January @ The Fields

Greetings from the eleventh hour of 2009.
I'm excited about 2010. I'm really excited to see what God is going to do in your life, all of our lives, and our church as a whole.

I'd like to personally invite you to dive in head first at The Fields Church in January as we all experience a powerful teaching series called "Crazy Love." Every weekend service and every Wednesday night in January is going to be challenging to our faith and journey as we follow and worship Jesus.

Let me break the month down for you guys.

Weekends (Saturday/Sunday gatherings)
We'll gather at our normal times to worship, learn, and respond to God. Both locations will be covering the Crazy Love teaching content.
Also, I'm HEAVILY promoting pre-service Sunday prayer at 8:30 AM in January. Please come and kick-start the year off right!

Wednesday Nights (5:30 meal, 6:30 service)
We'll have dinner. We'll serve a meal from 5:30-6:30p.m. Come when you can and eat before the service.
We'll have special Kids Factory services. A four-week 1st-5th grade kids service will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Kids Factory Room.
We'll have Pipeline discussion groups at special tables during the Crazy Love service in the auditorium.
We'll have childcare for kids birth-Kindergarten.

A few more things...
1. Buy your Crazy Love book for $10 at Common Grounds on Saturdays, in the The Fields Church lobby on Sundays, or at the church office throughout the week.
2. Visit www.crazylovebook.com for special chapter videos that you can watch as you read the book.
3. Make the weekend and Wednesday services a priority on your calendar. Please set aside the time this coming month to join in on a great way to spiritually kick-start your year.
4. Pray. Pray. Pray. Lets ask God to lead our lives this year. It's a bold prayer, but lets be brave and see what God has in store for us!

Let me pray a New Year's Pray of Blessing on your life as we enter into 2010 tonight.

Lord,
I know you love us. I know you have HUGE plans for our lives. I know following you is the most exciting journey we can ever go on. Help us in 2010 to follow you closer, to love you more, to serve beyond our imagination, and to live the life You have designed us to live. May this coming year be spiritually amazing, powerful, and rewarding. God, we ask you to guide and lead us into 2010. Help us live the way where other people know that Jesus is our Lord, our Leader, and our Resurrected King.


Be blessed all you great people of The Fields!
Have an amazing New Year's holiday.

I can't wait to see everyone THIS weekend!

Heading into 2010 with passion,

Travis

The annual play is about to begin at grandparents house.

The annual play is about to begin at grandparents house.
Originally uploaded by travis spencer

Christmas_Candlelight_2009

Christmas Candlelight 2009 at The Fields.

These pics are by joey bright

More candlelight pics at www.facebook.com/thefieldschurch

Leg Lamp Christmas Lights

Thanks to the family from The Fields who got me these awesome Christmas tree lights.

They are DEAD CENTER on the tree.

(This will now be an annual battle between me and Joy on how prominent they will appear on the tree.)

Red Light Caroling this Saturday

Red Light Caroling will take place between 6-7p.m. Saturday at the corner of Charleston Avenue and 17th Street.

People from the The Fields Church will be caroling to all the cars that have to stop at the red light on Charleston Avenue in front of Common Grounds.

“The Christmas carolers will be ready to sing every time the light turns red,” said Travis Spencer, pastor of The Fields Church. “You may want to drive around the block a few times just to keep hearing the songs.”

The Fields Church meets at Common Grounds at 7:07 p.m. every Saturday. This Saturday there will be special Christmas music, games, and inspirational teaching regarding Jesus’ birth.

The Fields Church is also buying everyone a hot chocolate from Common Grounds if they come and join in on the 6 p.m. caroling or the 7:07 p.m. Christmas gathering.

Primal has arrived!

Look what Mark Batterson mailed me today!

Thanks for investing in pastors.

I got the bird...

I was surprised to see this bird on my porch today. Can anyone identify it?

Christmas at The Fields Church

There is Peace in the midst of the chaos.

Some specific things I'm thankful for.

Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list. Just some thoughts I had late Thanksgiving Eve.

• Joy lets me sleep in on days I don't need to be up early.
• My boys have fun wrestling with me, when most of the time I'm actually just laying on the bed and they are jumping on me.
• Friends who help row the boat at The Fields. Can't do this thing alone.
• My mom and mom-in-law watching our boys during the week.
• Don Sol lunch combo price.
• Don Sol dinner combo price.
• Hulu
• People at The Fields who allow me to be their pastor, even though I feel so inadequate at times.
• Evan Courtney's amazing ability to think out of the church box.
• My Keurig coffee maker in my office.
• An administrative assistant that kicks butt.
• Thursday breakfasts at my parents' house.
• Roof. Refrigerator.
• Friends...those deep "no-matter-what" friends.
• Joy's support, love, and acceptance of who I am.
• Anyone who loves my kids, teaches my kids, and prays for my kids.
• Jesus' grace and mercy that showers down all over my less-than-perfect life.

Serving in East St. Louis

Seven people from The Fields Church headed to East St. Louis and Washington Park for the day last Saturday to help a new Spanish speaking church plant get a little kick start. There are thousands of Spanish-speaking people in the East St. Louis area.

It's an absolute blessing to go and serve. And to be honest, I love East St. Louis. Some may be a little scared of the area. I see potential. I see renewal and spiritual transformation on the horizon.

I believe in Urban Outreach, the ministry has planted three inner-city churches in the ESL area, and now are on the horizon to expand into the Cleveland area, and the Denver area. It's exciting to partner with such visionaries.

Our team in front of Great Light Christian Center.

Pastor Ramon praying with a man outside of a flea market near their church.

The Fields Church

Passionately serving people is part of the DNA of The Fields Church. We believe it needs to be woven throughout the fabric of our community of Jesus followers. And it's a privilege to go to East St. Louis and offer a small team of people willing to do anything to serve.

You can find out more about our missions partnerships and efforts at www.thefieldslive.com

Special Music Guest @ The Fields

Allison Damery will be playing at The Fields Church in both services this weekend.

For church info, check out The Fields Church

Boys learning Spanish

learning spanish from firstassembly on Vimeo.

Thanks Keren!

Trick or Treat @ Common Grounds

Weekend Highlights in pictures

Friday at Common Grounds we had two students from Bubai share about their culture and themselves. This is a pic of Mo sharing about his artwork.

Saturday Night we had our Family Fall Fest. Our team did an amazing job giving the kids and families an incredible night of fun.

Sunday we had Paul Walker from OneHope International share at The Fields. We also had live video Skype from a missionary family who serves is Africa and a live audio Skype from a missionary in Cambodia.

LINKS

You can see Family Fall Fest pics at http://www.facebook.com/TheFieldsChurch

You can watch the 30-min high impact from Family Fall Fest here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2410812

If you live near Mattoon...

(Sneak Peek look at practice)

If you live near Mattoon, then your family needs to come to Family Fall Fest.

Get all the info HERE

I'll see you Friday night at 6:30 p.m.

Ramblings, and more ramblings...

Yep, I've sucked at blogging lately. Blame it on a busy month at church, blame it on twitter, blame it on Facebook, or blame it on online TV capabilities... i just haven't had it in me to write on my blog.

So here are some random thoughts swimming around in my noggin:

- I'm excited about our Halloween family activities this year for our families. We'll host our Family Fall Fest this Friday, and then be at Common Grounds on Halloween passing out candy and offering some kids activities.

- Local band Muddy Grove will be playing at The Fields at Common Grounds THIS SATURDAY. Very cool!! See you at 707. Come early for some of their music.

- Our basement walls are now red. Yep, I came home after a long day of work last Saturday and found red walls in the basement. Looks good. (I know you didn't really need to hear about that one. like i said..ramblings)

- I've lost more than eight pounds in two weeks watching my calories and exercising. Pretty PUMPED about the strong start to this "getting healthier" thing. I use www.livestrong.com for online help.

- Lots of new families at The Fields. If you're new... We want to have lunch or dinner with you! Let's schedule something!!

- My dog ran out of the backyard today and down the block. I was trying to get all the boys in the van. I was ticked. I'll be honest, I was getting ready to introduce the dog to Jesus. Does Jesus have pets in heaven? Do they obey Him? Did dogs start disobeying at the fall of man in the garden? (More random stuff flying out of my head.)

- I'm going to Story in Chicago next week. Really excited about that.

- We have INCREDIBLE guest speakers, interviews, videos, and chats lined up over the next two weekends at The Fields as we talk about God's heart and our mission for people all around the world.

- I need a haircut.

OK.... that's all for now.

The Creation Book

Arrr... family fall fest

The Family Fall Fest postcards came in today.

Gonna be a great night at The Fields Church on Oct 23.

Check out all the info HERE

A beautiful day

These are ALWAYS amazing moments!






September 20, 2009

A beautiful day.

Choose Wisely

Telling the Story

I can't tell you how excited I am to take my team to Story in Aurora.

Every week we tell a portion of the greatest story ever told. We need to be excellent at what we do. We need to communicate the amazing story of Jesus in most culturally effective way possible.

I can't wait to see what our team experiences at STORY.

We'll be there. You need to consider it, too.

http://www.storychicago.com/

Did you hear me say this?

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THIS SATURDAY

Don't miss The Fields Church THIS Saturday Night at Common Grounds

Elgin Combs of Good Morning Midnight will be our musical guest.

Come early Around 6:45 PM to hear some of his music.

He'll also be leading worship during our 7:07 service.

Time: 6:45 PM pre-service music

7:07PM The Fields Service

Location: Common Grounds, 1612 Charleston Ave in Mattoon, IL 61938

The Fields Church

Why I liked Labor Day weekend

1. A lot of people chose to worship God at The Fields Church, even though it was a holiday weekend. That is always encouraging. One family was camping, and STILL came in from the campground to be at church. Awesome! (Not sure I would have done that!)

2. As soon as church and lunch were over, we left civilization to get away for 24 hours. We have access to lake house where all the stress leaves, and family time seems to magnify.

3. I fished with my boys. I love watching my boys catch a fish. That is so fun.

4. The grill was hot and the food was plentiful!

Video Update 9/3/09

Another exciting week at the Fields!

Weekend highlights

We had an incredible weekend at The Fields Church.

- We lunched our Saturday night service at Common Grounds. The team did great. Several new people came to check it out. We were packed. And best of all, some people let us know they are interested in following Jesus. That. Is. Awesome.

- SEVERAL people brought friends to our Sunday service. Always exciting to meet new people.

-Some of our college students are back. Great to see them after their summer off.

- People are letting us know each week they are re-connecting to God and making Him an important part of their lives. This never gets old!

Here's some pics from Saturday night:

Sounds so comfortable

See You Saturday!

707PM@CommonGrounds

Video Blog 8.19.09

Callmetravis.com 8-19 from The Fields Church on Vimeo.

Sunday Reflections

• Our "silent" opening Sunday in the renovated auditorium at The Fields was incredible. A buzz of excitement and expectation filled the place. (Pics to come later. Come see in in person to get the full effect.)
• Watching people respond to Jesus to be the leader of their life is SO exciting. Several people responded to make Jesus their "top influence" of their life. That's what it's all about.
• The new Influence teaching series is hitting hard. (1) We gotta follow Jesus with everything and make sure he is #1 Influence in our life. (2) We need to be an influence on other people's lives.
• Our new modern worship environment brings such a comfortable and intimate atmosphere that allows the craziness of the world to disappear and places God at the center focus.
• I loved seeing people sitting in the "Upper Deck" of The Fields drinking coffee and laptops open.
• OK...I gotta admit this: that video screen is simply amazing. So excited about the potential we have with this.
• Two guys from the local homeless shelter came for Sunday service. That's awesome. We fed them lasagna Saturday night, then we "fed" them gain Sunday morning.
• We had SEVERAL new families Sunday. Keep 'em coming!
• Pre-service prayer was powerful. serious. If you want to experience an incredible prayer time, you gotta try 8:30AM prayer.

two days of shaping

The Next two days for me:













Willowcreek Leadership Summit: Satellite location in STL
I'm asking God to keep shaping me into a better leader.

If we're going to live out His mission, then I need to lead the way.

Some speakers this year include:
Bono
Tony Blair
Tim Keller
Davis Gergen
Craig Groeschel
and many more...

downsized_0716091147.jpg

downsized_0716091147.jpg
Originally uploaded by travis spencer

Heading on the road for a 22 Hour drive to south florida. Our home made trail mix is a road tradition.

Commitment

People at The Fields Church continue to blow me away by their commitment.

• I sat in my home earlier this month with all of my core leadership team and was amazed at the committed team God has surrounded me with. They row the boat HARD each week. We will accomplish Jesus' mission because of this amazing group of dedicated and passionate people.
• I sat in my monthly board meeting last night and was surrounded by guys who believe in the vision of The Fields. They are willing to make decisions to see His Kingdom flourish around us, and around the word.
• I am humbled and amazed at the few guys who get up in the church attic at 4 AM each morning this week to work on auditorium renovations. (They do this, and then go to their work!) This screams commitment. This sets the example for going above and beyond to serve.
• I'm inspired by hard-working individuals who after a long work week still have energy to invest in people. They lead Life Groups in their homes, they volunteer at a homeless shelter, they teach a Sunday School class, they practice for a worship band, and they step in and help out when needed.

I just want to brag on people at The Fields Church.

I just want to publicly thank them for their investment.

I just want to let it be known I'm humbled and inspired to serve along such incredible people.

Advancing Forward

Think about the story of Jericho. Joshua heard from God and was instructed to lead his people around Jericho seven times so the walls would come down. This is an odd military strategy to take down one of the most fortified cities in the ancient world. No catapults. No ramming the gates. No tunnel digging. Just marching.

Imagine the crowd with Joshua.

If his people were anything like ordinary people of today, then I'm sure there were the following categories:

The Grumblers. Their words were full of negative talk. They had nothing good to say about the the plan, the leadership, or proposed outcome.

The Skeptics. They guys just didn't believe in the plan. They may have liked the leadership, but they didn't believe in how the leadership was leading. They didn't have faith in God's plan. Or they didn't have faith that their leaders were even hearing from God to receive a plan.

Foot Draggers. These people literally wouldn't move with the plan. They were at the end of the marching unit shuffling their feet not wanting to take part in the strategy. They didn't get involved because they didn't believe in the leadership or the plan.

The excited. These guys heard the unusual plan and were filled with excitement to see how it would all play out. They eagerly did what they were told because they expected a miraculous outcome.

The Influencers. These people were not only excited, but they were the catalyst for leading people in the march. They were the encouragers, the motivators, and the one who set the example by taking the lead. They influenced people to align with the mission and to eagerly carry it out.

Who are you at work, at home, at church?

We choose how we will live life. We choose who we will affect others.

Instead of being the foot dragger or the grumbler, become the excited...become the positive influencer.

Let's intentionally make a positive difference. We've been created to do that!

The Cast is Off

Cooper got to enjoy the Fourth of July (actually 5th) in the water!

He's so happy to have his cast off. He still needs some time to relearn the walking thing. He walks as if the cast is still on.

But, we're thankful his leg is healed, and he's going to have a great summer.

(Yes, the inflatable pool needs some help. No comments needed on that!)

Bradley Hathaway Concert Tonight

He's got his full band tonight. It's gonna be good!

And I can't wait to hear Good Morning Midnight.

road trip @ The Fields

The Fields Church will be taking a six-week road trip through Hebrews 11.

The power of youth

In the last 30 days I've served in both San Jeronimo, Honduras and Mattoon, Illinois (USA).

Each time I'm amazed at the willingness from the kids to jump in and help.

Painting desks in Honduras

Washing cars at West Park Plaza in Mattoon, IL.

We need to empower, equip and train our children and youth to take ownership in improving their world. Let's set them up to succeed. Let's help them understand they are significant.

Imagine the power harnessed in the youth of the world.