twins

I have not sat down and wrote for a while because the greatest news that I could ever imagine has taken place in our lives and it has not settled in yet. Marianne is pregnant with twins and that is amazing. When we lost the last pregnancy due to it being tubal I had great pain and we both were not sure we ever wanted to go through another pregnancy but God had other plans. Don’t get me wrong we played a part in it as well but his sense of humor is truly amazing. I am working steadily on pushing anxiety and stress out of my life over this pregnancy because I do not want to be living inconsistently with what I preach and believe. So we are enjoying this ride God has placed us on because he is the author of our lives.

It is amazing what the Father is teaching me through this. Central is in a bad way with finances and it is going to take courageous and massive faith based leadership to lead her to healthy place. I would think this would have me stressed to the end but for some reason I got very little personal anxiety over the church. I guess it is like our lives…he is the author of Central’s story and I am a character in her story and will play my role in the way he leads. I know that the coming weeks and months will be hard as we restructure as an organization but anything worth having or doing is going to be hard. I am praying for my own leadership and fortitude and toughness so I will be able to withstand the challenges which face us. Truly what a crazy world our world has become but none of this has caught the father off guard and could it be possible that for this reason I was called to Lawrenceville…I hope so and that hope is enough…for now.

Thanks for reading.

no hotdog for him

How can it be that much of what we do in Christ’s name and for God’s glory we do as if God is a spectator in our little screwed up world we are trying to manage? I am growing convinced that as we lead in a local congregation we do so without really believing that God is active in all situations. Don’t get me wrong when something good happens in our ministry we are quick to say this is God moving in our lives and in our ministries but when negative things happen we somehow think God is absent or just watching us flounder in our efforts. This is weird but I think pride for me is more of a problem when things are not good as opposed to when things are good. When something truly incredible takes place I am quick to say, ‘this is God and it has nothing to do with me’. But, as soon as things take a negative downturn I am wondering how I can control it or fix it. Immediately my pride kicks in through the avenue of worry and anxiety causing me to believe that somehow I am responsible for the outcome. The fact of the matter is, if the positive things in God’s church are not about me or because of me then the negative things that inevitably happen are not either. If God is sovereign then he is sovereign over all or nothing. If he is in control then he is moving and working in all things for his glory. Whether it is comfortable, enjoyable or even painful for me does not figure into the equation.  As in all situations I am simply responsible to show up and pursue living like Jesus with a reckless abandon. I am learning that God is not in the stands with a foot long hot dog watching me try to lead His Church. No he is our captain on the field leading us to victory for his glory, honor and fame.

entering now

I have been putting off blogging because it was just the hip thing for so long and I wanted to make sure I actually wanted to be a blogger and just not be caught up in the crowd. I think it is time. Possibly because I have entered into a discipleship counseling relationship and it is causing me to reflect more on my efforts to follow Jesus. Possibly because ministry demands a place to release some thoughts and ideas about what God is doing.  Possibly because I believe people might read my ramblings. Possibly because there is a major change coming to my family, (more on that next week).

I am lead pastor of a local congregation but I am not a church planter which at this point you probably just clicked away. Good-bye. I am leading a local church in Lawrenceville, GA named Central Christian Church which has been in existence since 1984. I love the people there and I believe God is going to do something cool with us. I have been leading Central for almost 2 years now and it has been a blast so far.

So here goes I am finally going to do it, I am entering now.

I want to be desperate for the Father but I am not…I’m on the edge though.