Tory Farina

I am sure there is a song for the way I feel...

Sunday morning- It was a great day this morning... I felt like the words I said hit home and were a challenge to us all. I could feel the tension in the room at times when i was stepping on toes but it had to be said. View Pictures of Sunday Morning

If we watch what we input we will think better thoughts and if we think better thoughts we will have better outputs.

We are all not perfect but I do think we can all use a little kick in the tail in this area. What are you watching? What are you listening to? does it make you think of Christ more or less? Does it cause you to worship less or more? Does it give you nightmares or pleasant dreams?

Hear No Evil- See No Evil- (next week) Speak No Evil

Sunday Night-Since my Ikea marathon it seems like things haven't stopped.  We spent five hours on Sunday night putting our Ikea lovelies together... crazy! 5 Hours!

Patrick Beat Kurt at the desk off they had... It took them about 20 min and it was very close but in a last minute push Patrick won.

Dan is now my personal desk putter together... Dang! He is good! In 5 hours he put three filing cabinets together but don't let that fool you... they are crazy complicated.

Monday- We decided a week ago to get the carpets cleaned on Monday since Olivia is about t crawl and we have had hundreds of people in our family room since we started the church three years ago. Cleaning is a good Idea... Moving offices and house furniture in the same week... Not so good idea. When to much life gets upside Down Tory gets Tired and grumpy.

the carpets look great!

Tuesday- With the office furniture put together It was time to get our MOVE on. Luckily we were only moving a half a block. Kurt, Dan, Courtney, Elizabeth and I moved all of our stuff and get it organized and almost out back in its new place. (NOTE to self... drink water... it keeps you from getting dehydrated and dizzy)

I crashed that night watching two hours of "Carrier" on PBS.

Wednesday- I am tired... Olivia got E and I up at 4something today somehow she fell asleep in our bed and I woke up to her little nose snorting in my ear as she laughed at me sleeping. Today was message prep day but I am having a hard time concentrating. (I wonder why?) I do feel stronger:) Which is good since beach season is coming.

So what song do you think fits me right now?

Intrigued!

The Ikea Experience

I have a love/Hate relationship with Ikea.

We are moving offices next week. Praise the Lord I get windows! I am kinda tired of having an office in a basement with no windows. Tory needs creative nature to stimulate his mind. The new place has that. We are getting a good deal it will actually save us a few bucks a month to move... the church also received a donation for office expenses! Thus the Trip to Ikea.

High Point believes in using money wisely. We are a pretty lean operation that makes a point to live within our means. I do not believe that the church should operate out of a debt first principle. God gives resource for the challenge at hand. I don't read the bible and see the Israelites traveling through the desert with a ton of stuff they had what they needed and God supplied them when it mattered.

God will supply you based on where you are at on the journey. He rarely gives churches millions of dolor's to work with unless they are ready for millions. I remember the first $100 check, then the first $1,000 gift to the church, Elizabeth and I took a picture of our first over $10,000 gift and we have yet to receive a $100,000 gift but I know one is coming. It is our next barrier. AS WE ARE FAITHFUL IN THE LITTLE GOD TRUSTS US WITH MORE!

Every Dolor God gives us he expects us to double in the weight of souls. Think about the story of the talents. The good servants were those that when God left them with money doubled them. How are you working on doubling the few talents God has given you? If you are not working on doubling your talents it is clear that God is not pleased. So we want to use every dolor to advance the ball down the field. I am excited as we grow in our operations this summer. Hire an admin and expand our effectiveness. Now The admin and I can be in the office together without Elizabeth or another person because there are two offices and there are always people around in the building. We are sharing the building with three other lawyers. More opportunity for ministry. More opportunity for multiplying talents.


So when I got the donation for furniture and other equipment I know we had to shop around. I did my home work... looked on-line and found that the nice looking and least expensive option was at Ikea.

This is Why I love Ikea:

• We had a huge breakfast for a grand total of $5.00. It wasn't the best food but it was cheap and had funny names so that made it fun.  I kept looking for the Swedish chef but couldn't find him :(
• The place was totally family friendly! High Chairs, bottle warmers, and more! I love when places think about Olive.
• I carried a coffee cup around the store and every few desks there was a nice Swedish cookie.
• The furniture is cool! Everything says I was designed by an artist not a widget maker.
• It is inexpensive.
• WOW are the Organized! they can tell you day of arrival of merchandise and they know exactly where things are and if they have it in stock. Nice Job. That is a mad house and massive and some one knows how to keep it all running well.

Why I Hate Ikea:

• I get lost every time I go in there. It is like the coat closet in Marnia you time warp and everything. It feels like minuets and on the outside it is really hours you are in there... very tripy
• I get disorientated... there are short cuts sand you can double back and they put some stuff in home storage and some in office and some in bedroom and if you don't have the GPS tracker out you wind up circling the same yellow shirted Ikea rep. I sat down and wondered why there is no window or light to chart your course with.
• You have to pick up and load your own 400lb desk into your own cart and hall it around. I think I took a lady out with my cart but couldn't tell if it was me our her own cart that had backed over her.
• Not enough help... When you do finally find someone they are helpful but it could be days between sections to get to a person. and don't forget to write down the isle and row or your screwed.
• People in Sweden must be elfin sized... Everything is smaller... I don't know why but the tables and chairs and couches and beds are all lower to the ground and smaller. I am 6'2" and I feel like the Jolly Green Giant.

We found the stuff we needed and hauled 3 heavy carts out the door and will now begin the assembly process. Pray for ME! Pictures to fallow over the next week!

RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT

I was challenged this Sunday. I hope you were as well. Nate talked about our role in praying down Gods blessing and Protection in other peoples lives. What a good message for us to hear. SO often we think that we are all alone in this world or we don't realize our role in someone else's life. E and I were talking about it last night and she told me a story of a person that she prayed for everyday for a year. Se said besides me this person received more of her prayer effort than anyone else has had. That person had a total heart transformation and is still over a decade later serving the Lord.

Who are you praying for? I have been taking time each night to pray a little different for Olivia. I have found myself praying prayers of protection and against the attack of the evil one. I am realizing that I need to pray for you with a deeper passion and energy. Elizabeth and I have been commissioned by God to lead this church. We are responsible ultimately for the spiritual health of the body. I have prayed for you in the past and do regularly but I have been moved for you in a deeper way. Praying for freedom from addictions, health in marriages, That you would find the right mate, That God would show up in your life, that you would reach your God given potential... I am expectant for God to do some big things this summer in High Point. Pray with me... Go deeper in God... Seek him and he will not disappoint.

I am not what I would call an intercessor... Elizabeth is and we laugh at how different each one of us approaches prayer. But I am a person of prayer... I feel that I am being challenged to go to a place in my prayer life I have not been to in a long time if ever. I feel a drawing towards fasting and seclusion from things in this world that might distract me from what God wants to do... I am challenged.

My prayer is that God would transform me and that I would grow in knowledge of Him... That I would live out the example of prayer in our home, church and life. I ask the Lord for wisdom in how to lead you and this church. I pray that he would set you free from the snares the enemy has laid out for you. I ask for His favor and pray that he would find favor in my seeking of him.

Maybe you were challenged as well... Think about next steps... Ask God to teach you how to pray as the disciples did. Be a Seeker... And Step out in action... You Can DO IT!

What do people Love about High Point? pt1

I was asked this question yesterday. He was asking me because we were talking about our retention rate as a church. Right now our retention rate is a little lower than it should be.

We want a Huge front door for people to come in. We also want a good sized back door for people to leave. High Point is not the church for everyone I know and understand that. However High Point is the church for a lot of people A TON of PEOPLE!

This brings us back to the question at hand... What do the people, who stick with HP, love about our church?

Once we truly have that down then we can try and target our marketing to be more strategic to those who will come in and Love who and what we are. It is like serving chocolate cake to a chocolate lover... They will apreciate it and love it but would not enjoy Lemon squares as much.

I have a lot of things that stick out to me but I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. What do you love about HPC?
let me know your thoughts and Ill post my thoughts next week.

Nate Ruch Live!

This Sunday !  Nate Ruch is going to be speaking at High Point.

He is one of the best communicators I know. Elizabeth and I interned and worked under him for several years. He has been a mentor and a friend in the good times and bad. Last summer I went through a time when I was faced with a chase the lion moment and I brought it to Nate. He said... GO for it! I did and it was an amazing experience that God brought me into and lead me through. I almost didn't step out in faith to do it. Nate is one of those people in life that you can't do life without.

I have to be real... I want to show you off to him. I know that sounds silly but this is the first time he will get to see HPC and I want there to be a big Crowed. I want him to Go WOW! The investments I made in Tory and Elizabeth were worth it. Even though it is supposed to be nice out; Come and experience Nate... You will meet with God.

See you Sunday!

Rest from the battle... I'm BACK!

I love to travel... I enjoy getting a coffee at the airport and watching the crowed of people pass. One of my favorite things about traveling is the quite drone of the plane at 30k feet. It focuses my mind. I feel like I can think a little slower and more clear. Another thing that always surprises me is how things spiritually change when I am away.

High Point was started two years ago. Our church exists where one did not previous. This movie theatre was not meant to be a church (even though it fits us well). We are reaching people in a non-traditional way and with an aggressive nature because we only have a limited days on this earth to make the most out of the talents GOD has given us. We were commissioned by Christ to share the message that He came to deliver. People are responding. It is so much fun to see people every week come and connect with a living God. I hear stories every week of how God is transforming peoples lives.  We are truly accomplishing the goal we set out to do I love it.

The enemy doesn't like us here. Scripture says that we wage not against flesh and blood but against principalities. He is out to destroy the work we are doing. I feel the battle often. It can be intense. When I travel I feel the difference... I feel lighter, My head is clearer, I can pray and hear from God in  a different way. It is great. But as I am away all I can think about is being back at High Point. I am convinced that retreat and getting away is god for the soul and is a rest from the attack of the enemy. God is going to give us this land but that doesn’t mean that there will not be a fight for it.

Pray for your pastors... Pray for your city... Pray for your neighbors and coworkers... Pray for the Other pastors in this city - God wants to do something big in this city!

This next season of HPC is going to be killer. We are going to see more people come to Christ, more peoples marriages restored, more lives will discover there potential and kids will grow up in homes that honor and glorify God now because we are here.

I am back and feeling better than ever. I woke early this morning and feel super refreshed. I feel weird not having a message to prepare... I have so much burning in my heart. So much the team and I need to lay out and prepare for. So much for you to partner with and get excited about.

High Point is an exciting place to be apart of right now! I am so Glade I get to be apart of this church!

Chris Hodges Notes from last night!

Taking Territory - Facing Kings

April 15th, 2008 by Chris Hodges

The first night of the ARC “All Access” Conference went great! It was so good to see old friends and meet new ones from all across the country. Hats off to my team who (once again) did their job with such excellence.

Last night I shared out of Joshua 1 about the battle of church planting. When you decide to take territory (new cities and new churches), you will have to face and defeat “kings” along the way.  Joshua was only in chapter 12 (verse 9-24) and he had already faced 31 kings! 

Here are some of the “kings” I’ve had to face in the first seven years of planting our church:

• The King of Demonic Attack. My family and I are facing this “king” right now. At every major threshold of this church plant, the enemy has attacked someone in my family.

• The King of Rejection. It’s amazing how the enemy can use one negative email or letter to take away from all of the positive things that happen every week.

• The King of Loneliness. Even with people all around, there are times when you feel all alone. That’s why relationships should be intentional. We all need affirmation and accountability.

• The King of Temptation.  As blessings increase, temptation also increases.  Then comes the shame and the guilt.

• The King of Discouragement.  The first four kings will produce this one.

There are three things you can do to overcome “kings” in your life and ministry.  The first is the power of the Holy Spirit. Our battle isn’t natural - it’s supernatural and you will need the greatest tool Jesus ever gave us to plant churches - the Holy Spirit. You’ll also need to be honest with yourself, God, and others.  If you keep it in, it will destroy you.  And finally, you’ll need to humble yourself.  A man on his face can never fall from that position.

Fun Facts For Your Tax Day Blues ...

This is from the most recent Fast Company issue...
View this photo

WOW! I love the ARC

I am Here in Alabama and what a fantastic day we had. I am tired so Ill keep this short.

I rented a Toyota Highlander... Nice car. drives kinda like the Camry but lots of room and is a sweet deep blue color. I have to say that when Pamela the Blue Ford wagon Goes this may be an alternative.

We drove from Atlanta to Birmingham (to save some dough) Court and Mike wanted the local flavor so we stopped at some road side BBQ joint. A few hush puppies and some pulled pork later we were having some heartburn and on our way.

The Conference is what I thought it would be... Cool, exciting and a huge shot of mental and spiritual adrenaline! We are meeting and talking and belly bumping and Hi fiveing people like crazy. I talked with churches six times our size and others just under us. People from Colorado to Just outside of Boston. These people are so friendly and open and they ask as many questions as you do. It is truly a pier to pier learning environment.

Worship was Hot! Chris Hodges knocked it out of the park...
He shared a thought about how God has promised us the land as church planters but that doesn't Mean the land is not full of enemies and battles. He spoke of when the Israelites went into the promised land God told Joshua to take heart... there were 31 kings he had to conquer. We have to fight spiritual battles in order to take the land the Lord has promised us. It was super encouraging and focusing.

Pray for us... for safe travels and that God would speak and refresh us.
I am tired now G-NIGHT...