Shoulder Tapping...

Today is the last day of August which means that we all turn our calendar pages and instead of seeing the hackneyed picture of a cat dangling from a tree under the caption "Hang in there!", we see that September is Shoulder-Tapping month at Destiny.

Some of you are shoulder-tapping rookies and that is ok. It is always scary your first time out, but you need to be assured that no one has ever been injured through the physical act of shoulder-tapping. If that does not allay your fears, feel free to stop by Brookstone and pick up a pair of padded shoulder tappers (pictured here).

In order to make your first shoulder-tapping experience a success, consider these three tapping principles:

1. You are offering another person the opportunity to be a part of God's work in this world. That is huge!

2. The shoulder you tap, may belong to the next CS Lewis or Bill Hybels or Greg Wigfield. Who knows what will happen after you invite them to be a part of ministry with you.

3. You are simply asking a friend (someone you already know) to "join" you as you serve God (together).

Have fun and ask away. Wouldn't it be great to see every "Destinite" engaged in God's work!

Blessed are those who are persecuted.

I have been so thankful that we as a Church stopped to camp out in Matthew 5 this summer. Those beattitudes used to be a place in the Scripture where I would just pass through, but now that we have dedicated a separate week to each one, I've got so much more to consider and pray about. Jesus' words were powerful as He spoke them on a hillside 2000 years ago and they continue to impact lives today.

This past Sunday was particularly challenging as Maureen reminded us of the thousands around the world who suffer because of their faith. Check out Voice of the Martyrs at www.persecution.com to keep up with the world-wide needs.

Bloglines and Google

If you are new to the blog-world but are like me and are intrigued by what you can read and how you can be challenged, then consider using a blog reader like Bloglines.com or Google's reader. Once you subscribe to either service, you can be automatically alerted to new postings from your favorite blogs like areyoudestinized.blogspot.com.

Here are a few blogs that I am currently enjoying:

tonymorganlive.com
dumblittleman.com
swerve.lifechurch.tv

If you find a posting that is particularly enlightening, let me know by commenting through this blog.

September is Shoulder-Tapping Month

Destiny has a paid staff of folks who love Jesus and are willing to step up and lead, but Destiny keeps going because of you, our volunteers. Volunteer staff help setup, play music, care for kids, lead small groups, practice hospitality and do a myriad of other things that help to make Destiny what it is!

You same volunteers are responsible for recruiting others into ministry. You travel in different circles and have a wide range of friends and acquaintances that want to do what you are doing (they just don't know it, yet). Tim Stevens says in "Simply Strategic Volunteers" that "it is so inviting to hear 'Join me'. This tells me that someone wants to be with me, that I have worth, that I can make a difference."

September is our month to invite folks to "join" us and serve.

Who do you know who you could invite to serve with you next week?

Delayed Triathlon Results

We all finished and lived to tell about it!

Kurt Seekford was in the top 50, I came in at around 130, the Oesterblads were hot on my heels and Maureen reached her goal of finishing (she was 307 of 314). After completing the race, we all enjoyed a great meal at Giovannis...good eats.

I think we have all caught the bug and if you are interested in being a part of the newly formed Destiny Triathlon Team (DTT), contact Kurt Seekford at kurts@mooreclemens.com.

On Deck

This weekend Maureen Erickson (my wife!) is finishing up our Itudes series as she tackles "blessed are the persecuted". The next week we welcome Timotheus Pope back to Destiny for Water's Edge Sunday and then we kick off an amazing September series entitled "Grow Green" where we will focus on our own personal spirtitual growth. Talk about a solid lineup of no miss Sundays!

Micro Missions at Destiny

Destiny Church is beginning to grow up and as we do, our focus moves outward to how we can impact the world. Two quick things that you are going to want to be a part of as we look outward:



Bikes for the World Bike Collection Sunday at Destiny! BFTW provides bicycles to third world countries whose primary mode of transportation is bicycle. This is an amazing work that is so simple for any of us to be a part of...just dust off that old bike in your garage and bring it to Destiny on Sunday, September 23rd.

Following right on the heels of our Bike Sunday is a month of collecting and filling shoeboxes through Samaratin's Purse's Operation Christmas Child. I'll have more details later, but for now, check out www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC_Impact.asp

Beatitude #5

Lathan Hickey, Destiny Church's Worship Leader and Creative Arts Director or WL CAD, took the stage today and helped us to unpack the beatitude: Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. Lathan did a great job and if you missed it today, you should check it out on podcast at www.destinychurch.info.

Terry Hilgers is up next followed by Dan Morgan and then my beautiful bride Maureen wraps up the summer series for us.

Sprint Triathlons

400 yard swim, 8 mile bike and a 1.8 mile run. Individually they are all very reasonable, maybe even easy, goals. But, when you put them together, they are called a triathlon. Maureen and I are embarking on our first one next weekend and I think it is safe to say we are both a little bit nervous. We get to do this together, our kids will cheer us on and we will be alongside friends (or maybe behind friends) as we sweat in the hot August sun.

We'll let you know what happens...

First time out of the chute...

I'm hoping this becomes a destination blog. A place where you and I can talk about God, life, friendships and road food. Keep checking back for posts.