What this world needs…

What this world needs is a lot less of me and a lot more of Jesus. I’m realizing each day of how much the man I’ve become to be and how much of me needs to change. Mistakes and failures are ways in which we learn to pick ourselves back up again, but what happens when we don’t learn. I’m scared for myself. I have so much to learn and I feel like I have taken much too long to learn it. But tomorrow is a brand new day with a brand new sunrise and a brand new start. The past is past, the choices made are made, it is time to make new choices.

What a great morning. The band was right on today and it is such a joy to hear our people sing and be excited. My prayer for our people is that the motivation of their joy and excitement is Jesus. I’m am just overjoyed by not just the physical growth of our church, but the spiritual. 

Well, playing off the title of my blog, I am heading out of the country tomorrow. Yep, it is missions week at the church and me and a few other folks are headed to Puerto Rico. This is a new venture for our church and I’m ecstatic at the opportunities that may open this week. Also, the small groups of the church have a quite few missions projects underway here at home. I’m excited about heading out tomorrow and traveling. I love to travel. And what is more exciting than just traveling, is going to new place with the hope of Jesus. Pray for us this week as we embark. I will try to blog if I can, but I’m actually going to go a whole week without my cell and my laptop (*side note, personal flaw of mine is answering and returning calls, I’m working hard so keep me accountable). So with out my little communication devices, I will have limited contact this week. 

My final thought (and yes, this blog was random) is perhaps for you this can be a missions week as well. Maybe talk to someone you don’t know, or help someone in need. If we all just do a small something, God can turn it into a big SOMETHING! 

*Hope to have pictures of the trip this week!

Bob Dylan

I was once traveling with a student when I was working as a student ministry intern in South Carolina. And we were heading out to the mall and having a conversation about music. And for the life of me, I could not remember this one particular singer’s name. And for like an hour, the name of this guy just escaped us. Finally, the revelation just popped in my brain (my brain isn’t normal). Bob Dylan. That guy’s stupid name was Bob Dylan. So from now on, I just say that name when I forget stuff. The sad fact is, I still forget his name when I’m trying to say it that I forgot something (whew! my brain is tired now). All that said, I’ve have forgotten to blog over the last few weeks. This is probably to the detriment of the readers that I had, but I’m going to crank things up again.

 

The last two weeks have been interesting. I have seen myself as a leader in more ways than I have before and it wasn’t because of success. It has been because of failure. I have some fatal flaws in my personality and in myself that I need to strive hard to change. So, if you are reading this and have been affected by me in a negative way, I apologize. I’m working hard on contacting a few of the people that have been directly affected by it.

 

For me, the last few weeks have been challenging and sometimes in living in the grip of reality. We as humans have a funny way of painting our own pictures in our mind perfectly. Where as an outsider looking in sees an abstract mess. I just wish my canvas was a paint by numbers, but it tends to be more watercolor and just run altogether. There are certain things about the ministry lifestyle that are hard to understand for someone who hasn’t lived it. And there are certain things about a call of God that are just downright impossible to explain to someone who isn’t called. But it is in these times that scripture is gentle, it’s beautiful and because it tells of our God. He is sustainer. He is powerful. And most of all, He knows what He is doing. Coming from someone who fumbles around way too much, it’s comforting to know that our God is smart. So today, this is the blog restart. The turning round. I’m back. I’ve taken a few on the chin today and even some in the last few hours. But I’m not down. Satan doesn’t have power and I’m convinced that God has a plan for me in spite of me. I just need to rely on Him a whole lot more than on myself. 

September 11th – Video Blog #1

This is my first attempt at a video blog. It may be dramatic to some, but September 11th was and still is a monumental moment in our nation’s history. I ask you to write in and share some of your stories. Perhaps it’s remembering where you were, how the event has affected you or even just your thoughts!

Is Jesus really this cool?

Tonight was connection group. Props to connection group! I’m loving it. I got really discouraged today over finances and what not and so I wasn’t super pumped about being around other people. And then, on my way to the group, I got shafted by a friend who was going to come with us. So, with two strikes against me, I headed out in my own little cloud. I will say, I do love my fiance and she encouraged me very much on the way. So we sat down and spent some time just breaking the ice and talking about some life issues we were all dealing with, and then we dug in. 

We talked about Sunday’s message, “Every Rocker has a Message” and the message that Jesus has. We had a great discussion! We really looked at the way Jesus said things in the Bible. I mean Jesus had a message and He was here to spread it. And He didn’t apologize for what He had to say. If you think about it, Jesus was the most progressive church. 

But where connection was really made tonight was in the end. We discussed the idea of Jesus as sustainer. It comes off the basis of John 6:35. Shana and myself have truly started to experience facing the reality of relying on Jesus as sustainer. Not saying we have reached it, but we are learning by trial and error how to live in it. God is so good. He is all that we need, more than enough to be our sustainer. So after sharing life stories together and really talking out Jesus as sustainer, I was just pumped. I mean this is community. This is doing life together. We are not alone. God is sufficient and He has created us for fellowship. If you are missing out on connection groups, YOU ARE MISSING OUT! GET PLUGGED IN!

Tomorrow is September 11th. Don’t forget what happened on this fateful day over 7 years ago. I pray for all the victims families that perished on that day and whose lives are never the same. I am also very very grateful for the men and women who serve and who have served in our Armed Services. Thank you for your sacrifice for my freedom!

Omit day.

So I’ve committed to this blogging thing, even though I really want to omit having to do a blog today. And there is no reason but shear laziness. I mean, I really have some good (well, what I think is) thoughts. Overall, the day was nice. We spent a lot of time in the office today, which can sometimes make me feel trapped. But, we ended it with a nice video shoot that I think will look really good on Sunday. 

I’ve been reading a book by N.T. Wright called “Simply Christian”. I like and dislike the title all at the same time. But there are some really good truths in it. In chapter 3, he discuss the idea of relationships. Wright is quick to point out some funny paradoxical things that we as humans do. I mean, we are built and wired for relationship. We were created for it by God! So it is not unusual for us to craze being around or close to others. The funny thing is, we draw inside when we reach defeat or stress and run from others, while at the same time wishing someone would approach us. Here’s a novel idea, make an effort yourself. Don’t hear me preaching as if I’ve got it figured out, because I needed to hear what he said just as much as the next guy. We need to stop running from the thing that we know we desperately need. God created us for fellowship. Not only fellowship with Him, but with others. If he didn’t, maybe humanity would be in all these separate boxes on earth and have no one to talk to at all. So, if you might be struggling with depression or maybe feeling unloved or that nobody cares because nobody has called. Reach out Yourself. If you can’t reach anyone on the phone, God is not the cop out. He is there. He wants you to reach to Him. 

For those of you at the Anchor, or near south Atlanta, I’m very excited about the new series coming up called The Hunt. I honestly don’t think you want to miss it. It really will hit home with some of us who are desperately struggling and facing defeat and it will prepare others of us who are on the edge of it and don’t know it. Hope you all have a great wednesday!

Monday, Monday…bah, bah

Ah, yes, the Mamma’s and the Papa’s. Some mondays are worthy of song and others aren’t. Today felt like it wasn’t going to be worthy of such joyous singing, but it turned out all right. My frustration with life seems that when your prepared, everything heads to the crapper. And then, it  feels that when your least prepared good things happen. How frustrating! The reason I say this, is because I feel prepared for this week. I really do. My salvation is not in my accomplishments or how well I do stuff, my salvation is Jesus. If that didn’t make any sense, ask me about it later!

Sunday Afternoon

Can we live it? I mean, its not in our own strength. In my heart and in my soul, to honestly give God the control? Consume me… God I need you to consume me. I cannot survive on my own. Where the metal meets the flesh is not in a service, or in a moment of elation, nor is it inside the church, near an altar, or in your car or even under the guise of an emotional response. The real test is the living everyday. The integrity. The guts is in the commitment. Do you mean it?

I can’t get no…

Can we honestly live a life of satisfaction in-spite of circumstance? Are we bold enough to trust God and realize He is still there, hasn’t changed and is completely faithful even if we feel all around is discouraging? I want to be that bold. I believe in God. I believe He is close. And I know that all I have to do is trust in Him. I glad God never put it somewhere in the Bible that life is completely easy and if it isn’t your doing something wrong. Life is not easy. It’s a bump, then a stumble, then a pick yourself up off the floor. But, FOREVER God is faithful and strong, and right there beside us. Isn’t that good to know? These may sound like a plea for comments, but it really is just an honest request. If you really feel this way, send me a comment on your thoughts. Even if you don’t, still comment. I’m very curious to hear what people say.

Ibid

What a great word! Its really for reference, but I love the meaning, “the same place”. (Yes, if you’ve ever wondered, there is method to my madness of blog titles). There were several things I really wanted to write about tonight, some of which were in a more discouraged tone. But to be completely honest, I’m encouraged. I had the chance to hang out with some of our amazing people from church tonight in a rather cool way. To see their passion and their desire for our church really was encouraging. (And to hear someone say they read my blog made me smile too!) I’m so proud to be completely insane to serve in a church and get paid diddly. But man, to see lives God has changed. I know money is important and it’s pretty essential to life, but when we get to heaven, these people will be there. Money, for real, cannot buy that. And on top of that, I serve a God who genuinely loves me, who desperately seeks out for me and relationship and even knows me and still wants to use me. No matter what satan lays on me, no matter what spirit I feel or cloud that comes on me, I KNOW this all to be true. I KNOW satan is defeated. I KNOW I stand in victory. I KNOW I’m where God wants me. So, give one up to the gipper. We win. We won. It’s done. Yay God. 

Oh, If you are from the Anchor and really read this, thank you for being apart of the church. Thank you for coming and hopefully serving and hopefully tithing. Thank You! I honestly mean that I love you and I’m very proud to serve you and to serve with you!

Why dinosaurs don’t talk…

So we had an interesting discussion tonight at practice. Sometimes I fear I get more out of the discussion than the group. I really want to see them dive in more, but I understand that it is the end of the day. (Don’t let me sound like I don’t care, I care very much). We talked about perspectives and it seems to be a running trend for me for the last two days. In connection group, we talked about our perspective on Jesus, while tonight, we talked about our perspective on God. We also asked the question, Do you honestly believed that God wants to know you? Have you ever thought about that? I mean, really, He sacrificed the thing that is of great importance to Him for you, why wouldn’t He want to know you? Relationships are not built on a one way basis, but are a mutual connection between two things. So when we pursue God, its not like He is ignoring us and then bing, oh there you are. God is pursuing you. He is interested in you and your day and He desperately wants to spend time with you. So the next time you cram God into the corner of your day or not into your day at all, think about how God wants to know you. He is here. He is everywhere. He has revealed Himself in creation. Don’t be afraid to speak to Him, even right now.