Doug Gamble

It was great being with the gang at Northpointe Christian Church today as they launched.  It ocurred to me that the only other gathering I witnessed the launch of was Suncrest-East’s!  Northpointe meets in a movie theater as well so I loved learning from what they are doing.  It was a great morning with lots and lots of connections for the team.  The best part of the morning that out of the 150 or so in attenance 68 filled out a card to connect in community.  That is an amazing number of responses!  I look forward to seeing how God continues to use this great church.

Here’s a slideshow recap:

I’m so excited that this Sunday, Northpointe Christian Church launches in Providence, RI. I’ve had the privilege to serve on the partnership team and can’t wait to be there and help out this Sunday. I love their mission which is to be a “transformed people led by God to change lives.” I know the impact of their mission will be far reaching.

Would you take a moment right now and pray for this new church? Would you pray for Jerry, Julie, Chris and Jordan? Would you pray for a huge impact on the Providence landscape because of Northpointe?  Would you pray for many people to find hope, grace, love, peace and a home at Northpointe?

Note: We took this personality test as a staff and about half of us have this certain characteristic that describes us as liking hip hop music. Oh yeah…that is definitely us.

3 years ago several friends and I covenanted together to help each other raise our sons into men.  Having seen a lot of boys in men’s bodies over the years, we realized that a boy becoming a man just doesn’t happen automatically.  So we decided that a part of the process would be celebrating specific age milestones with our boys.  The first age milestone is 13.  This year 3 of our boys turned 13.

At 13 we give the boys a compass with a definition of manhood engraved on it.  The idea is that just as a compass helps point you in the right direction, so the manhood definition helps point our boys in the right direction of what it means to be a man.

Robert Lewis in his book Raising a Modern Day Knight has been extremely influential and helpful.

In Donald Miller’s latest book “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years,” Don (because we are on first name basis) learns what makes a great story and ironically ends up learning what makes an even greater life.  So many of the ingredients for a great story help make a greater life.  There are ingredients such as conflict, memories and resolution.  The most powerful ingredient that the best stories have is what writers call the “inciting incident.”  This is a doorway that a character walks through in which there is no turning back.  It is the pivotal decision or incident that happens that changes everything for the character.

In reflecting on this story device, it is a powerful metaphor for our own life.  We each have inciting incidences that we can point to.

A decision that changed your life forever.

An event that irrevocably changed you.

The change could be for better or for worse.

My question is, “Can you create an inciting incident for your own life?”  The reason to do so being that it forces a change that is necessary in your life.

I think the answer is yes.

For example, you want to change your health.  An inciting incident could be as simple as telling 3 friends you are going to start jogging.  Additionally you give these 3 friends permission to ask you how you are doing.  Now this may not change your life, but for sure there’s no going back.  You can keep your commitment or you can look like a slacker to your friends.  I’m sure they will still love you if you are a slacker but who wants to be thought of as that.  A little intentional inciting incident can make all the difference.

Or let’s say you long for a career change.  What about filling out that admission form and jumping into a class?  I know people who are content with an F but I’m going to assume if you are reading this you are not one of them and being in a class will actually motivate you.

What about spiritual growth?  Ask for some accountability from your community group.  Ask a friend to meet you for coffee for 6 weeks in a row just to pray.  The key is that it has to be something in which YOU will find it hard to go back out on.  Making a promise to yourself really won’t cut it.  Making a promise to someone else AND doing some kind of action in the right direction may just do it.

An inciting incident for me a couple years ago was filling out the application and paying the $90.00 to run the Chicago Marathon AND then recruiting a veteran marathon runner to be my partner.  It wasn’t one thing.  It was all those things that became the doorway through which I couldn’t go back.  Of course, you can say that I could have dropped out and in theory I could have, but I didn’t.  And that for me is why it is an inciting incident.  It was the combination of those things that put me “all in.”

So do you want to write a better story?  Introduce an inciting incident into your life and see what happens?

A very close up video note:

Make sure to check out the SERVOLUTION page for an updated list of opportunities.

Sometimes it’s hard to know if you are making a difference.  It doesn’t matter if you are a pastor or a volunteer in a church, you want to make a difference.  I’ve been sharing some stories that newcomers to Suncrest have shared with me and wanted every volunteer and leader of Suncrest to read them to see how YOU are making  a difference.

Here’s Les and Pilar’s story:

Since attending Suncrest-East we have become closer as a family and grown spiritually as individuals.  Life experiences have been for the positive and not the negative.  We hae met many wonderful and caring members and made some great friends.  We are on our way to becoming financially at peace due to classes offered.  We love being a part of the church’s family and feel truly blessed.

Recent posts have been about the impact God is using Suncrest to make in people’s lives.  Here’s Angela’s story:

I was lost for a very long time and when I found Suncrest I found HOME AGAIN.. I found a Christian family to belong to and it’s changed my life completely. Every single message Suncrest has talked about I’ve needed to hear which just blows my mind. I count down the days till Sunday because I can’t wait to be in Church. I LOVE to Worship the Lord so the music choice is awesome. The craving I’ve had for God and the light that shines through me I owe all to Suncrest.. I was baptized through Suncrest & have been Reborn..THANK YOU!!

If you click HERE you can see Angela’s baptism!

I’ve been sharing what others have shared with about how God has used Suncrest to impact their lives.  You can check out all the posts HERE.  Here’s what Dinah said:

OH… What Suncrest has meant to me. I had been going from Church to Church for some time and one day I got this post card in the mail from Suncrest.. normally I would have thrown it out with me junk mail but for a month I held on to it. Finally I decided to try it.. the other Churches had great buildings… and loads of people. I always felt like a lost sheep..checking my time to see if it was time to leave.   I went in and came out…no one even knew I was there.  I have to say that I adore the people at Suncrest, I have yet to check my time and see if the sermon is about over and I feel fulfilled when I leave. The sermons are interesting and real, they speak to your heart and soul. I know that I have found a home in Suncrest and I thank God for that little post card. My daughter and I will be at Suncrest for years to come.

A side note on Dinah’s story:  When she came for the first time, I notice Gail immediately welcomed her and invited her to sit right beside her and her husband.  I don’t think we can miss the coorelation between Dinah finding a home at Suncrest and Gail’s welcoming action!  Way to go!