trey taylor

thanks for that Mr. Lewis

// July 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // faith

“There is one vice of which no man in the world is free: which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people; except Christians, ever imagine they are guilty themselves. I have heard people admit they are bad-tempered, or that they cannot keep their heads about girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I do not think I have heard anyone who was not a Christian accuse himself of this vice. And at the same time I have seldom met anyone, who was not a Christian, who showed the slightest mercy to it in others. There is no fault which we are more unconcious of in ourselves. And the more we have it in ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. The vice I am talking about is pride or self conceit and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals is Humility.  According to Christian Teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkedness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison; it was through Pride that the devil became the devil; Pride leads to every other vice it is the complete anti-God state of mind. If you want to find out how proud you are the easiest way is to ask yourself, “How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take notice of me, or shove their oar in, or patronise me, or show-off? The point is that each person’s pride is in competition with every one else’s pride.”     - C.S. Lewis

another faith stimulus

// June 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // church, faith

God is so crazy… in a good way.

I got an email last week from a church in Peoria, Illinois that was inspired by our Faith Stimulus to do one in their community. How awesome is that, that this small act that we made is still going strong. Northwoods Community Church gave $60,000 to their people in white envelopes encouraging them to make a difference in their community. They’ve even set up a ‘Stories‘ site as well to hear first hand what’s happening with the money, check it out here.

I am blown away by how far God is taking this… I pray it goes where He wants and may it be a movement of love and compassion that changes our world.

To read a few of the stories from the Faith Stimulus that we did click here. Also, if you’re thinking about doing a Faith Stimulus in your community and you’d like a few pointers, leave a comment and I’ll get back with you.

one prayer

// June 15th, 2009 // No Comments » // church, faith

Last weekend we started a new series with 1855 other churches around the globe called One Prayer. The concept is simple, we’re all standing together to finish the statement: God is ______.

So far we’ve heard two amazing messages, God is Love by Craig Groeschel & God is Good by our Pastor, Jerry Taylor. In the coming weeks its just going to get better and better.

Do me a quick favor and fill that blank in, what is God to you? Take a second and really think about how you would describe God, what one word would you use to capture who He is to you?

God is _________.

a stimulus of faith

// June 9th, 2009 // No Comments » // church, faith, film, technology

A few weekends back we made a small gesture to the people of our community, and the people of our church. It’s almost unbelievable the attention this act has gotten, but really its just one of many acts of giving from Bay. The ‘Faith Stimulus,’ as its been dubbed by the media, was a simple concept of giving a little hope & love into our community. We are so blessed (I think) to have gotten the attention from the media that we have even though that wasn’t even slightly a part of our agenda. If you’re completely unaware of what I’m talking about, you can read the details here or here.

You can read a few of the stories from the stimulus here: stories.baycommunity.com. They are slowly coming in and some of them are absolutely amazing. There’s one particular story that I like a lot, one that truly reveals the heart of this project:

I just ran across this website and was really inspired. I am not a member of the church, but last week, I was pumping gas in Fairhope and went inside to pay. I never go inside to pay  and I also never pay with cash at the gas station. This time, for some reason, I decided to go inside. The woman in front of me was counting pennies to get enough money to buy a few dollars of gas. I have had that feeling before, of barely having enough to get home. I put down an extra $20 over her pile of change and said, “that is not enough, you need more than that.” The look on the woman’s face was priceless! She was shocked , and so was the attendant. I said, “Jesus loves you” She was still in shock as she was pumping gas, it was hilarious. I just kept saying, “Jesus loves you!” as I got in my car. I road away with the biggest smile on my face. -Amy

a new perspective

// February 4th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // creative, faith, leadership

Its amazing how a new perspective can change everything.

Anytime Bella pitches a little toddler tantrum (which is almost never mind you – ha), she does the typical squeal, kicking, and of course the gymnast-like back bend. The last few times we’ve had this kind of quality time together and she gets to the part of the routine with that crazy back bend I’ve just started letting her. I used to try to stop her (mistake), hold her up and fight it, but the other day I decided to just let it be, and something amazing happened. She stopped crying. I noticed that she’d stopped because she was seeing those extremely familiar surroundings upside down. She had a new perspective and immediately she stop crying. It changed everything.

About a month ago, we played a little game around here called “musical offices” in which we basically just rearranged everyone’s world, and combined a bunch of offices into an open environment. So for the first time in 5 years I’m looking at new walls everyday, working in a brand new atmosphere, and its helped me tremendously. The change in my perspective and surroundings has helped me be more creative, more productive, and my days seem to moving a lot smoother.

Sometimes we just need a new way of looking at the world, a new lens to see it through, a fresh vision for what’s to come or even for where we are now.

How are you seeing your problems, your circumstances, or your future? How long are you gonna keep looking at them from that same ol’ perspective until you realize its just not cutting it anymore, maybe its time for a new way of seeing old things.

are you really in love?

// January 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // faith

I finally got back into Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and wow is this book great. It’s really stretching how and what I believe. At times I feel like he’s more Jackie than Francis Chan and he’s picked up some random object and is kicking my butt with it. In chapter 6 his random object of choice is a quote from God Is the Gospel, John Piper simply ask whether or not we are really in love with God:

The critical question for our generation – and for every gerneration – is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?

If you are truly in love with Christ, you could never be satisfied with heaven without him. So whats the verdict? Are you really in love with Christ? Is your life a reflection of Psalm 63:1-5?

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

When I read this last Thursday (no coincidence it was Jan 1), it rocked my world, made me really evaluate my heart toward my Savior. Maybe your not like me, but I need that kind of gut check as often as I can get it. I hope it does the same for you.