He walked away from me. I blamed Him and rebelled even more. I then found confidence in nothing but alcohol. I relied on it to go to social events, work and even class. Unbelievable, I know. But, it never measured up to the satisfaction I had in Jesus. Since then, I gave up on myself and turned to Him. Being alive is a blessing after that. I have my struggles, but that is why I'm broken for these college students!

Here is my living proof of Romans 8:28. I was walking on the strip of Panama City with Christiana Bredeweg & Ashley Wagster (two close friends). This night had been more difficult to reach people, because it was our last night and either no one was out or the ones that were were totally slaughtered wasted beyond the ability to carry on conversation. I've got a "thing" for the moon, and as I had been praying and preparing my heart earlier that day I was reading through Psalm 63 with verse 3 as a prayer for my own heart and verse 11 for the lost (read it now).

We were walking down the strip and I was noticing how these dark clouds were rapidly trying to cover up the moon and started talking to God out loud saying, "He thinks he can cover the radiance over this city?... I don't think so!..." Ha! As I was carrying on, Christiana was just laughing, but she knows my thing with the moon, so she let my acts of insanity get by this time. We kept walking, knowing we couldn't be defeated by the darkness! The conversation was brought back as Christiana noticed the clouds were no longer covering any of the moon and she said "The clouds have stopped!" Immediately, I just about fell on my face remembering the NASB version of Psalm 63 verse 11 when it says "...and the mouths of liars will be stopped."

Just then, there was a girl, Amy Evans, who decided peeing on the side of the road would be quite convenient. My heart burst for her, so I grabbed her friend, Brooke, and told her to go help her, as a guy was walking up about to do who knows what to her. Brooke got her and we called in to get them a ride home. As we were waiting, we began walking toward the landmark I had told the van to meet us at. The girl had no shoes on, y'all! ... In that moment, I couldn't help but let go of myself and give her my shoes. We stopped for a moment as I tried to get her skirt zipped up, something her"friend" didn't feel was necessary several stumbles ago. Those kind offriends were too common down there. I asked Amy if I could pray for her and she was fine with it. As we kept walking, I said something along the lines of, "Father, I praise You for Amy and the chance to meet her. I pray thatin this very moment You would wake her up! Make her sober to hear the words of Your Truth. Make her know and understand that You value her and Love her beyond what she could imagine and draw her to come and know You and Love You and Live for You, Father! I love You. In the name of Your Son, I pray.. . "

He showed Himself to Amy that night in a way that no one can deny! Immediately she was awake! She was Sober! She was walking and ready to hear the gospel! She wanted to stop and tell Him! She was ready to confess herself a shameful sinner, that she believed in Him and His Son who died for her and that He was the change she needed in her life. She was ready. She asked me for help, and we prayed. This was no scripted prayer. It was a prayer from the words of the Holy Spirit who knew her heart far more than I ever will! As the praying came to an end she was hugging me with everything she had and wouldn't let go. She was saved! And hearing her say that she just couldn't explain the happiness she felt inside was what the Lord used her to tell me this was real! That He was real and THIS REALLY HAPPENED! ... I looked up at the moon and the clouds were totally gone! ...and they were calling for rain.

Wow... is all I can say to my Jesus! This had NOTHING to do with me. Nothing.

In being prepared through "Share Jesus... " & "M.A.D." & various situational testimonies, I had no excuse (in not sharing my faith) to begin with. But now, because of this event, I cannot shut my mouth about Him and what He CAN DO! With this living proof and others who saw it, I now know and fully trust with all of my heart God is stirring up a revival in His children! Right now! And whatever we are willing to allow Him to do for the WHOLE WORLD through us, is what He WILL DO! So, I don't know about you, but I'm gonna keep takin' off my shoes and praying for people, even if it means walking on broken glass! I never thought I'd get to the point where the pure pleasure in the gift of Christ would feel so good, Iwouldn't even be curious to consider a minute without Him!

Leigh Hall
Look at What He's Done...

Gender Wars 2009

Hey I am pretty excited to debut the new Gender Wars one sheet. Gender Wars is our end of the year banquet for missions. We raise money between the sexes and whoever loses has to host the night by putting on a serious of funny/entertaining skits. Guess who lost? The guys. Not sure how many in a row that is but I believe it is a record. The argument is that the ladies can not put on a better show. I have not seen the ladies put on a skit before but I am sure if we had a skit showdown they would find a way to win. Here is the one sheet. The theme this year is Superheroes and Villains. Not sure who I am going to be but I am leaning towards Spiderman.

Worship Switcher-Roo

This past Tuesday we had our weekly worship experience right before EASTER. It was a little different than what I have seen in the past and I really enjoyed it. We started out with acoustic only then had the message and then after prayer BAM! LOUD MUSIC!

For me something that small of a change was good to see. If you are a worship leader don't be afraid to switch things up a little. You'll find that it becomes easier the more you do it. I believe it forces authentic worship because its not what the norm is. Don't get me wrong having a consistent pattern week to week is cool but switching it up to me makes you think. You are not blindly worshiping but truly worshiping God.

RECYCLE

While reading Collide Magazine the other day an article by Tim Stevens called; You Can Be Innovative Without Being Original, really resonated with me.

It is long so I won't bore you with all the details I just want you to look at a section of it.

"Artists—keep making great art! Video professionals—keep creating visual wonders that inspire and motivate me. Musicians—don’t stop writing lyrics and songs that draw me close to God.
But for everyone else—don’t apologize for being a recycling expert. Find the best of the best and use it to make a difference in your community!"

I think this principle can be applied to any leadership position. If there is something that works in one place and you believe it can work for you then don't feel bad if you use the same exact methods. RECYCLE.

For more of the article check out:

You Can Be Innovative Without Being Original

FREE EVENT

This Sunday, April 5th, if you want to go to a free event Shandon is hosting a night time worship experience for all. If you are in the area you should definitely check it out. If anything its free. So check it out.

Music

Its amazing how music can speak to us. Right now MY BRIGHTNESS by Charlie Hall is speaking to me. I don't know Charlie Hall that well other than I shook his hand; and that's because of a friend. I am digging this song though.

So my question is what songs speak to you?

GIVE

For the past couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to meet with a group of guys on Wednesday mornings. We eat, talk, and have really solid discussions about this book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. We went over Chapter 7 today and, like the whole book, it really has made me think through my thought process on some things. One in particular is this idea of GIVING. One phrase that sticks out to me goes like this:

When it's hard and you are doubtful, give more.

Even for me that's hard; and I consider myself a person who gives of his time a good bit.

Francis goes on to say on the next page...

Pride tells you that you've sacrificed more than others. Fear tells you it's time to worry about the future. Friends say you've given enough, that it's someone else's turn now. But Jesus says keep on and you will see more of God.

What I want to do is encourage those who are giving to the point where you feel you are running on fumes to give a little more. TRUST ME its worth it.

There is this awesome quote which I can't take credit for, Dave Ramsey deserves it, but he says "GIVING is in our DNA." And its so true. We are meant to GIVE. And you know what I am talking about because when you do give whether its of your time, money, wisdom, etc it feels good. REALLY GOOD. So I pray you are able to give more abundantly than before. And when it becomes hard remember YOU WILL SEE MORE OF GOD in you own life when you do.

Zach Pippin's Experience

"So here is my take on our recent trip to Elevation Church. Amy has already told a lot of what we saw, so I will take this time to highlight THREE THINGS that stuck out to me during our visit.

1. WELCOMING ATMOSPHERE:
From the time we approached the church on the road we were welcomed by the members. The campus we visited was Butler High School, but there was ample signage to indicate the presence of Elevation there. We had people direct us from the road and through the parking lot to a prime parking location. Then we were welcomed from the time we stepped out of the car and on our walk up to the building by greeters, and this only continued once we entered the building. Despite the large number of greeters, however, they were far from overbearing or over eager. We felt WELCOMED, but NOT SMOTHERED.

2. PRESENTATION
These said greeters were all wearing matching shirts, which matched the theme of the series THE ESSENTIAL JAMES. Everything from the visitor cards to the restroom signs were themed and coordinated. Once we entered the auditorium the set was visually stunning, especially considering they put it up and tear it down every week.

3. DELIVERANCE
The message we heard was not delivered by Pastor Steven Furtick as we had been expecting. It was not even delivered in person. We saw a sermon from Pastor Craig Groeschel via video. This however did not take away from the experience. Pastor Steven and the Elevation church staff did a great job of selecting his sermon to fit into the series.

We had barely been in the car for a minute before we were making plans to trek up to Charlotte again. I hope that more people can join us next time and experience Elevation Church.

You can read more about Zach's experience on his blog:
http://zpippin.blogspot.com/

BLOGGING

I am early in my blog writing and I don't know all the ropes yet. So because of that I check many other blogs to see what they are saying interesting for the day and also to try figure out how they do their blog. You know set up, do they use video, pictures, so forth.

Some blogs I try to check pretty regularly are:

BEN ARMENT. He is the Experience and Innovation Director for Catalyst in Atlanta. Catalyst is a HUGE leadership conference. And if that's your heartbeat I strongly recommend that for you. You have big names like Francis Chan, Craig Groeschel, Rick Warren, and of course Andy Stanley.

TONY STEWARD over at Lifechurch.tv. He is the online community pastor there. Now stop and go to google.com and type that title in. ONLINE COMMUNITY PASTOR and see who's name pops up. Crazy Right? Thats not even the half of it. He shares his insights on media, the internet, and this idea of an online community. He does other stuff as well so if you like the concept you should check him out.

CARLOS WHITTAKER. Simply the man. He is the Service Programming Director at Buckhead Church. Or like He says "..is basically a really complicated way of saying I'm the Creative Arts Worship Pastor." He also does an amazing job at creating an authentic community through blogging. He posts all kinds of info that really grabs your attention. There is something for everyone on there.

Other blogs I follow are Steven Furtick, Ed Young, Lanny Donoho, Mark Driscoll, and Mark Batterson. I follow others losely as well. I think BLOGS are cool because it allows you to see closer into someones life you may want to learn from. It also gives you freedom to express your ideas. And I know when a topic comes up many would love to chime in and BLOGS do that for you. So if you are still wary about blogs. I challenge you to find one that may interest you. There is something out there for everyone. Whether its music related, art related, sports, or whatever you should give it a try for a week. READ it regularly and you may just LIKE IT.

PASSION 2010

I know this is a ways off, like in January of 2010, but if you have not signed up already for PASSION I would highly encourage you to do so and bring tons of friends. It will be in Atlanta, GA at the Phillips Arena+Georgia World Congress Center. (268Generation.com) Tim our director has already bought around 20 tickets and students have been wanting to get on the list.

And to give a subtle plug for PASSION2010, being the graphic designer that I am, I made our slides for this week to fit with the rave card that PASSION sent out this week. One reason I did it was to connect it with PASSION WEEK, which is coming up by the way, and the other was because it looked cool.

I want to make sure YOU get a seat because PASSION will ROCK YOUR WORLD. Trust me. You will be CHANGED.

Amy Jackson's Experience

So today was THE DAY and by THE DAY, I mean the day we were set to visit Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC (we went to the Butler Campus, by the way). I've been ready for this trip for a few months now, ever since Marcus indicated that he wanted to get a group together to go and hear Steven Furtick speak. I've been listening to Pastor Steven's podcasts for the last two months or so, mostly on my roadtrips home and to visit friends and seminaries. By far, my favorite complete sermon I have heard is "THE DIP"--it's pretty recent, so you should check it out! Here are some thoughts about my first experience at Elevation.

1. This was my first visit to this type of church--a church "plant", at least. I've been to some church plants, but none on this scale. The church plants I have visited were...interesting. this, however, was completely different. From the time we drove onto the campus and parked, to even leaving, I felt completely normal there and welcomed warmly by strangers. They have a GREAT atmosphere and one that makes visitors feel comfortable, not overwhelmed (the church plants I have visited were not able to achieve this.

2. There is something GENUINE and REAL about what goes on in this house of God. now, we did meet in a high school auditorium--but what I experienced today was nothing less than a corporate worship experience, and one of higher quality and caliber than most churches I have visited in the past. The lights, music, and flashly graphics are cool, but you have to have the stuff to back it up--and they did! Everything seemed REAL--from the band, to the greeters, to those who welcomed us at the beginning of the service. it didn't seem rehearsed, fake, or pre-programmed, and i loved it! ELEVATION IS AUTHENTIC, yall.

3. So yeah, we went to hear Steven Furtick speak. and we didn't get to...but this isn't a bad thing! Instead, we were blessed to be able to hear Craig Groeschel, author of "IT" and pastor of Lifechurch.tv, speak on "Practical Atheism." I'm still processing his sermon, but it was definitely convicting...so many moments in my life I find myself serving as a "part-time Christian" because I'm so busy with the work of the "church"--be it church, BCM, etc. I want to live like i have the spirit who raised Jesus from the dead IN me! As one of my favorite songs from Big Daddy Weave explains, "I wonder what life would be like if we let Jesus live through you and me."

*It was also okay that we didn't hear Pastor Steven speak because that gives us another reason to go back.

So, this is what I think about Elevation, as jumbled as it may be....for more on my thoughts about "Practical Atheism," check out my blog later on in the week...

www.amymichelle37.blogspot.com!

ADIOS!

Amy

Elevation Church 2

So we went to Elevation today and let me say it was AWESOME! I would talk about my experience, but that would be selfish (even on my own blog). What I really want you to hear is from the two who went with me, my roommate and good friend. Here are their thoughts. And may GOD work through experiences in your OWN LIFE.

Marcus

Elevation Church

I am taking a group of people to Elevation Church tomorrow. There are two I want to highlight in particular. One is my roommate. He is really excited to see how things are done there. Even though I have been there before, I am too. Another is a good friend who has been listening to Pastor Furtick's sermons and really wants to see him live. She is also expecting a profound message. I pray she gets both. After the experience, I will allow them to write about their time at Elevation.

TRANSITION

So this is my first crack at writing a blog. I guess you can consider me the new kid on the blog. Sorry I had to do that.

If you have not already left yet I'm Marcus Williamson, Semester Missionary for the South Carolina BCM. The atmosphere is wonderful and its a joy to be in the system that's in place here. I primarily work in the media department, but like every ministry position there is the "other jobs" category that never really gets defined but you kind of know what your in for; yeah I do that too.

Honestly, if my job just consisted of learning from our Director, Tim Stewart, I would not complain one bit. This guy could/should seriously be working for Andy Stanley at North Point Community Church right now, yet he chooses to follow God's will and pour his heart into the lives of college students. I RESPECT THAT.

That's something I always seem to struggle with; where does God want me at this season of life. TRANSITION can be hard for many of us. We have some senior college students here and for most its hard for them to fathom this idea of transition. This idea of WHATS NEXT. I mean, its still hard for me to fathom it. Its amazing how God works though if you just say here. And not just here but HERE IS ALL OF IT. If you have not tried that then promise me when you do you will be so happy that He is in control. May God give you clarity for whats next and may you have passion to follow whats next for you.