News & Updates

My boys always look forward to visiting my parents in Ohio. They get lots of love, attention, wide-open spaces, and cable television. Yes, you read that correctly. We don’t have cable, so it’s a treat for my boys to lounge in their grandparents’ family room for a mind-numbing buffet of sports, cartoons, and “educational” shows. One show that they’ve historically enjoyed is “Mythbusters,” where the hosts perform scientific experiments to either confirm or debunk popular myths. One particular episode we…

A while back, Penn Gillette told a story about receiving a Bible backstage after one of his magic shows. Gillette is a self-proclaimed atheist, but he was impressed by the manner in which the small New Testament was given—not with arrogance but with humility and authenticity. The giver’s attitude was more remarkable to Gillette than the actual gift. Penn Gillette described how sincere the man was in words and approach. He noted that the man must have really believed what…

It’s funny how the Atlanta Falcons have suddenly turned into America’s team for this Super Bowl. With Tom Brady and the evil empire of the New England Patriots as Sunday’s odds-on favorite, most of America is crossing its collective fingers for Matt Ryan and the Dirty Birds to rise up and destroy Darth Vader… um, Bill Belichick. However, just over a year ago, not many were giving Ryan and Julio Jones much of a chance. They couldn’t go deep into…

Georgia’s own President Carter once said, “”Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” Of course, you don’t have to navigate any limbs to pick raspberries and blueberries, but I get it. We’ll slant our thinking anyway possible to avert risk. I have a friend who sold a complicated math formula for thousands of dollars. The numerical equation took risk out of investing. Wouldn’t that be something! I’d like to invest and have significant outcome; I just don’t…

Take a guess at what I’m describing. It’s a place where people gather regularly. Cover charges are minimal. The people are all very similar. Specific needs are met at this place. If needs aren’t met, people move on quickly to another similar place. There are many such places. Self-realization is the goal. Lights, sound, and music with a full band enable folks to escape and get lost. All details are designed to make people feel comfortable. Do you have a…

This Sunday we’ll kick off a new three-week series called “The ABCs of Community.” I’m excited to begin the new year by pointing folks to the necessity and power of community – to Life Groups! We’ll start by focusing on ‘A’—Accountability—and then trek towards ‘B’ for Belonging and ‘C’ for Care. They’re not as easy to live out as they are to write about. I’m mindful of how very much we need accountability. Can you imagine a football game without…

Miriam Webster just named “surreal” their word of the year for 2016. Makes sense, doesn’t it? A reality TV star became president. The Cubs won the world series. The Cleveland Cavaliers won their first ever NBA championship. Debbie Reynolds died just one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher (aka Princess Leia) passed. The DOW is hovering around the 20,000 mark for the first time ever, and Brexit really happened. These facts are just the tip of an approaching iceberg making…

Dear CCC Friends, Thanks to you, the Gospel continues to pour out from our church. Thanks to your generosity, many messy people are being redeemed and restored. Jason came to us from California. Because of his own horrific meth addiction, Jason has been estranged from his wife and two kids. However, Jason is now 90 days clean. He is signed up for our Construction Ready class in February. Jason is interning at The Collective’s Independent Work Program. He just got…

    More than ever before, I really need Christmas. Yesterday I watched the shocking video of a young assassin shooting a Russian ambassador. The killer defiantly yelled terroristic threats while waving his gun. A truck barreled into hundreds of shoppers at a Berlin outdoor Christmas market. Twelve people were slaughtered. Another fifty were injured and traumatized. I keep seeing images of busloads of refugees being removed from Aleppo, Syria. Many are orphans whose parents were killed in the battle…