If you had asked me nine years ago if I would ever move to Greenville, I would have said, “You’re crazy!” At that point, I was living in Raleigh and thoroughly entrenched in a community I had been a part of for fifteen years. Over the next year, however, God intentionally intervened and guided me to join His work in and through Covenant. Thank you, Lord!

Now, at the time you’re reading this, my eight (8) year journey with you as Covenant’s Executive Director has come to a close. He has once again interrupted my comfort zone, and Mary Lou and I are headed to Waco, Texas to complete a year-long discipleship training experience. Jesus obviously knows something that I don’t—so what’s new?

As I look back on the past eight years, I can’t imagine having not come to Greenville. What an enormous loss it would have been for me if I had not followed Jesus to the corner of Corey and Firetower Rd. So, as I look in the rear view mirror, let me say thanks to a variety of people who made a world of difference.

First, let me say thanks to David Brownlee and Branson. I have enjoyed serving under each of these gifted pastors. They both empowered me through trust and grace which fueled my motivation. It’s truly a powerful thing when ministry leaders create opportunities and space for disciples to leverage their God-given skills and spiritual gifts.

Second, let me say thanks again to an incredible staff that has been assembled at Covenant. In this past month I have sought to say thanks on many occasions and in many ways, but I can’t say it enough. These folks—as well as others before them—are truly committed to Jesus’ work in this community as well as their own lives. I am confident they will carry on effectively without me and invest their lives in others as Paul described to Timothy (2 Tim 2:2).

Next, I am grateful to numerous unpaid servants in this church who invest their heart, soul and resources to accelerate Jesus’ kingdom in and beyond the walls of the church. These leaders are so gifted, so willing, so faithful and so easy to work with. Trust me—I have worked in multiple churches, and Covenant is blessed. So was I as I sought to rally our leaders together to discern and obey God’s best. Leaders, I challenge y’all to keep abandoning yourself to His eternal purposes.

Last, but not least, I am grateful to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for the patient love of the Father who always welcomes me unconditionally no matter what, for the grace of Jesus who faithfully forgives me on the basis of His resurrection authority, and for the power of the Holy Spirit, which acts on Jesus’ behalf to accelerate my faith. Together, they are the only explanation for whatever success I have enjoyed.

So my prayer for you, Covenant, is the same as Paul’s for his friends at Ephesus (3:15-19): For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

With gratitude in my heart for God,
Charlie

If you are a baby-boomer like me, I’m sure you remember your parents getting these special stamps for buying products at a variety of stores. Gas stations, grocery stores and all kinds of retail outlets would give you these little green stamps after a purchase. And, the more you bought, the more stamps you got!

The stamps were essentially money and came in a variety of denominations. They were usually single cent stamps, but there were also 50 and 100 cent stamps—those were really cool. In my home, these stamps would be stored in a designated shoebox until it was overflowing. At that point, my mom would bribe my sister or me to begin the pasting process.

To cash in your stamps, you had to paste them into special Green Stamp books—100 per page. Having learned the hard way that licking was only for novices, I would wet a sponge and begin. In time, a handful of books—full of stamps and bloated from moisture—was ready to be transported to the nearest, all-important “redemption center”.

Now the redemption center was not a church, but folks were pretty religious about this stuff. No, the redemption center, as it was called, was where the stamps could be redeemed or exchanged for something of equal value based on the number of books completed. Man, I loved to head to the redemption center with a pile of books; the place was jammed with goodies I wanted. To this day, I still remember fighting with my mom and sister about what to buy.

But when I turned 17, I learned what real redemption was all about.

That’s when a mentor explained to me that redemption literally means to “buy back,” and that is exactly what God has done for me (and you). Having been tossed out of the Garden of Eden because of my arrogance and pride (Genesis 3), God exchanged the precious blood of His Son, Jesus, for the freedom of my soul. Calvary, the place where Jesus died, is the real redemption center!

True freedom, therefore, depends totally on the redemptive power of God. Apart from Him, we are singularly focused on, enslaved to, and trapped by our own agenda and sin. But fortunately, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Jesus—a servant to God’s will—makes our escape from the prison of self-interest possible. We are free to turn our backs on the world and its grip on our lives through God’s grace. Praise!

This is my 39th Easter Week—my favorite week of the year. My hope and prayer is that it will be a joy-filled season for you as well. And don’t forget; our redemption center, known as Covenant, will have special services on Thursday night at 7pm, Friday at 11am and identical weekend services (with a family eggstravaganza following Saturday night’s service).

Thankful for Grace,
Charlie

Jesus was a master at using images, stories and metaphors to communicate kingdom truth, and on Monday at our Urgent Covenant Meeting we sought to do the same. Those present had the opportunity to get an eastern NC river rock, and I hope your family picked one up. (If not, stand by for how and when to get yours.) We thought it would a great way to make a kingdom and Covenant point.

The relevance of river rocks is found in Joshua chapter 4. Through Joshua, God instructed each of the twelve tribes to get a rock from the Jordan River. The nation of Israel had just miraculously passed through the river on dry ground, and God thought it best to guarantee their collective memory. By building a monument, those present and those in the future would more easily remember His amazing and faithful provision.

Sounds like a good plan for us as well.

In the coming weeks, you will be hearing much more about Crossing Together; a process of completing a journey Covenant began years ago; it’s one we will be completing as a congregation in the next 12 months or so.
If you were not with us, I hope you are curious.

We will be sharing this same urgent Covenant update at three upcoming Town Hall Meetings for those that were not able to attend. Since we took attendance on Monday night, we will be sending out targeted invitations to those who couldn’t make it, so everyone can hear directly from Branson and get their rock.

The dates and times are as follows: March 24 and 25th at 7PM; March 28th at 6PM.

PromiseKids will be available for each, so be on the lookout for a postcard reminder or our weekend bulletin for specific instructions.

We can never do enough to remind ourselves of God’s goodness and the urgency of getting the Gospel message out to the lost sheep Jesus cared for so much.

Please be sure get your rock!

Remembering Grace,
Charlie

Did you miss one of the flights? Please stand by for rebooking instructions!

To recap: CovenantAIR took off at each of the three weekend services and landed in a 40-acre neighborhood in West Greenville. In so doing, we got a close-up look at our emerging ministry to our Greenville neighbors just 3.5 miles from our Main Campus. Walter Strathy, Director of Outreach, shared about the lives that have been changed as a result—both ours and the neighbors we have been meeting. Valerie’s testimony combined with video clips from inner city missionaries was also a powerful witness to what happens when we live out Jesus’ call to care (Matthew 25).

On Saturday night, more than 700 of you came out for a special event we called Family Fiesta including 1200 tacos, several piñatas, a Caribbean band and mission-focused crafts. What a great way to celebrate in the DR!

With this first story told, a video helped us imagine another flight to the Dominican Republic and to our South Campus in La Romana. We sang some worship songs, learned more about this great country and saw a montage of ministry pictures from past Covenant trips. What a joy it was for all of us to see and hear Mark Lykins share stories about his ministry’s progress in meeting the physical needs and taking the Gospel to a Dominican neighborhood as well as to a handful of Haitian batays. As expected, Mark powerfully challenged each of us to consider how we might “Go” into Christ’s world and make disciples.

Our regular worship times ended in the DR, and folks were invited to come back Sunday night for the “return flight” back to Greenville and Covenant’s 40-acre campus. It proved to be a great night of worship along with a word from Branson. He laid out a very clear, three-step challenge if we are to join God’s mission to our neighbors both near and far. Lots of folks were present Sunday night, but some were not and didn’t hear his timely message.

Obviously, it was a unique and purposeful weekend: to clarify for our church community why we exist and where we are going.

If you missed all or a portion of the weekend, you can still catch the flights on our special travel site, connect2covenant.com/air. If you flew with us on Saturday night or Sunday morning, but you missed Sunday evening, we’re sorry you’re still stuck in the DR. Your return flight is waiting for you, which includes the special flight plans Branson delivered for our own hub called Covenant Church. If you missed the whole weekend, plan to book a getaway soon, and spend some time traveling with us, discovering where God is summoning Covenant to “go” on His behalf.

Please take the time to catch these video flights on connect2covenant.com/air if you missed them live. In so doing, you will fully understand Covenant’s mission and vision. What an honor it is to serve a congregation that takes Jesus’ words seriously and seeks to follow them intentionally!

I hope you will join me in worship this weekend as Branson begins a new series titled, PREPARE: Getting Ready for Easter. And, together, let’s continue to learn what it means to be “All In.”

Only Through Grace,
Charlie

But there is one thing I do love about snow in the South: it changes my priorities for the better.

First let me confess that I am a Type A personality. Per Wikipedia, these types are “impatient, time-conscious, highly competitive, business-like, having difficulty relaxing; and are sometimes disliked by individuals with Type B personalities for the way that they’re always rushing. They are often high-achieving workaholics who multi-task, drive themselves with deadlines, and are unhappy about delays.” So normally, I wake up on Saturday mornings early and with a very full agenda for the day. No time to relax, got to get cracking!

With the city-stopping snow on a recent Friday night, I woke up Saturday morning and got a fresh taste of sanity. Instead of manically chasing my self-imposed deadlines, I just chilled. My blood pressure dropped, and I slowed down like I haven’t in months. I took a walk in the snow and just listened to the sounds; it was totally quiet. There were no horns, no engines, no airplanes, nothing. You could hear the breeze blowing through the trees, and it seemed to breathe renewed life into my spirit. I was also more attentive to Mary Lou and my neighbors. Instead of being preoccupied with chores, I tuned into family and friends.

So why does it take snow and ice to reestablish family-friendly priorities?

Unfortunately, the world I live, and so easily get caught up, in does not prioritize people. It’s about stuff. It’s about speed. It’s about climbing ladders. It’s about racing. It’s about consuming. And more often than I would like, I reflect these values.

But God’s world is completely opposite. It’s about relationships. It’s about compassion. It’s about patience. It’s about sharing. It’s about investing our lives in people, “loving our neighbor as ourselves.”

So what was your experience with the recent snows? Did it make you a better neighbor? Join Branson this weekend in worship as he continues to unpack what it means to honor Jesus’ command to love those around us. It will be good to experience the fresh winds of the Spirit together and catch up with our Covenant neighbors.

And don’t forget our upcoming Family Fiesta on Saturday night, February 27th. We will have a special and creative worship time followed by a great opportunity to hang out with friends while enjoying family-friendly games, creative activities and a few tacos!

Slowing down with Jesus,
Charlie

This innovative retailer can be found at the corner of Evans St. and Greenville Blvd., and its signage subtitle says it all: Sell it…Buy it…Love it. I was intrigued by this marketing slogan and recently conducted some firsthand reconnaissance.

No great surprise once I got inside. You sell your stuff at wholesale and can buy other stuff at retail, goodies that your peers have previously sold. It’s essentially an upscale garage sale all in one place, and I can see why the place was packed the day I visited.

The truth is, almost all of us have outdated stuff around the house that can be traded for something more useful. Jesus understood this life principle and invited us to trade our lives for something better. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, pick up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35)

Jesus was crystal clear: we could not embrace His kingdom and way of life (Buy it) until we let go of our world’s values (Sell it). To be an intentional follower, we must first deny our own rights.

Once we “sell” our life and in so doing acknowledge our need, we can now embrace or buy His way of life; picking up our cross and following. In other words, we exchange a world where we are at the center for a world where He is at the center. We let go our agenda and embrace His. We go from a Burger-King mindset where we “have it our way” to a King of Kings perspective where we bow to His Way.

Jesus called this exchange process discipleship and promised joy to those who acted on this invitation: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Our response to this exchange is obvious, we Love it! What a great deal as we sell our broken humanity for His forgiveness and restoration.

Sell it…Buy it…Love it. This may be a good marketing strategy for a retail business, but it’s an even better summary of the gospel message of Jesus. Personally, it’s a deal I have never regretted making.

This weekend, Branson will wrap up his series on No Regrets, originally set for last weekend. Be sure to join us as we catch up for a lost snow weekend.

Exchanging My Life for His!

Charlie

“A man is not old until his regrets take the place of his dreams.” ancient proverb

Our current teaching focus on “No Regrets” is hitting very close to home as Mary Lou and I approach a new season in our lives. In fact, it explains a whole new direction we are taking. Let me explain.

My dad’s death in 2007 was not a surprise, even though it happened suddenly. At 91, he was dying one piece at a time as his body withered away daily. What did surprise me, however, was what I learned from his passing and the new perspective it gave me.

I do not believe my dad was a disciple of Jesus. He was a good man by the world’s standards, but I never saw any evidence that he placed his hope in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Born in 1916 and shaped by the Great Depression, my dad relied on himself and his strong willpower to succeed as the world defines it. Unfortunately, I am sure he had enormous regrets five minutes after his death.

Yes, he had been a benefit to hundreds if not thousands of patients with his medical expertise. Yes, he had helped many patients for free motivated by his own poor upbringing. Yes, he was a good and moral man in all his dealings. But because he did not rely upon and live for Jesus, I came to see clearly that his life had been wasted. I was overwhelmed by the realization.

Obviously, this perception triggered an exhaustive and exhausting assessment of my own life. Along the way, there were many conversations with Mary Lou and close friends. I also benefited from Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven, which carefully details the disciple’s final destination and the benefits of living for eternity rather than today. Combined with the May ’10 graduation of our youngest from college, Mary Lou and I are jumping off the high diving board. We don’t want to have any regrets at the end of our earthly lives.

In June, Mary Lou and I are leaving Covenant and Greenville to respond to God’s calling to accelerate our faith. We will be attending a 10-month, character-building discipleship school at Antioch Community Church in Texas. It will be an intense year of learning that will prepare us for a new season of kingdom ministry. What comes after we complete this sabbatical is unclear to us. What is clear is that the One we trust and follow knows exactly what is best.

Mary Lou and I are both very grateful for your partnership in following Jesus and have grown immensely from our time with you in “G-Vegas”. We never imagined that we would serve a church in Greenville, and now, we can’t imagine having not been a part of Covenant’s journey.

Intentionally Living with No Regrets,

Charlie

Several years ago, my son John and I had an awesome time mountain climbing in Colorado. On our last climb, we tackled an 8-miler above the tree line, and it kicked my 50+ tail big time. At three-quarters of the way, we moved above the tree line and stopped for a quick break and a bite to eat. The view was breathtaking, a testimony to God as you can see in the picture I’ve included.

As we rested for a few minutes, I was so pleased by our progress and had great confidence that we would make it. At the same time, getting to the summit would not be easy by any stretch of the imagination; in fact, I knew it would get tougher. While John’s nimble and fit 20-something body was soaring, I was huffing and puffing in the altitude’s thin air. But I just kept quoting a favorite children’s story: “I think I can, I think I can!” I pressed on and strained my way to the summit.

Covenant Church: We made it to the tree line!

We are not yet at the summit, but we can see it in the near future. We’ve made great progress as evidenced by:

• Collecting almost 4.5 million for our three-year His Heart, Our Dream ministry campaign!
• Receiving just over $400,000 for our special offering in December. Folks have given strongly the last week of December as well.

It is amazing to watch what committed disciples can accomplish together and through the Spirit’s power! Way to go, Jesus followers!

Today, Branson and I would like to update you our ongoing challenge as we look onward the summit.

As most already know, in 2005, Covenant’s core leaders unanimously affirmed a plan to expand our facility in order to keep our doors open to the community. Increasing numbers of participants had gradually left our ministries without sufficient space, and it was time for new steps of faith.

Accordingly, a plan of action was endorsed and put into motion to expand our walls in such a way as to benefit every ministry. Subsequently, that dream was fully realized in 2009 on both sides of Corey Road. What no one expected, however, was that the most significant recession since the Great Depression would become reality at the very same time we were sacrificially funding this evangelistic goal.

So here is where we stand as of today:

1. Our HHOD giving (4.5M) was approximately 85% of what had been originally committed. That’s not bad when considering what we’ve lived through the past 18 months and our economic context today. Praise God!
2. At the same time, this 15% short-fall represents approximately $700,000.
3. As detailed in Branson’s fireside chat in November (watch it here), we have made a commitment to our bank to reduce our long-term debt to 4.2 million by February 2011. In order to do so; we will need to secure an additional 1.5 million dollars.
4. Covenant leaders will be huddling in early 2010 to discern God’s best for our next steps of faith. There are a variety of issues and options to think and pray through.

With that in mind, let us model our collective generosity as the Apostle Paul described in his letter to the Philippians: “Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on…” (Phil 3:14).

Please join us in praying for wisdom, and expect another update soon about how we, Covenant, will “press on” to be financially faithful.

Pressing On as 2010 Begins!
Charlie

The joy and volume of her outburst distracted my attention as I stood nearby, but I was glad. This all happened on Main Street last weekend after our Saturday night service as folks mingled. What I quickly came to understand was that this lady was a new believer, and she had just figured out Christmas. How cool is that?

Apparently she, like a lots of folks, had grown up thinking that Christmas was about Santa, gifts and family. She had never really understood that Christmas was about the Father’s love and pursuit of her. She had not grasped that Jesus had humbly become a human to rescue her from her sins and restore her heart. I wish you could have seen her face beam—from “death to life” was written all over it.

I don’t know all the elements that led to her redemption, but let me suggest the likely scenario—one that is being repeated more and more often at Covenant.

First, someone at Covenant has been loving on her, praying for her and being the hands and feet of Jesus in her life. They might work with her, or they might be her neighbor. They could be a family member or an old school friend. It is very likely they have an established relationship with her and have been spending time meeting her needs, whatever they may be.

Second, this Covenant Jesus-follower most likely extended an invitation to her to come to church. Maybe Saturday night was the best time. Maybe she has a few children, and our Saturday night Children’s Ministry was just the right fit. Truthfully, the vast majority of our guests don’t just wander in—someone invites and brings them.

Third, hundreds of Covenant Jesus-followers provided for this woman’s new life in Christ. Main Street and our new campus now exist because of the generosity of our church family. We expanded so we could reach folks we had not yet met, and she is one! Hundreds also share their tithes and offerings weekly so we can turn on the lights, resource ministries and benefit from coordinating ministry coaches. This is God’s plan for the local church as is detailed in the Word.

Lastly, and most importantly, the Holy Spirit has been at work in her life. In the midst of the first three realities, God’s Spirit has been chasing her and convincing her heart of the Truth. Ministry is an amazing partnership of God’s power and our faithful energy.

So, when you come to church this Christmas Eve (5 or 7pm), look around you. There is at least one person in God’s house who gets it for the first time. Now that’s something to rejoice about!

Wowed by the Manger,
Charlie

Initially, I was not surprised as I learned about the specific expectations of the training school. In fact, it reminded me of my own experience in seminary. All the students were expected to be reading the Bible from cover to cover; there were a number of biblical subjects to be mastered; each was expected to be in a discipleship relationship with a mentor and be a leader within an ongoing ministry of the church–nothing too surprising there.

As I learned more, though, I started to get uncomfortable.

Scripture memorization is an important discipline in the school, and participants must be able to recite 78 passages back-to-back on the final week of the program. I regularly memorize the Word, but that’s a lot!

Fasting—last week’s focus in our InTENtional for 10—is another important discipline they expect students to be practicing, and each is expected to fast weekly plus work their way up to a 12-day fast. That would definitely be new territory for me.

And then I learned of their discipline in witnessing: each is expected to share Jesus’ story with no less than 3 people weekly. When I first heard this expectation, it immediately shed light on a problem I have needed to address for some time, namely getting trapped in the “bubble”.

The “bubble” I am referring to is the Christian bubble–a place where the only people I have relationships with are Christians. As a staff member in a busy church, it’s very easy to get trapped in this reality, and I have been caught in it for too long.

It’s not that hanging out with other believers is a bad thing. Fellowship is an important discipline, and we are called to be connected with other disciples (InTENtional for 10 discipline #5). But we are also called to be salt and light to a world filled with darkness. The Gospels are crystal clear: Jesus loved the “lost sheep” and wants all mankind to experience God’s forgiveness and grace.

So what I am doing about it? I’m glad you asked.

First, I am praying to see the unbelieving people around me as Jesus sees them; to notice their needs and to have a heart of compassion as He did. There are unbelievers all around me, but I have not been attentive.

Second, I am focusing on those who are within my sphere of influence. We all have a unique ability to reach certain audiences based on our life experience and attributes. My Texas roots, education, vocational interests and age all impact who I can best reach with the Gospel message. Lord, help me see who I can most effectively reach.

Finally, I am getting ready. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). I have to have my Jesus story ready to share at any time. It details why and how I became a disciple. If you haven’t done this before, I would encourage you to write it out and practice with a Christian friend. It doesn’t need to be lengthy, just authentic.

Have you been in a bubble like me? Consider how you might sharpen your focus and skills in intentionally following Jesus as you witness to His awesome grace and mercy. Someone out there needs you!

Learning from the Master,

Charlie