Great Quote

Saw this quote on a friends Blog..."You only fail if you never try. You never live trying not to die." It is from a song by The Afters...POWERFUL stuff right there! Really challenges you to think through how you are living your life and to make sure you DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE! To many times we focus on what we need to do to survive instead of making the most of the opportunity and circumstances we are in...

Ahhh....that felt good!

The Cavs won their first game of the season tonight over the Celtics...AND last night...LeBron and his Heat LOST to the Celtics...I know there are 81 games to go and the playoffs after that...BUT I WAS SHOUTING LIKE IT WAS THE FINALS! Just feels good after a LONG sports summer with the LeBron drama!

So for tonight...I'm taking my own advice and ENJOYING EVERY SECOND OF THIS WIN!!!!

What do you see?

I look at Chloe here...I think of the innocence in her eyes...the love...her heart for people...my mind just FLOODS with memories of my girl...I wonder what runs through her mind...I love that girl!

When you look in someones eyes what do you see? Can you sense their pain? Their excitement? Their hurt? Their innocence?

How would you react differently to someone if you knew what was happening in their life? If you could really look into a person's eyes and see their heart...their mind...

Let's be people that look into the hearts of others...that think the best in others...that long to bring the best out of others!

Reflections

We looked at the lie of Satan "Our past determines our future." We took time through the message to pause the video and pray...we prayed that we would be open for God to speak to our hearts...prayed for God to helps us to view ourselves the way God views us-to ask for forgiveness for selling God short-basically we gives us forgiveness and then we say, but we just can't do that because of our past. LIE! WE are forgiven and free...our future is not limited because of our past!

We stopped and prayed for God's forgiveness for how we view others...we give out too many labels...we look down on people because of past decisions...BUT if our God forgives...if he gives second chances shouldn't we as well? OF COURSE!! WE MUST FIGHT FOR EACH OTHER!

Great morning of worship...good to be together worshipping God together!

Spring-Time

I mentioned yesterday that I sense that I am moving out of a LONG winter season of my life...which means that Spring is coming....SO it is time for spring cleaning! Huh? I thought the same thing when it went through my head...but think about it...In the winter you simply try to live...to survive...to get through the cold-dark-snow storms and to come out of those ALIVE and your feet still under you...still holding on to your faith...And you NEVER...EVER should make life altering or big changes in your life during those times. At the least you have to listen well to those around you, because you really don't see things the way you should. If you have been through the winter you KNOW WHAT I MEAN!

SO...now that winter is coming to a close...I am taking a look with fresh eyes on my life...what I'm doing...how I'm living...where I need growth...what does the next stage of life look like for me. This is healthy, but it can be painful as well...sometimes it means letting go of things you care about...BUT it is also about a time of FRESH growth. Although Spring is BEAUTIFUL it is also a time of real work...plowing fields...turning up the soil...planting...watering...The cool part is...your faith is in the fact that the work you put in WILL create a harvest in late summer/early fall.

"Alright God...show me the next steps...the fields that need turned up...the things that simple need a little fertilizer and the things that need uprooted...show me and then give me the courage to act!"

Spring is here...(at least for me!!)

Stuff

Whoa...I really beginning to slack off on the blog!! Lots of stuff running through my head tonight...here are some of the things...

-God is faithful...no matter where he finds you!
-God has given me a freshness in my heart...it just feels good
-Kalahari was a BLAST! The bruises are worth it!
-YEP...I have ice on my leg right now from one of those bruises!!
-YEP...I would go ride that ride RIGHT NOW if I was there!!
-My heart aches for marriages that are really hurting...
-My heart is heavy with the weight of people's sin...and the hurt it causes others
-STAY FAITHFUL MY FRIENDS! STAY THE COURSE!
-Did I mention yet...that I'm thankful that God is faithful to forgive! There is hope!!
-It was very good to see my family this weekend...
-We revised our constitution for our church in 1 DAY...1 Day!
-The stake was good at the "constitutional revision party" too!
-I look forward to the changes coming for our church
-I appreciate mentors in my life...people willing to speak truth to me.
-Don't WASTE YOUR LIFE...you only get one!
-Invest your life well...PLEASE invest it well
-Be willing to make the tough decisions...do it!
-great discussion yesterday with a friend about the judgment seat...
-Am I willing to give up everything for Jesus? Everything...even my dreams? Even the things I long for? Am I?
-Those questions...they are eating at me right now...I don't like those questions
-I'm thankful for friends that I can "go there" and talk about that stuff with!
-DO YOU KNOW HOW STINKIN' BLESSED I AM?!?!?!?!?!?!? God is good.
-I am thankful for family...we are broken people...but we love each other
-Talked to my friend Tim Welling today...his mom Wanda passed away...she was an amazing woman...GREAT DAY to think about the legacy she left behind...and the one that one day I will leave behind.
-What if...what if...one day...you stand in front of God...and he asks you what you did with the gift of grace that he gave you...what if you don't have stories to tell? What will that moment feel like? I know...I know...he will wipe away every tear...BUT WHAT WILL THE MOMENT BE LIKE RIGHT BEFORE HE WIPES THOSE TEARS?
-I don't want to live with regret...I want to wring-out the most out of my life. Are you with me???? COME ON...

Kalahari!

The family is 13 hours and 12 minutes away from our Kalahari vacation! CAN'T WAIT! We are all very excited...and to kick off our fun weekend Chloe won her breaststroke race tonight!! She beat a friend of hers that she has never beaten before! I'm so proud of her...hard work pays off!!

NOW...it is time to unplug...no laptop...just family and fun! My parents...bro's family and Aunt Judy will all be there...CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Gave Blood!

I played drums on Sunday morning...it was REALLY fun to play...since we had a LONG service with testimonies and message we only did a couple of songs...Colin did a great job leading...THEN IT HAPPENED! I was playing "Not To Us" and I noticed something on the snare drum...IT WAS MY BLOOD! I had hit my knuckle on the rim and I was bleeding! IT WAS AWESOME!! OF COURSE I DIDN'T STOP, but just covered the "hole" with my little finger and kept playing...never missed a beat! Bleeding for Jesus!! (And a stained drum head and shorts!!)

Whoa...GREAT Sunday!

We started a new message series called 5 More Lies of Satan...this week's message was "It's just too late." WHICH IS A HUGE LIE! If we really believe that OUR GOD is who he says he is then it is never too late for God to do something AMAZING in our marriages...we started with this message because we had just come off of our men's retreat and the guys shared their hearts during the service. GREAT seeing what God is doing...

THEN the ending is what got me...We had window paint and challenged couples to grab it and write their names on our front doors...I challenged men to STEP UP and beat their wives up front to get the paint...to not expect them to lead, but to be the leaders...GUYS CAME FAST! One guy even tried to take mine out of my hands! (NO WAY THAT WAS HAPPENING!) It was cool...REALLY COOL...to see men stepping up!

LET's LEAD MEN! Let's work with everything in us to save our marriages!

Wild at Heart

Pastor Jim wrote a blog today on Wild @ Heart...summed it up well! Click here to read it!

Jump down...then read up!

The title says it! You need to read today's posts in order...it starts with "Where to begin" and then works its way up to this one...they really build on each other. So jump down to that one and read up...

I sure pray that God is working in your life in fresh ways...and I pray that the words that I have written today INFLUENCE you closer to our Savior Jesus. BE ENCOURAGED...God is NOT finished with you yet!!

By-By Winter...Hello Spring

The mountain top was truly amazing this weekend...the best part is that I was already spiritually growing before we ever left...God has been stirring up a fresh vision in me...a fresh hunger for him. I have been begging him for it.

So I wasn't surprised when I started a 2 hour walk with God on Friday morning that the doubts started to settle in...questions of me...my leadership...our church...As I walked through the woods I simple rebuked the enemy and my flesh and kept going...I came to a clearing...a place that I had never been before in my 4 years on that mountain...from where I sat down, I could see 10-15 mountains...some close and clear...some far away and they almost looked blue...it was beautiful...in that moment I started to write...writing down things that I was thankful about God...not things that I was thankful for in my life...but things that I was thankful for about him...I wrote A LOT!

Then God opened my eyes...reminded me why I ever became a pastor...reminded me of one of my first meetings as a church planter...of the vision to plant church ALL OVER Michiana to reach this community for Jesus Christ...I was reminded of how we need to STEP BACK and look at the big picture...at the mountain range from time to time...we need to step OUT OF THE WOODS and get a fresh look at where we are headed. It was sooooo refreshing.

Then...I headed back to the woods and instead of taking the path I started my own path...it was FULL of thorns and "prickly" bushes...I wanted to turn back and head to the path...I wanted to go back to where it was easier...BUT THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS TURNING BACK. Same goes for my work here...as far as I can tell...God is not finished with Grace Community Church...he longs for us to fall deeper in love with him...he longs for us to love each other...he longs for us to reach this community and for as long as I am able...I'll be charging that mountain!!

With that time...God renewed my love...my passion for his church...for his vision for SB...I have been praying for that for months...for a hunger for God...HIS church...and people that don't know him. GOD IS DOING THAT IN ME...so this looooooooooooooooooong season of winter in my life...the longest winter I have ever had in my life...a season of about a year seems to be coming to a close. And I'll tell you...I am welcoming the spring and look forward to what God has in store!!

NOT THIS TIME!

Last year at Wild @ Heart I was pretty tired...I had just started teaching again...we had closed on our lease for a new location for our church and I was worn down. I remember clearly when the competitions started that I really didn't want to jump in. I choose to do as little as possible. THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS LETTING THAT HAPPEN THIS YEAR! So...when someone had to volunteer to get in a cardboard box and go onto/into DISGUSTING green covered (No I really mean GREEN COVERED) water...I jumped RIGHT IN! I wanted it this year...There was NO BACKING DOWN this time around...then when the time came for a run through the mountains for another competition...I was READY! I would have started it, but Jim is a stronger runner than me...so I had to have him go 1st...but I wanted it! it was all I could do to NOT just sprint that last 1/4 mile and leave the team dragging...I WANTED IT SO BADLY...(We did a relay...1st guy started then tied a rope to the #2 runner-which was me-then tied to #3...4...5...running up a mountain with 4 guys tied together is work!! FELT GREAT!) It is FAR MORE IMPORTANT to be there for your team than to just sprint ahead...didn't want to hurt someone!! I'll tell you...there was no way I was stepping back this year...good to have the competitive fire blazing again!! I can't TELL YOU how good that feels! AHHHHHHHHHH! It feels good!!

More in the next post!

BTW...washing off the pond scum in rusty water just doesn't cut it...would I do it again though?! IN A SECOND!

Where to begin...

The past week has been a blur...we were gearing up for Wild @ Heart...our men's retreat to the mountains of western Maryland...getting ready for Sunday...soccer practices...just BUSY!

Wild at Heart was INCREDIBLE...watching men come together...having a BLAST together and learning to take steps to be better leaders in our homes and church. AMAZING! Friday night...listening to men POUR THEIR HEARTS OUT in sharing struggles and then repenting of their sin...I NEVER GET TIRED OF THAT! Competitions were soooooo fun...I'll do another blog on that! Then the ride home...UN-STINKIN'-BELIEVALBE! Best conversation EVER! The guys that went...GOD IS DOING SOME CRAZY STUFF in their lives! It was fun to be involved with it! WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND!

TEAM

It has been soooo fun to watch Jaden's soccer team develop this season...the boys are playing together...unselfish soccer...today we had MANY assits for goals...good aggressiveness. The kids are REALLY coachable and learning how to play the game...at one point we even had 2 quick passes that resulted in goals. TEAMWORK!! Another thing that is fun is how they cover for each other on defense...I allow several of the boys to make runs from the defensive side because I and they know that their teammates will cover for them...

MAN...are there lessons we can learn from these boys...teamwork...unselfishness...covering for each other...letting others have the glory...very cool!

P.S. Jaden scored 4...assisted on a couple others...and had two other shots off the post!!

Sunday is coming...

I am soooooooooooo looking forward to Sunday morning...I simply CANNOT wait! I will say this...if you are in the South Bend area...GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH SB is where you want to be...you'll be encouraged...you'll be stirred up...I have been preparing for it! See you there!!