It’s been an exciting morning at NewSpring today. Two mores services to go, but here’s what you’ve missed so far:

• We had a huge crowd at the 9:15 service and a full house at 11:15. Check out the pix below. The balcony was full (that’s Jason Moorhead’s mug shot for the second time in a week!). We had a number of folks out in the Atrium participating in the service. Amazing!
• The trucks are filling up for the food drive to support the Salvation Army and the Soup Kitchen.
• See the three buses in the picture below? They carried the entire Clemson football team and the coaching staff. That was pretty impressive seeing the team participate in today’s service.
• Perry shared an incredible message. Be warned, though, it’ll force you to think about others rather than yourself. (And, that’s probably a good thing.)
• And, yes, Chick-fil-A has something to do with today’s service. We’re grateful for their partnership in our outreach efforts in Anderson. You’ll have to come to one of the evening services or check out the video this week to find out what it’s all about.

Here are a few pictures that I took with the Blackjack this morning:

Last week, I shared a little bit about the project I’m involved in with Outreach magazine. So far, there have been over 40 churches nominated. You can check out the list on the Squidoo lens. (Thank Seth Godin for that.) And, more importantly, go ahead and nominate a church that hasn’t been listed yet.

I mentioned the new intern opportunities at NewSpring a few days ago. Program details and applications were sent today. If you’re a college student in the Anderson/Greenville area, it’s not too late to apply. Here are a few more specifics about the new program:

• The program is open to college-aged students who have graduated from high school.
• Positions are available for fall, spring and summer semesters. The fall semester positions will begin on September 4.
• We will pay you…but you won’t get rich.
• You’ll be assigned to one of these ministry areas: pastoral care, volunteer/guest services, discipleship/home groups, creative arts, children’s ministry, student ministry, communications or information technology.
• There will be weekly gatherings and training for all the interns. In other words, you won’t spend all your time with old folks like me.
• We are planning to fill as many as 10 positions.

The deadline for applications for the fall semester is Wednesday, August 22. If you or someone you know is interested in receiving more information, email Sarah. She’s really helpful, and she’s kind to college students…especially the ones from Clemson.

P.S. — Apparently I neglected to acknowledge the college students from Southern Wesleyan University and Erskine College. My apologies to the Warriors and the Flying Fleet. By the way, would someone explain to me what the "flying fleet" has to do with Erskine?

Ever wondered what it takes to pull off a Sunday service at NewSpring? Now is your chance to find out.  On October 21-22, we’re going to be providing an opportunity that we’ve never offered before. Through this experience you will attend a worship service, tour all areas related to the Sunday experience, observe the behind-the-scenes action, and connect with the NewSpring staff. Our desire is to answer any question you may have about how and why we do what we do. 

We’re calling this experience All Access. It’s being designed for both staff and volunteer leaders from other churches that are curious to see how NewSpring operates during weekend services. Here’s more of what you can expect:

• attend a weekend service
• behind-the-scenes tour
• meals with NewSpring staff
• senior pastors dinner with Perry
• main teaching session covering the overall vision of NewSpring’s weekend services
• breakout session to learn and network with NewSpring staff

This is not a conference event. We are limiting the number of participants to increase the level of connection you will have with our staff team. Learn more and register online by visiting our NewSpring Ministries site.

Here are my thoughts and highlights from II Peter as I continue my journey through the Bible:

• "So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others." My prayer is that my interactions with others always reflect this type of character…even with people that are hard for me to like.
• "Better not to have started out on the straight road to God than to start out and then turn back." In other words, God cares more about what direction I’m heading rather than where I’ve been.
• God wants me to stay focused on him and the mission he’s called me to live out. "Hold your minds in a state of undistracted attention."
• God "doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change." That, unfortunately, suggests not everyone will turn their hearts toward God. But, it’s encouraging to know his desire is that no one will be lost. God’s love and forgiveness is for everyone who will receive it.
• "Do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace."

"There ain’t never been a baby that hasn’t been born."

Jason Moorhead, NewSpring Chief Operations Officer

Based on my Google Analytics stats from the past 30 days, here are the connection speeds for those visiting my site:

1. Cable = 39%
2. DSL = 29%
3. Unknown = 23%
4. T1 = 5%
5. Dialup = 2%

Don’t know why the "unknown" percentage is so high. It’ amazing, though, to see that almost everyone is operating on a high speed connection. My condolences to the few of you that still have to use dialup.

I’ve held on to this post for a couple of weeks now. And, at the
risk of alienating everyone on this list and those that aren’t, I’m
going to run with it. Remember, there are over 97 million blogs. I’m
following about 100 of them. Out of those 100, I narrowed it down to
the 25 I couldn’t live without. (Here are the 25 websites I couldn’t live without.)
In the coming days, I’ll try to take a few minutes to list why these
folks are on the list, while others are not. Trust me. If you follow
these blogs, it’ll really mess with your brain and stretch your
thinking.

1. Perry Noble — OK,
   I’m no idiot. If I didn’t follow Perry’s blog, I wouldn’t be employed
   at NewSpring Church. But, I have to admit–I really enjoy Perry’s blog.
   Mainly because he says exactly what’s on his mind. It’s unfiltered, and
   it’s solid.
2. Seth Godin — I have an important message to share, and, frankly, I learn more from Seth about sharing it than just about anyone else.
3. Swerve — Craig Groeschel and Bobby Gruenewald are providing an insiders look at LifeChurch.tv and stretching my view of how the church does ministry.
4. TechCrunch — It’s how I get my technology fix. TechCrunch provides the latest news on Internet products and companies.
5. Tom Peters — Tom is
   one of the Author 1.0 guys that have made the leap into the Web 2.0
   world. I scan his longer posts, but his leadership insights continue to
   stretch my thinking.
6. LeadingSmart.com
   – I’m not doing this just because Tim Stevens used to be my boss. I’ve
   always appreciated Tim’s grasp of leadership. And, I really enjoy his
   heart for leveraging the culture to reach people for Jesus.
7. Terry Storch — I’m
   sure his blog will be even stronger when he gets out of beta. Until
   then, Terry continues to stretch how we view the use of technology when
   it comes to fulfilling the Great Commission.
8. The Official Google Blog — My life revolves around Google, so I need to know what’s coming next.
9. Gary Lamb — Because everyone needs to follow a blog that feeds their inner redneck. Gary is the Lead Pastor of The Revolution Church in Canton, Georgia.
10. Scott Hodge — Scott is the lead pastor of The Orchard Community in Aurora, Illinois. Scott is the same in real life as he is in blog world–genuine and hilarious. I love both Scotts.
11. Corey Mann –
    Random. Outrageous. Real. Corey. Mann. He helps me stay one with the
    culture…and, in the mean time, he’s helping to transform the lives of
    students at Granger Community Church.
12. How to Change the World
    – I’m a huge fan of Guy Kawasaki. My favorite posts to read are his
    top 10 lists. Guy is just plain smart…even though he’s a Mac guy.
13. Evotional.com — Mark Batterson is one of the most creative pastors in the country. And, his National Community Church office is in a D.C. coffee shop, so he’s my idol.
14. Monday Morning Insight
    – Todd Rhoades spends a lot of time trying to report what’s happening
    in the church across the country. If there’s a story brewing, Todd will
    likely find it.
15. SimplyJosh.com — Josh Griffin is the manager of Purpose Driven Youth Ministry and a pastor at Saddleback Church. I’m betting Rick Warren reads his blog.
16. From Where I Sit
    – Michael Hyatt is the President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.
    Because of his position, Michael provides a unique perspective on both
    publishing and leadership.
17. Brazen Careerist
    – Penelope Trunk is one of my new favorites. She provides leadership
    and workplace insights from a female blogger’s perspective. Very
    refreshing.
18. Steven Furtick — Steven is the Lead Pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. If he’s not on your radar, he should be.
19. Church of the Customer Blog — This is a marketing blog classic from Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba.
20. Dave Ferguson — Dave’s one of the pioneers of multi-site church. He’s the Lead Pastor of Community Christian Church which meets in eight different locations in the western suburbs of Chicago.
21. ChangeThis — They’re out to spread ideas and change minds. Download manifestos in PDF format that will change your thinking.
22. DavidFoster.tv — David is an author and pastor of The Gathering in the Nashville area. He has a passion for helping nonreligious people connect to God. He also rides a motorcycle.
23. Movie Marketing Madness
    – I don’t have near enough time to watch movies…and I have even less
    time to keep up with what’s coming next. This blog keeps me in the loop.
24. Brand Autopsy — John
    Moore blogs about marketing. My favorite posts are about his
    experiences working with Starbucks. It’s fun to get an insider’s view
    of growing companies.
25. ClickZ Stats — Because I’m a freak about numbers and the Web.

What blogs would be in your Top 25?

UPDATE: For some reason, the original post was creating problems for my site. Here’s the re-post. My apologies to the folks who commented on the original version.