Future is BRIGHT!

OK...so it has only been 2 weeks, but I am excited about the future leaders in our churches...I am teaching a class at Grace College again this fall and the students are FIRED UP. The depth of their questions and discussion...the heart...their passion...LOVE IT! I have been very impressed with the spirit of the class. I look forward to challenging them and being challenged by them this year. I learn A LOT from these students...they provide a perspective that I can learn from...I pray HARD for each of these students...that their love for Jesus GOES DEEP...that they will LIVE OUT what they believe...it's going to be a GREAT year!

Forgiveness...

What a GREAT word...I cannot express how amazing it feels when I know that God has forgiven me or someone else who I have hurt. I wonder though...when is the last time that we have really, really asked God for forgiveness...asked God to "search my heart..." AND to show me "offensive ways..." that I have hurt my relationship with him...How about today? How about setting aside time to ask the question..."God, how have I offended you? How have I hurt others? What unconfessed sin is there in my life?" And then...DEAL WITH THE SIN! Because the God who saved you IS faithful to forgive...

Monday Morning Reflections...

Well...by the time I finish typing it will be Monday morning! Overall today was a very good day...our service was fantastic...great worship...great message...then Jerimae encouraged people to come up and sing the final song with him...people came and came and came to the front...standing together...praising our God...saying together that we LONG to see CRAZY STUFF happening in our time...RIGHT NOW in fact! I already can't wait for next Sunday!

Then Chloe and I headed to a pastor party at a lake house of one of the families from the Goshen campus...Kels told me by the way to "why don't you go..." "REALLY?!?!" was my response...so Chloe and I had a BLAST hanging out with other pastors and their families...AND I had fun getting thrown...pushed (thanks Josh!)...dunked...beaten...bruised...into the water off of the spinning tube! AND YOU BET...I'd do it again in a second...memories were made today...CRAZY STUFF happened out there...stories will be shared...like 6 guys on a 4 man tube...trying to get it to spin! GREAT TIMES...

I'm looking forward to some time with the family today (after some sleep of course!)...It will be good to be home with them!

Oh Yeah...now it begins!

Ahhhhhhhhhh...the fresh smell of a football Saturday! OH MAN...I love this! The Buckeyes are on...(although I have to follow them on-line...no ESPN at the Bouchers!)...the Irish are going to be on soon...OH YES! Everyone is 0-0 and the future is bright...How about a Buck-Irish national championship?! Anything seems possible on the first week of September!

Listen

I want to ask you a favor...are you ready? When someone you respect...when a mentor or coach speaks into your life...Listen! You may not agree with everything you hear...you may not take their advice...BUT make sure you listen...seek God...THEN move forward.

How many problems that we have would be solved by listening...seeking God...THEN moving forward?!

I can't wait to get the bill...

Does that sound strange to you?! It does to me and I wrote it!! But here is the deal...Kels and I are working hard to get our finances in order...we have paid off most of our debt, except our house and we were on a GREAT path financially, especially with the changes that are happening with my job. THEN, Jaden broke his arm...and you bet there will be expenses...here is the deal though...3 different people...3 people who don't even know each other, have blessed Kelsey and me with financial gifts over the past 3 weeks...we didn't ask for it...weren't looking for it...CRAZY STUFF...I just have to wonder what Jaden's bill is going to come too...what has been given will make a GOOD dent into our bills...CRAZY STUFF!

Crazy Stuff Report

A man from our campus went to the hospital yesterday for surgery...he had a VERY bad accident earlier in the week and had broken his nose, eye socket and cheek bone...with the cheek being the worst injury...he went to the hospital and they fixed his nose and eye, BUT his cheek was fine...no break! Some may say that they just "thought it was broken"...I just wonder...that just maybe our God took his most sever injury and healed it...sounds like CRAZY STUFF to me!

I love to pray...

Tonight I had time to pray with Colin...a very good friend of mine from the church...we started praying through Habakkuk 3:2...we started with "Lord we know your fame"...we just started praying to God and thanking God for the stories of the Old Testament...IT WAS FUN! We started with creation...hit Moses and MANY stories of the Israelites...Ruth and Boaz (God cares for our relationships)...Elijah...Jonah...Noah...propheses of the Messiah to come...and MORE...

Then we cried out and even SHOUTED out to God to move today...PLEADING with him...BEGGING him...LONGING for him to move RIGHT here and RIGHT now at Grace Community Church South Bend/Mishawaka in bigger ways than ever before!

Why is praying so energizing?!?! Hebrews 4: 16 "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." WE GET TO APPROACH THE THRONE OF GRACE...THE THRONE OF THE LIVING MOST HOLY GOD...AND

HE LISTENS TO US!!!!

Enough said!

4-mile Bike Ride

Luke and I are hanging out today...Chloe and Jaden are at school and Kels was having lunch with a friend. I've said before that Luke is now riding without training wheels...So today he wanted to go on a bike ride...We went around the block 3 or 4 times, but he wanted more! IT WAS GREAT...we went all over the place...ended up going over 4-miles! AND he still had energy left! It was fun!!

The joy I have watching him makes me remember the first time I started riding...I wasn't 3 yrs. old like him, BUT dad took me to the High School parking lot...I can still remember gettin' it going and not knowing how to stop...I was flying across the parking lot and noticed the wire "fence" there...fence may be the wrong word...it was a thick wire that was between 2 posts! SO I ran into the wire fence and held on...HEY...I stopped! What can I say...Luke is doing much better than me!!

Thoughts...

Random thoughts...and I MEAN RANDOM...my not be profound...just what popped in my head at 8p.m. on a Tuesday

-Jay Bell ROCKED last night at the class I teach at Grace College...
-I am gaining weight, but my foot hurts too badly to start running
-I love coaching...
-I hate it that Jaden can't play soccer this fall...doctor said NO WAY today for the whole season...stressing HOW SERIOUS this break is...
-I wonder where I will be working 6 months from now...(the church of course...but where else!)
-I LOVE my wife...
-Chloe is growing up toooooooooo fast...she is turning into a young lady...GENTLEMEN BEWARE!
-Teaching kids is fun...it's been a while
-I'm tired...but it is a good tired.
-Wondering when God will show us our location for our campus...Up to over 30 places contacted!
-I love teaching the class at Grace College...those students will be WORLD changers
-What if...
-I PRAY HARD that Chloe, Jaden and Luke all come to Jesus...live for him...find GODLY spouse...PASSIONATELY live for him
-I'm glad my kids get to experience Grace Community Church.
-Even if I am part-time...I have one of the best jobs in the world.
-Hab. 3:2 is ROCKING MY WORLD
-MAN...the South Bend Community School Corp makes decisions VERY SLOWLY! (Been waiting to hear about a job for a month now...in case you didn't know...school has already started!)
-I had a great date night with Kelsey...one of the best we have had in a long time...
-Battell Park is VERY pretty
-If I wasn't in love with South Bend...didn't feel like God wanted me living here, I would move to Mishawaka or Blair Hills in A SECOND!
-I LOVE SOUTH BEND!
-I praise God for people who care about South Bend and our campus the way I do
-I treasure friends...people who encourage you
-I am blessed to be on a staff that likes each other...
-I like our pets...
-I think people who don't have pets are missing something!
-Anyone remember Band Camp???? (Where did that one come from?)
-I sure enjoy a breath of fresh air
-Teaching a percussion class today was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUN!
-Teachers are so cool...they get to impact kids lives every day
-There is one job better than being a teacher...know what it is? A full time mom! I'm not kidding...a full time mom has one of the most important jobs EVER...
-I'm glad that my kids get THE BEST full time mom! (She's cute too!)
-I'm listening to Chloe's piano lesson with mommy as the teacher...wish I would have taken piano...(I would NOT have liked it back then though!)
-Jaden.........he was so disappointed about not playing tonight...my heart ached for him

Well...I'm outta here...have a meeting in a few minutes downtown...better get rolling!