Mike Edmisten

Nicki and I went out for some seafood a few days ago. We landed at Pappadeaux…and I’m really glad we did. Pappadeaux knows how to treat their guests, from start to finish. In our dining experience, I saw so many parallels to creating a warm, inviting atmosphere in the church. This week, I’m going to write a series of posts debriefing our experience and exploring how it applies to the church.

First of all, here’s what happened when we walked in the door. We were greeted very warmly by multiple people. I immediately felt like they were actually glad to see us. It sure beats going into a restaurant only to have the staff act as if they’re annoyed to have you there. Ever experienced that?

Three different people asked us if this was our first time dining at Pappadeaux, which it was. All three of them seemed as if they were absolutely thrilled that we were there. And it wasn’t just the hostess and the waiter. One of the managers came over and thanked us for coming in for the first time.

As first-timers, they gave us a gift…a free dessert. But this was no little token freebie. Our waiter wheeled over the dessert cart and took the time to tell us about each individual dessert. We had some of the best crème brûlée I’ve ever tasted…and it was free!

When someone walks into your church for the first time, how do they feel? Are they immediately greeted with a warm, welcoming smile? Do people actually act as if they’re glad to see them?

Our waiter took a great amount of time to help us, telling us about the menu, describing each dessert, etc. Are people in your church willing to give their undivided time and attention to a guest? I have challenged our people at ACC to, “go out of your way to help a guest find theirs.”

Even before our food was on the table, I was already thoroughly impressed with Pappadeaux. How does a guest in your church feel, even before the service starts?

For those who have never lived in Cincinnati, you probably can’t really grasp what the opening day of the baseball season is really like here. It is nothing less than a holiday. There is a massive pep rally on Fountain Square, there’s a huge parage, etc. And when the game starts, Great American Ballpark will be jammed packed with Reds fans.

I’m stoked that the regular season is finally here! Here are twelve fearless predictions for the Reds ‘08 season…

1. The Reds will end the season with a winning record for the first time in years.

2. Brandon Phillips will have a 30/30 season for the second year in a row.

3. Bronson Arroyo will have a much more consistent season this year.

4. Aaron Harang will continue to be one of the best pitchers in the National League…and he will continue to be ignored by the national media.

5. Some of the young pitchers will have breakout years (Johnny Cueto). Others will disappoint.

6. Ken Griffey Jr. will be healthy for most of the season. He’ll spend one stint on the disabled list.

7. Adam Dunn will hit 40+ homeruns.

8. Joey Votto will secure the first base position for many years.

9. Jay Bruce will play in the big leagues at some point this season.

10. The Corey Patterson deal will not be a good one.

11. Dusty Baker will prove to be a good managerial move.

12. The Reds will finish second in the Central Division behind the Cubs. They’ll miss the playoffs, but the season will be enjoyable and the future will look good.

“Although this is not what we hoped for, at least we know.”
(Matt’s father, Keth Maupin)

In the midst of a hectic Saturday, it would be good if we could carve out a quiet moment to prepare our hearts to worship with God’s family tomorrow. Here’s a little something to get you prepped to bring your all for God tomorrow morning.

Jesus…

That’s the Jesus that we’ll meet in worship tomorrow!

Dude, my NCAA bracket…it’s a mess. I had Xavier going down in the Sweet 16. They messed me up when they beat West Virginia on their way to the Elite 8. But, even though it messed up my bracket, I love it! So sweet to see them put it to Bob Huggins!

Go X!

Can’t wait to get this new sermon series rolling this Sunday! I sense that God is doing to do some BIG TIME stuff in the next five weeks as we explore the often-ignored Old Testament book of Ezra. I was reading this book in my quiet time last year and it rocked me! So much so that I immediately put it on my ‘08 preaching calendar.

Let the Demolition begin!

Officially, yes it has. The Boston Red Sox and the Oakland A’s officially opened the season on March 25 in Japan. (For the record, they split the two game series.)

This is absolutely goofy, for a variety of reasons.

1. It’s March 25, for crying out loud! Every other team is still in spring training. In fact, the Red Sox will play a few more exhibition games AFTER they have played this two game series in Japan that will count toward their regular season record. Who dreamed that up?

2. This is a not-so-subtle money grab for Major League Baseball. Bud Selig’s (MLB Commissioner) mission is to expand MLB worldwide, but apparently he’s willing to do that at the expense of the fan base in the U.S. The Red Sox have one of the biggest fan bases in all of baseball. Do you think Red Sox nation is happy with this scenario?

3. The Cincinnati Reds should play the first game of the season. That used to be the case. They are baseball’s oldest franchise, so baseball should open in Cincinnati. Ok, as a Reds fan, I’m a little biased. Doesn’t mean that I’m not still right. :o)

Did I miss any other reasons why this is a bad idea? Or do you actually like the plan?

What in the world happened this morning?!?! I don’t know exactly, except for this…

God showed up!

It was a remarkable day at ACC! We had over 200 in attendance, many of which had never walked through our doors before.

In addition to that, the generosity of our church family was on full display. Our offering this morning topped $10,000! No, that’s not a misprint. To quote Rocky (our treasurer), “The glory all goes to Him. Now let’s be good stewards to move His kingdom forward in Amelia.” Right on, Rocky!

We don’t talk a lot about numbers at ACC, but there are times when you simply have to sit back and celebrate what God is doing. And the numbers tell me that he’s doing something incredible in our church.

Most importantly, the gospel came through loud and clear this morning. Through our worship music, videos, communion, and preaching, the simple message of Jesus was ringing out for all to hear. I’m absolutely convinced that lives were forever impacted by what God did through our church this morning. I believe that’s true because I believe this promise of God.

I want to thank everyone who brought their A-game this morning. A lot of people went the extra mile to make our worship experiences sparkle and to make our guests feel welcome and accepted.

If you…
shook a hand and smiled,
set up extra chairs,
arrived extra early for worship practice,
served communion,
parked far away so our guests could park close to the building,
gave up your seat for someone else,
encouraged someone,
invited someone to church (whether they came or not),
served in any other way to make this day succeed…

THANK YOU!

I’m taking a couple of vacation days this week, so I’ll be away from my blog. The comments will be turned off for the next couple of days. I’ll return to posting on Wednesday.

Catch ya later!

Wonder what your pastor is feeling at about 9:00 pm on the night before Easter?

Anticipation.

I anticipate preaching the message that God gave me. And I really do feel like I’m bringing the exact message that He’s called me to bring tomorrow. That’s an awesome feeling.

I anticipate worshipping with our band, knowing they’ll be at the top of their game.

I anticipate meeting a lot of people who have never darkened a church door before (or at least not in many years).

I anticipate seeing the warmth and love of our church family burning brightly tomorrow. It’s something I love seeing every week.

I anticipate the great things that God will do at ACC tomorrow.

It’s not easy to sleep on nights like this. I’m ready to get after it…now!

Props to the arts team at Christ’s Church of the Valley for the video.