Yesterday we did a thing at church called no show sunday. This is a Sunday where no volunteers show up to the church (with the exception of children’s ministry) and it was awesome! I led worship by myself with my acoustic and honestly I wasn’t even needed. People were worshipping just as loud as ever. Yesterday proved that Aviator Church isn’t about the lights, stage design, or big rock band. We are all about Jesus and what He is doing in this community. I almost lost it several times as I was leading and listening to everyones voices in unison crying out to God. There is no sweeter sound than the sound of hundreds of people just singing and crying out to God. Yes, Aviator Church is known for its upbeat music, cool stage design, and crazy stage props, but most of all we should be known as the church that simply loves Jesus and does what He tells us to do. Yesterday proved to many that even if Aviator didn’t have all the lights, big band, media, and stage design that there would still be hundreds of people in that place worshipping God every Sunday. Because it isn’t about the stuff, it is about Jesus, and yes all of the cool technology God has blessed us with goes a long way to getting the lost into a church, helping kids in our kid’s ministry connect better, and getting people excited and pumped up about Jesus, but we do those things because God called us to. If God told our church to only do 80’s style music and dress in 80’s style clothes then we would. Thankfully God has not said that. (Haha!) I am so excited about this church! As I was walking off stage after worship yesterday I stopped to talk to one of our first time guests. He told me that he was pumped about what God was doing here. He said the main thing that stuck out at him during the sermon was this:

“We aren’t a church with a mission, we are a mission with a church”

-Pastor Joe Boyd

Now how awesome is that. This is a movement of God! If you haven’t jumped in yet and you feel like God is calling you to then don’t wait another second! Go to AviatorChurch.com and find out more about this mission. See you Sunday!

-Jordan

My feud with stage design is still ongoing for all of you out there who have been following. As you should have read in part 1 I very much dislike stage design. It just isn’t my thing. I think it is totally awesome and extremely enhances a worship environment but I still dislike actually figuring out what to do, how to do it, etc. I just don’t think that way. I can be extremely creative when it comes to music but when it comes to visual design I just lack the necessary skills. Some of you right now are thinking “how is this guy still a Worship Arts Pastor in a modern church?” Well the fact of the matter is if you really want to be successful in your ministry you can’t do everything yourself anyway. You have to delegate. You just have to. Some of you single guys out there are probably thinking you have all the time in the world and that you can do everything yourself. Well guess what, the time only gets shorter. You will get married, your church will get bigger, which means you will be busier and then you will have kids. Time only gets shorter, so I suggest you start finding the right people to take over as much as possible while you still can. God will send you incredible volunteers who are willing to do awesome things in the ministry. In fact they are called to do those things and in many cases will do it better than you! Right now in our worship ministry we are putting together a visual arts team that will be doing all of the stage design and special props for our worship experiences. I have already talked to several volunteers who are pumped about this! Our team will start with just a few people but soon it will grow into a large team of many who are dedicated to making the worship environment the best it can possibly be. That team will work with the other teams we have in the worship experience, such as the band, set-up crew, and tech crew to ensure the best environment for worship possible. It is important that your teams work together and know that they are all a part of one ministry that is in turn a part of one church that has only one purpose; to bring glory to God. As we put this team together I will continually put updates about how it is going every now and then on this blog so you guys can learn from our progress. So tune in again soon!

-Jordan

I was reading last night in the book of Acts and I came across the story of Philip and the Ethiopian. Now I have read the story before but last night something really stuck out to me. Check this out:

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ” Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went.

- Acts 8:26

Now at first this just seems like the beginning of a story. Most people would skip past this and get to the end, the so called exciting part and not even pay attention to the first line of the story. What is the end? Well it just so happens that the same place the angel told him to go had a traveling ethiopian who was reading the book of Isaiah. Philip asked the Ethiopian if he understood what he was reading. The Ethiopian responded by saying he couldn’t with no one guiding him. Philip then proceeded to share Jesus with him and coming upon some water he baptized the Ethiopian at his request. So the moral of the story is to obey what God tells you to do because something happens at the end of it. Or is that it? Notice at the beginning of the story it states “THIS IS A DESERT PLACE.” I don’t know about you guys but if someone told me to go walk around in the desert I would probably ask for some water, or maybe say could I walk over to that forest with the babbling brook instead? Philip on the other hand never said a word, he just went. He knew that walking in the desert probably wasn’t going to be the most comfortable thing but he just went. Why? Because God told him to. He trusted God and something awesome came of it. But he didn’t trust God with something comfortable, he trusted God with something uncomfortable. It would have been very easy for him to say, “no thanks God, I would rather not go to a desert place” but he didn’t. See sometimes we just have to trust God that wherever he sends us even though it may be uncomfortable we need to go. Someone or something is in that place or on the other side of that place that we need to get to. For Philip it was the Ethiopian who just happened to be reading a passage about Jesus in the exact spot Philip was sent. Coincidence? I think not. So no matter where God sends you or no matter what desert place in your life you may have to go through, just go! God has someone or something in or past that place for you. Go find out what it is.

-Jordan

Here is a list of questions that get asked about Aviator Church.

• Why do you invite so many people to church?
• Why are you so focused on the numbers?
• Why do you advertise your church in mailers and newspapers?
• Why are you always talking about the church on facebook and twitter?
• Why do you always want to form relationships with the people you invite to church?

So I would like to answer these questions now. I am going to put this as simple as possible so here we go.

NUMBERS = PEOPLE. People need Jesus, we share Jesus at church. When people come to church they hear about Jesus, they meet people who follow Jesus, they form relationships with people who love Jesus, they are shown love by people who love Jesus. We invite people to church so they can EXPERIENCE JESUS.

ADVERTISING. People need Jesus. People read newspapers, people read their mail, people read yard signs. People decide to come to church because they heard about it through newspapers, mailers, and yard signs. People experience Jesus at church.

SOCIAL MEDIA. People need Jesus. People are on facebook and twitter. A LOT. People hear about church on facebook and twitter. People come to church because they heard about it on facebook and twitter. People need Jesus. People experience Jesus at church.

RELATIONSHIPS. People need Jesus. People don’t like to be preached at. People don’t like to be told what do or what to believe. People like friends. People need friends. We like to form relationships with people and be there friends. We like to show people that we love them like Jesus even if they don’t know who Jesus is. Friends invite friends to church. People experience Jesus at church.

LIFE CHANGE. People need Jesus. People need life change. Jesus changes peoples lives. People hear about, see, and experience Jesus at church. People experience Life change at church. People have a church family who loves them and cares about them at church. People grow in their faith at church. People are cared for because of the friends they met at church. JESUS USES THE CHURCH TO BRING PEOPLE CLOSER TO HIM.

CHURCH. People need Jesus. As Christians we are the church. The church is the Bride of Jesus Christ. We are the bride of Jesus. Jesus loves us like a husband loves his wife. (and more) We show that love through community events, helping people, and most of all by INVITING THEM TO CHURCH. If we didn’t love them we wouldn’t invite them. But we do love them so we do invite them so that they can come to church and EXPERIENCE JESUS.

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR OWN PROSPERITY. Growth is a by product of our one true goal.

AVIATOR CHURCH WANTS PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE JESUS. Period.

Hope that clears things up

-Jordan

I have been thinking about this question quite a bit lately. Mainly because it keeps coming up in the choices I am faced with. Especially now that I am married it seems this question comes up even more. Personally I don’t think we really consider this question enough when making our choices. We live in a society that makes hasty decisions and because of that we have all been trained to do and not think. I have made way to many hasty decisions in my life even when I know I should ask the question, what is more important? For instance what is more important, working late or spending time with my wife? Spending 50 dollars on that thing I don’t need or eating? Maxing out 4 credit cards or staying debt free? I know what your thinking, that those should be no brainers right? Wrong. Too many of us blind ourselves in an attempt to satisfy our immediate wants and fail to ask the question of what is more important. Are you wondering why so much goes wrong in your life? Well there could be many reasons but lets start with this; priorities. What are your priorities? Mine go like this:

1. God
2. My Wife
3. My family
4. My Ministry
5. My friends
6. and so on….

Now I am not saying that everyones has to look the same, but the first three should be non – negotiable. We should always be making decisions based of what’s really important in our lives and how those decisions will affect everyone around us. I have had to lear this in hard ways at times, but truly taking action to keep my priorities in check has really helped me. God has blessed me for putting Him first and honoring his commands to do his will and take care of my wife and family. So maybe it is time for you to look at your priorities and be really honest with yourself. Is everything in the right place? Is something missing from the list? Get your priorities in line and you will be much better off.

-Jordan

Have you ever looked into the face of someone who is dying? I mean someone who is dying and knows it is coming soon. Up until last week I never have. For those of you who don’t know, my father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer last year. He had his second surgery to remove it this past week. After waiting for hours the doctor came into the waiting room and simply said “I don’t have good news.” He told us the cancer was wrapped around the liver, making it impossible to remove. He gave my father-in-law 6 months to 1 year to live. The next day I drove up to the hospital to see him. After talking for a while with some other family and friends we were left alone. The next 3 hours we had a conversation I will never forget. He told me about his life, the things he has experienced. He gave me advice, wisdom from the 60 years he has spent here. He asked me to take care of my mother-in-law, and described how hard it would be for her after his death. He spoke of his children, and his brother. I kept thinking to myself, what if I was in his place? Would I be acting the way this man is? Would I be angry or accepting or afraid? He told me he had lived a good life, and that despite all of his sins, God had blessed him with more than he ever wanted. This brought up the topic of religion and as we talked he started telling me about his relationship with God. Up until this point we had never talked about God. He knew I was a Pastor, and I knew where he stood on religion. He didn’t like it. I respected his opinion and never pushed it. But it was time to find out where the man stood. He stated to me that he talked to God, and I asked about what. The conversation continued like this:

Me: What do you talk to God about?

Him: My past transgressions, I ask for forgiveness. (pause) I feel that he has forgiven me.

Me: What do you believe about John 3:16 and Jesus?

Him: I believe it. If Jesus had never died for my sins, then how would I be forgiven?

Me: Where are you going when you die?

Him: I’m going to heaven.

I almost broke into tears of joy when I heard his last statement. for the past two years my wife and I have been praying for this man to accept the grace of Jesus Christ. Like so many others, he simply thought that he wasn’t good enough, that the things he has done in his life could never be forgiven. He is a veteran of war, and has been in every conflict from Vietnam to Iraq. The things he has seen and done in his life constantly told him that he was not worthy of grace. But he finally accepted it. He accepted the gift of grace. Grace is forgiveness even when we do not deserve it. This is what he couldn’t understand. Now he has peace, I look into his eyes and I do not see fear, or stubborness, I see peace. He knows where he is going, he knows that God loves him, and he knows that God will take care of his family. If this man, who has been through so much, can accept grace, I know that everyone else can to. It doesn’t matter how far from God you are or the person you care about is. Grace saves us all in an instant. Where we once had fear and uncertainty we suddenly find hope and peace. Never give up. Never stop praying. It works.

If you have not ever accepted the grace of Jesus, I urge you to do it now. All it takes is simply declaring to God that you believe in Jesus Christ, that He died for your sins. Ask for forgiveness, accept his grace and find the peace that you have always been searching for. If you have questions please email me Jordan@aviatorchurch.com or visit our church website http://AviatorChurch.com and click on the next steps tab. This experience has changed my life. I have been shook to my foundation. My perspective has changed yet again and once again I am reminded that God can do anything.

-Jordan

Our lead Pastor, Joe Boyd, once told me “Perspective is a powerful thing” during a conversation about the way we look at the problems in our life. I nodded my head in agreement. It has been two years since I moved to Kansas to help start Aviator Church. Two years. It feels like I moved yesterday. Its amazing how much can change in a couple of years. In the last two years I have have been happy and then depressed. Satisfied and then wanting more. Sacrificial and then selfish. Confident and then unsure. Accepting and then questioning. My moods and emotions have reflected that of any other person trying to live this life. I had two paths in front of me two years ago. I could choose to follow God, or I could choose to do things my own way. I am thankful to say that the majority of the time I have chosen to follow God. This has resulted in several things:

• I found Joy (not contentment, not happiness, JOY. There is a difference.)
• I realized my purpose
• God purged me of the things in my life that were not from Him. (relationships, possessions, habits, etc.)
• I was led to my wife (we married a week ago)
• I gained a whole new perspective on life

My perspective before was much like many young 20 year olds. I looked to the future, I was carefree. I had dreams and plenty of time to realize them. My actions, as i saw it, only affected me so I did whatever I wanted. I felt that as long as I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I could do anything. My perspective today is much different. I am excited about the future God has for me, but I do not waste time dreaming about it, I prepare for it. I no longer put my dreams on hold, I go for them. (many have already been realized) When I reach a goal, I create another.  My actions do not just affect me, they affect everyone around me. The people at my church, my family, my friends, my community, and most of all my wife. I now realize that the appearance of wrong doing can be just as harmful as doing something wrong. So now I strive to be above reproach. My perspective has changed.

Do you feel like your life is not moving in the direction it should be? Mine wasn’t until two years ago. Thats when it started to change. If you change your perspective, and look at things the way God does, things will change.

-Jordan

So, I have this cat named Marco, he is only about 6 months old so he is really a kitten. We have been working on rules with him. He knows not to sit on anything I wouldn’t sit on, he knows not to eat my food, and he knows he is not allowed outside unless I am out there with him. Well the other evening I was cleaning the grill out on my deck and I had left the back door open. I saw Marco walk right up to it and kind of look at me. I said “No, don’t you walk out that door” and he stared at me like “why not”. As he looked at me right in the eyes he slowly walked out the door. He knew he shouldn’t go out there, he knew there were consequences but he decided to go anyway. So I walked out after him and knowing he was going to get in trouble, he took off down the stairs of the deck. I chased him around the backyard for a few minutes. After a while he realized i wasn’t going to leave him alone until he went back inside where he was supposed to be. So he shot back up the stairs of the deck toward the sliding glass door. What he didn’t know was that I had closed the door on my way out. So up he went and then THUD! he slammed head first into the door. Stunned he just sat back at the door looking at it confused. I came over picked him up, said “thats what you get” and took him back inside where he was supposed to be in the first place.

So why is this story in my blog? Well think about it. How many times have we been where were supposed to be or know where were supposed to be only to walk out into the backyard of the unknown as if to say what are you going to do about it God? Just like Marco we think somewhere behind the sliding glass door is something better when God knows where we need to be. So the we end up running from God for a while until we finally figure out that we will much happier where God wants us to be. So we try to do a U-turn and end up running into a glass door. Then as we lay there confused about why we can’t get back to where we need to be, God comes along picks us up, and opens the door, putting us where we need to be.

When we mess up and go places God never intended us to go, and do things we were never supposed to do, we can’t get back to where we need to be on our own power. We have to ask God to pick us up and open the door for us when we can’t. We need Him to get us out of the whole we dug because it is too deep for us to climb out of it ourselves. So take a tip from Marco, don’t go where you know you shouldn’t and if you do, don’t run into a door you can’t open.

-Jordan

As some of you may know I am getting married in May, 4 weeks from today in fact. I am extremely excited and I cannot wait to marry my fiance’. She and I have been going through pre-marital counseling (like every couple should) and we have also been asking other married people questions on what to expect and how to avoid problems when we are married. It seems that about 90% of the people we talk to say things like this: “the first year will be hell”, “oh man buckle up cause once the honeymoon is over it’s over”, “get ready for the worst year of your life.” Now obviously that’s not very positive, but hey what do I know? Well I may not be married just yet but I have to speak up here…

For all of you couples out there who hold the belief that the first year of marriage is just going to be awful, maybe you need to examine the reasons why. I for one refuse to enter my marriage preparing for the worst. If I thought my marriage was going to make life harder I wouldn’t get married. I think that the reason so many couples have bad first years of marriage is because after the rings are put on, those two people finally let down their walls and stop pretending to be the person they thought there spouse wanted in the first place. Everyone complains and says “oh they have changed so much from when we were dating”. They didn’t change and neither did you. You are both just finally showing who you really are. I have shown my fiance’ exactly who I am, my strengths and weaknesses, ever since I have known her and I sincerely believe she has done the same. Because of this we will not have to re-learn each other after the honeymoon. We know each other already. I know that living together and sharing everything will take some getting used to, and will create disagreements that we will have to work through, but you have to work at a marriage. Everything I have ever earned in my life was through hard work. My marriage will be strong because of the work my spouse and I put into it. So to all you couples out there, on the verge of getting married: make sure you know the person before you marry them, make sure they know you, and don’t prepare for the worst, prepare for the best, and work through the rough times. All of you out there who are already married, I hope that you have not had to re-learn who your spouse is, but if you have, don’t give up. Keep your eyes focused on God and look at your spouse the way God sees them. When you are both looking at God you will draw closer to each other.

Maybe I am totally wrong and everyone else is right. Maybe my first year of marriage will be awful. But I wouldn’t bet on it. I guess time will tell. In fact. a year and 4 weeks from now I will let you all know exactly how it went. I am confident that this will be the best year of my life, and I am preparing for the best, regardless of what others say.

-Jordan

Today I want to talk to my fellow worship leaders out there about a subject that has been an uphill battle for me the past two years. Stage design. Last time I talked about stage design I admitted it was a weakness for me and I talked about how to get stronger in that area.  Today I want to talk about two things that can drastically improve stage design, that are not always obvious (or easy) to implement in a worship service.

Fog (smoke) Machine – You can purchase fog machines online at many places or find them at your local party store. Be aware though, most stores will not sell the liquid that goes in the machine to produce the smoke unless it is around some special holiday such as halloween. Try buying it in late February and you will be out of luck. Fog machines need to be used in the proper way too. Make sure you get one with a timer so that you can set it and not worry about it. Be conscious of how much smoke your machine will produce and where you are placing it on the stage. For example, you may not want to put your fog machine right behind your main worship leader, he or she will get enveloped in smoke and start coughing. Not so worshipful when that happens. Also be conscious of the sermon subject that day. If you are doing a sermon on the afterlife, fog is cool effect to get people in the mood for that. If you are doing a sermon on kids and parenting, well thats your call. Remember that fog catches light, and that can be an advantage or disadvantage which bring me to my next point…

Lights – Lights can drastically improve your worship service or they can really hurt it. Here are a few rules you should always abide by.

1. Always keep the congregation in low lighting during all parts of the service with the exception of the offering and sermon. Think about the lighting that is in a pub or low lighted restaurant like Steak and Ale.

2. The lights on stage should reflect the mood and feel of the worship service. During prayer the lights should be low lit and constant. During a fast worship song the lights should be prominent and moving with the beat of the song. (if your lights change color or turn on and off they MUST follow the beat of the song being played) Make sure you have volunteers who are equipped to run the lights and run them well. During slower more worshipful songs it is best to keep the lights constant and slow changing or fading into each color. For instance on Mighty to Save or Amazing Grace don’t blink the lights over and over. Let the colors fade into one another. Make sure you pick colors that are appropriate for the mood as well. Bathing the auditorium in lime green during amazing grace may seem weird (depending on what the color scheme for the day is) but bathing it all in cool blue may not.

As always anything you use to enhance your worship service should be used with the sole purpose of creating an environment for people to engage with God through worship. Do not use these elements to create a show at church or use them to glorify yourself. Make sure to find the balance in between rock concert and traditional. As always if you have any questions email me at Jordan@AviatorChurch.com!

-Jordan