Fort Myers/Cape Coral rated #1 in Foreclosures Nationwide!

Hey everyone,

I just had to share what I heard on the Today Show this morning. We actually had to rewind our DVR and listen to it again because it shocked us. They were doing a piece on the economy and real estate, and in the middle of talking the girl from CNBC says: "Fort Myers/Cape Coral has the highest Foreclosure rate in the entire nation!" Wow. An accountant I talked to today said, "I thought it was bad but not that bad!"

Here's my take: There are alot of hurting people around us every single day. Very few of us are NOT being effected by this crazy economic time. Last Sunday we started our series "Pete's Blog... a journal of trust." Let me encourage you to do 3 things:

1. Go to www.Petesblog.org and listen to last Sunday's message as well as begin reading the testimonies of others who are going through a storm.


2. Forward the Petesblog.org website to someone you know who needs to hear what we're talking about.


3. Do whatever it takes to attend and bring someone else this Sunday to 1 of our 2 Sunday morning services: 9 am or 10:45 am.

We've been given a unique opportunity to reach out to those in our spheres of influence who are going through a stormy season. All they need is an invitation. God will do the rest.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Matt

Wow, what a Week!!!

Hey everyone, I'm so excited to be back in SW FL.  Sarah and I just finished an amazing / whirlwind week of ministry consulting, downtime, edification, and networking!  The last 8 days have been incredible!  It's amazing to see how God is using all that we are learning through Next Level Church to impact so many!  AND... we just keep learning more!  Here's the last week in a nutshell:

• Friday, Feb. 8th - Flew to Orange County, CA.  Made it to Dallas.  Then flight cancelled.  Rerouted to Las Vegas.  Ran to catch the plane.  Realized we were on Pacific time, not Mountain time.  Actually had an extra hour.  Felt like Idiots.  Caught our breath.  Arrived in OC, CA @ 7 pm PST (10 pm EST).  Had dinner with Church Planters.  Told our story.  Went to bed at 2 am EST.
• Saturday, Feb. 9th - Had breakfast at the hotel.  Ate too much.  Slept for 2 hours.  Met up with Scott & Mary Turner, incredible church planters in Irvine, CA.  Shopped.  Ate at PF Changs.  Heard their story.  Went back to their house.  Talked til 10 pm PST (1 am EST).  Slept at hotel. 
• Sunday, Feb. 10th - Arrived at theSummit Church which at 8:30 PST (Do I need to keep doing the EST reference?) Watched set up.  Took notes.  Preached at 11 am PST.  Grabbed a sandwich.  Debriefed at their house for 3 hours.  At 6 pm, a dozen of their leaders arrived.  Taught Church planting leadership & philosophy til 9:30 pm.  Drove to our new hotel on Laguna Beach, CA at 10:30 pm (1:30 am EST).  Slept.
• Monday, Feb. 11th - Had 9 am PST Video Conference Call with Pastor Scott and Quigs about the upcoming week at NLC.  (I love iChat by the way...) Drove to Saddleback Church, founded by Rick Warren.  Toured Saddleback.  Was blown away.  Had lunch.  Did some Geocaching. (Ask me later).  Back to hotel.  Slept.  Went to a movie.  Had Pizza at BJ's Italian Restaurant on Laguna Beach at 10:30 PST (1:30 am EST).  
• Tuesday, Feb. 12th -  Had breakfast overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  Walked on the beach.  Slept. Listen to a couple of LifeChurch.tv podcasts.  Read by the pool.  Ate Mexican.  Saw another movie.  Slept.
• Wednesday, Feb. 13th - Woke up at 8 am PST.  Drove to Scott & Mary Turner's house to return their car.  (Thanks by the way...)  Drove to Airport.  Talked with Scott for another hour.  Flew to Dallas.  Flew to Ft. Myers, FL.  Arrived home at 9:30 pm EST (6:30 pm PST).  Did some laundry. (Okay, Sarah did.)  Watch American Idol.  Still on West Coast time.  Bed by midnight.
• Thursday, Feb. 14th - Valentine's Day.  Woke up 6:30 am.  Checked e-mail, (1st time all week.)  Repacked.  9 am drove to Fort Lauderdale.  Arrived 11:30 am.  Got Starbucks.  Checked into hotel.  Attended lunch at the Book of Hope Missions Roundtable Event.  (Talk about a great ministry... oh my goodness, they're incredible.  More on that later too.)  Last afternoon session at 4:30 pm.  Took a cat nap.  Dinner at 6 pm.   Watched the sunset over Fort Lauderdale skyline with my wife. (Come on Somebody!!!)  Attended night session.  9:30 pm had dessert at Cheesecake Factory with Peter and Carolyn Haas (Substance Church in Minneapolis, MN).  Incredible couple that we totally hit it off with.  Back to hotel at  12:30 am.  Asleep by 1 am.
• Friday, Feb. 15th - Woke up at 8:30 am.  Went to the Red Door Spa at The Galleria in Fort Lauderdale.  (yeah, I did.  So what???  It was awesome!)  10:30 am - watched SportsCenter in the Men's Dressing Room. (Hey I wasn't about to go out there with a bunch of women and pretend I was actually comfortable!!!  I do have boundaries, you know.)  11 am - 80 minute hot rock massage.  1 pm - Lunch with my wife.  2 - 5 pm - shopping at the Galleria with Peter and Carolyn Haas.  Back to hotel.  Cat nap.  6 pm - Dinner with RoundTable Pastors.  9:30 pm - Last Session ends.  10 pm - Dessert at the Cheesecake Factory with Chris and Jan Beard, Pastors in DownTown Cincinnati.  Incredible story. 1:30 am - back to hotel.  2 am - sleep.
• Saturday - Feb. 16th - 8 am - Wake up.  Check out of hotel.  Get boys a present.  Get Starbucks.  Get Krispy Kremes. (yeah, I did!)  Drive across Alligator Alley.  Home at 12:15 pm.  2 pm Birthday Party at Gator Lanes for Will's friend.  5:30 pm ate something. (I can't remember)  8 pm - Boys in bed.  8:10 pm - practice message for tomorrow.  8:57 pm - finish writing this blog.  9:05 pm - Probably will pass out.

Man, what an amazing & refreshing time we had.  It was just great to relax and do nothing, you know???Seriously, we love that!  It's God's calling for us, and there's nothing we'd rather do together! Can't wait for God to move tomorrow at NLC! Pastor Matt

Vision Night Message now available

Hey everyone,

If you weren't able to be apart of Vision Night, you've got to make sure you hear the message from that night. The vision we cast that night will become the foundation for the next year of ministry at NLC and beyond. God has positioned us and given us a strategy to impact Southwest Florida & the United States in a big way!

Here's how you get it:

1. Go to the Resource Table and pick up a CD on Sunday.

2. Go to the NextLevelChurch.com website and download the MP3 from the Resources page.

3. Go to the NextLevelChurch page on iTunes and download the Podcast.

The feedback we are getting from across the NLC world is exciting! NLCers are starting to see a clearer picture of what God wants to use us to do for Him than ever before.

I can't wait to hear your feedback as well,

Thanks,

Matt

Wayne and Kim Hanson Visit

We had the privilege this weekend of hosting church planters from Castle Rock, CO at NLC. Wayne & Kim Hanson pastor Summit Church of Castle Rock, CO. They just celebrated their 1 year anniversary as a church and God is using them in a great way! God gave them a True Value Hardware Store to use as a church facility for the last year, however, they were just given news that they have to be out in like 25 days!

But... God has opened the door for them to go mobile and do church at a brand new high school, just like us! It was great for them to be at NLC and see all that we do to make church happen on a weekly basis. I think they were able to see and absorb alot from all of our NLC environments.

In other news, 2 services is going amazingly well. I think all NLCers are adjusting nicely to the change. It's been great for our worship and productions team as well! The unity that God has brought to those teams is blowing my mind right now! God is taking our worship to a whole new level. If you've been wandering in a few minutes late, let me encourage you to get there before things start.

Trust me, you don't want to miss how God is moving in our worship! I've never been more fired up to be apart of NLC then I am right now! God is truly turning up His Presence in our midst.

I love being your pastor,

Matt Keller