23,000 Gallons Later...

So yeah, I preached on the previous blog on Sunday, and when I returned to TX and pulled into my driveway after being gone all week, I was given an opportunity to practice what I preached. My sprinkler system, which I haven't turned on since we have lived in our house, out of the blue decides to come on...the week we are out of town for the holidays!! For all I know that water could have been running steady for 6 days straight! For a Church Planter, that is already stretched financially, emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually, and so on, this was beyond a huge deal.
So, I called the water company yesterday and the lady told me I should probably set down before she read the damage to me. They had just read the meter, and we had already used over 23,000 gallons of water! We typically use around 5,000 in an entire month! Thank God that she is going to work with me due to my unfortunate circumstance and cut the usage nearly in half....for real, THANK GOD!
All of that said to say....I still will not be moved! Satan is defeated and Jesus is in control, I refuse to be moved by any circumstance.

I Will Not Be Moved

This is really something that God has been doing in me and MANY other people right now. I have talked to lots of folks who are dealing with some pretty heavy issues at the moment. Psalm 16:8 says, "I have set the Lord ALWAYS before me, because He is at my right hand I will not be moved." Yep, that sums it up pretty well.

Obedience Through Suffering

In my prayer time this morning, Hebrews 5:8 jumped off the page at me. It states that Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered. Jesus was fully God and fully man as well. With that said, in His humanity, He was subjected to suffering just like the rest of humanity so that He could empathize with us as our High Priest and also show his love and commitment to us. Through all of His sufferings, He learned obedience.
When we suffer we tend to want to back out of that situation. When the fire gets white hot, our natural tendency is to jerk our hand away. Take for example, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." Jesus wanted out if there was any way around it. In the end, His love for the Father, and for us, drove him through the suffering. He was obedient even when it was difficult beyond imagination, even when the suffering raged with its' greatest intensity.
Since Christ endured, and was obedient through the suffering, we now enjoy fellowship with the Living God, and also have eternal life laid up for us. We must endure the hardships of life...there is a Great Reward that awaits us in the end!

Preperation for Your Destiny

Here is what I have experienced in my life pertaining to the release into my ultimate destiny. The steps are as follows:
1. Validation
2. Testing
3. Release

God will first validate you, by building you up in Him. Following that will be a season of trying and testing to determine the authenticity of your faith. Lastly, you are released to use that testimony, fulfill your destiny, and utilize your God-given potential. Just a thought, hope it helps somebody.

Cowboy Church "Buck Out"

Last Thursday night I went to The Cowboy Church of Ellis County in the big town of Waxahachie and watched their "buck out." It was AWESOME! I totally reconnected with some of my old roots. I think half of the crowd were SAGU students. It was pretty fun watching them get on all of those bulls. Much props to all of the SAGU girls that rode, and to Jordan for riding his first bull for 8 seconds! Nick Bardee got his head busted with a horn...It's all good though, he doesn't feel pain! I definitely plan on visiting the Cowboy Church again.

The Lenses of Past Experience

We filter our daily decisions through the lenses of past experiences. That can be good and bad. Learning from our mistakes and filtering everyday encounters through that wisdom can be extremely helpful, but filtering everyday encounters and relationships through the scars of yesterday can cripple us for life. The only healing that I believe there is for such a skewed mentality is the Cross of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is able to break the shackles of yesterday, and by the power of His Spirit He is able to sustain us and renew our mindset daily. The absolute truth is that there is no alternative therapy that can even come close to doing that kind of work in the human heart. Only Christ can heal us and help us to overcome negative past experience while enriching our lives and the lives of those around us on a daily basis.

Are You Happy?

OK, so I have been asked this question on a number of occasions by other Pastors. For some reason I thought about it yesterday and decided to blog about it. This question always bothered me, because in essence and in many cases what they are asking is, "Are you totally happy with your current circumstance, or would you rather come work for me?" As if they are the perfect Pastor with the perfect situation! Look, happiness has very little to do with the immediate calling of God. We cannot be moved by current uncertainties or discomforts. We operate in the calling of God through difficulties in order that happiness and fulfillment might come to us and God in due time.
What would the Lord have said if He were asked that question on the way to the Cross? It wasn't about His immediate happiness. Instead, it was all about His ultimate reason for being on the Earth...the redemption of mankind. Hebrews 12:2 states, "2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Jesus endured the current discomforts (to put it lightly) for the joy that was set before Him. He knew what he was doing was not in vain, eventually it would pay big dividends for the Father's Kingdom.
As long as we are doing exactly what God has instructed us to do, let us stick unswervingly to that path. We cannot give in to every sugar coated opportunity with the hopes that it will provide us with an easier way out or a quicker path to success. Usually, the Lord's way is tough at the moment but effective, productive, and fulfilling in the end.

The Secret of Contentment

God has really been dealing with me on the issue of discontentment here lately. Being discontent in a visionary sense is crucial, because you can never be satisfied with where you are now, but sometimes discontentment can bleed over into other areas of our lives and become a detriment to our well-being. It is impossible to "bloom where you are planted" when you have allowed discontentment to give you a flighty mentality. The secret and answer to all of it is found in Philippians 4:11-13. Check it out.

Have To or Want To

How do you really invest into people, and make them really feel valued? I think people really feel valued whenever you reach out to them outside of the realms of having to. There are people that you have to be around, and then there are people that you choose to associate yourself with because you just like to be with them...and everybody wants to be liked. When you feel liked, you feel valued...and even greater than that, when you feel loved, you feel validated. Validation is the cure for insecurity and rejection. Therefore, those who are insecure and rejected feel valued and validated when you show them love and a genuine desire to be with them even with all of their faults. When you invest into someone and genuinely try to connect with them just because you want to, people take notice. It is really about exceeding people's expectations because you want to...not because you have to. So go the extra mile for someone this week, I bet you they will take notice...even if they don't say it. Think about it.

He Holds It All Together

God moved in a huge way in our service yesterday. The central theme seemed to be that He holds everything together, even when we feel everything is falling apart. I was reminded of a good illustration from an old video that someone emailed me one time. So here is the illustration, even the cell adhesion molecule holding your entire physical body together, laminin, testifies that the Cross of Christ is our hope that we can overcome any storm. Laminin is the re bar of your body. Here is a pic...

enough said....

What He is Doing in Me

This one rocked me at the core today...it's right where I am at right now.

It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. -Proverbs 19:2

Perception of The Church

The book of Acts states that the unsaved feared the first century church because of the power of God that was displayed and the unity the church possessed. Fear wouldn't be the exact word I would use when vocalizing the world's view of the church today in America. I think where we lost that influence would be found at the place where we began to tolerate sin in the church. We have totally bought into the lie that we are and always will be transgressors. We aren't perfect, but we aren't blatant sinners either! Our imperfection is not a get out of jail free card or a crutch. God still demands holiness from His church.
Paul instructed the believers to "expel the immoral brother from the congregation." When people have been sitting on the pew with blatant rebellion in their hearts for extended amounts of time with no intention of repentance, it is time to push the eject button on them! They are a cancer that will eventually spread throughout the whole body, yeast that will eventually spread throughout the entire batch. We must protect the image and purity of God's church. Compromise and conformity have crippled our influence, and now many people think and speak of the Church in a very demeaning fashion. There is a major problem when the color of the Church has diminished from black and white to grey. Leaders and Pastors must have enough backbone and faith to expel the immorality from the church. It is a hard but very evident reality. May the blood of others not be on our hands because we were to sinful and/or cowardly to stand up to the deceptive roar of our enemy.

The Current American Condition

The U.S. seems to be reaping the consequences of our immorality. The fight for gay marraige is now escalating in mass proportion. Wickedness is increasing in all areas just like Jesus said it would over 2000 years ago. I am really grieved at the current state of America, and because of our rebellion, God has already began to turn this country over to a depraved mind...just 200 years after it's birth! No new president, no charismatic leader, no new idea, no economic stimulus plan, no military advancement, nothing can bail us out of this one. The one and only ABSOLUTE TRUTH that can help us now is Jesus Christ. Nothing is relative, and the correct answer to every single problem was and is the Crucifixion and Ressurection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is beyond time for a reformation. The Church is behind the curve. There has been too much loud mouth talk and not enough effective action. We must stop hiding behind cowardly feelings because we don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. Here is the deal, we have power that transcends money or influence and it is time we started using it. 2 Chronicles 7:14 sums it up well. That is the challenge to me and you...let's get it done.

First Texas Hunting Extravaganza

Well, I am off to experience my first Texas deer/hog/turkey hunt! I am sooo excited! I will be sure to let everyone know just what I come up with tomorrow. Until then, have a great night!

Where I've Been Livin' Lately

I have talked about, preached about, counseled and mentored about, even experienced in more minor levels, the fire of God...but here lately it has gone to a new place! In the past year of my life I have experienced the refining fire of God in my life in a big way. The Lord has been dishing it out in huge doses here lately!
When I was in 7th grade, my house burned down just a few days before Christmas. Needless to say, that was a difficult time for our family. The house was so old and dry that it literally burned to the ground in one hour! With that said, sometimes our lives get so "dried out" by "old things" that have just been cluttering up our lives for a long time, that God has to send His fire to refine us once more.
God is reforming us into His image, and that means that many things have to go! Fire consumes everything, and God's fire doesn't even leave a remnant of worldliness, weakness, or status quo, it even licks up the water in the trench so to speak.
Being set on fire is never fun though, and also, IT REALLY HURTS! But, it is worth going through the pain and stretching that the fire brings to be refined into God's image in the end. So, hats off to the old adage...no pain no gain! Take heart, it will all be worth it when we see Jesus!

Crossing Launch

Our launch service yesterday was a great success. I am not sure on all the numbers, but I do know we had 5 salvations! That in itself is a great accomplishment. Just wanted to give a quick thanks to all of those who helped prepare and pray for this landmark in The Crossing history!

The Crossing Launch Service

Well, it is finally here! We launch our church on Sunday. We are super excited! Please pray for us throughout the week, and specifically that God would bless the service and help us to assimilate all of the new comers. I will be sure to let everybody know how it all goes!

Deer Camp

We had a great time at Deer Camp last week. Me and Daddy had some great quality time before everybody else showed up, and I was really excited that I got to watch my little brother Sam kill a deer (off of my stand!) Here are some pics of the trip. Good times!

Ben and Clayton hangin by the fire...munchin on a sandwich!

Daddy and Uncle Johnny

Me and Daddy

Me and Sambo

I Am Back!

After being out of pocket for a week and a half, I am finally back in routine and blogs will now continue. We had our second preview service last Sunday, and I would have to say that it went....well, it went! In all reality, you have those good moments and then you have those ugh moments. In our defense, if it weren't for those ugh moments then we wouldn't know where we need to beef up to set ourselves up for the good moments. The cool thing is that we have been blessed with a great team that is able to assess the "ugh" and make changes to ensure success. If it weren't for reality checks we would never improve, but rather settle into the realm of complacency and status quo. That was really one of the reasons for a "preview service" anyways, was to give us an opportunity to work through some of the hick-ups. Now, with that behind us, The Crossing Church will launch on November 2 and we are really excited about it! Please be in prayer for us as we prepare for this huge event.

Blogs will continue...promise

I have been out of town and VERY busy, and so my blogs have been slackin' I know. There will be more to come after this weekend. I promise...I have lots to talk about!

Doing the Right Thing with the Wrong Heart

In the Bible, in 2 Kings 10:30, we find that God commended Jehu for carrying out "all that God had in mind." This is referring to wiping King Ahab's family out for their deep rooted wickedness. Although, in the very next verse, almost in the same breath, God's Word records that Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord. Later in Hosea 1:4, God carried out judgment on Jehu's house for doing something that God said in 2 Kings 10:30 He approved of. WHY?! Why would God commend Jehu and then judge him later?
It is pretty simple...Jehu did the right thing with the wrong heart. His motives were likely off kilter.The Word of God declares that he didn't focus solely on God's law and ultimate will for his life. We can do the right thing, but if it is not accompanied by a heart for God then we have committed a grave error.

Great Preview

We had our first preview service yesterday! It was pretty awesome! Here are some updates:
85 people in attendance (that was with minor marketing for this individual service...Praise God!)
6 salvation's!!!!
Huge Financial Blessings to help The Crossing get up and going!
Set-up and Tear-down went relatively well, matter of fact, better than expected!
Kid's Crossing, Baby Boulevard, and Toddler Town went really well!
Everyone who came signed up for our come back event this week!
Our first preview was a huge success! Everyone on the team did a great job and the service really accomplished what we wanted it to. We definitely created some momentum heading towards our launch on Nov.2 and we are creating our leadership base as we go as well. Thanks to everyone who has invested into this movement...it wasn't in vain! God is SO awesome!

Are You Smarter Than A Fourth Grader?

Today I was a substitute at Hackberry Elementary for a fourth grade class. I had flashbacks to the popular T.V. show Are you smarter than a fifth grader?, especially when it came time to do fractions. Just for the record...those questions were very tricky! It was quite the reminder that I am just a country boy from back woods Arkansas. On another note, we had a great time and I really had fun playing football with all the boys while I was on recess duty. Go Hackberry!!

First Day on the Job

Today was my first day as a substitute teacher for Little Elm. I figured it would be a good way to bring in some extra cash and I get to do it at my own pace. Of course, I had to be the bad guy and discipline kids on numerous occasions, even sending one to the office. It is pretty crazy, as soon as kids hear "sub" they go into demonic mode and you instantly become their daily project to test and push you as far as they can. It had it's fun moments too though. I subbed for the high school and junior high choir classes, and I let most of them show me how good they could sing. We had a lot of fun with that! All in all, it was a pretty easy day.

My Pink/Purple Bike

Me, Lindsey, and Seth bombarded the yard sales this past weekend. We had a lot of fun, and got a lot of cool stuff at really cheap prices...as a church planter, there is no shame in my game! The highlight of all the purchases would definitely be my new bike. It is two-tone pink fading into purple! The best part about it is that it only cost me $5! It is a practically brand new mountain bike, with all the gears and everything! For $5 I can get over the paint color! Come on now, you can't hardly eat off of the dollar menu for $5! I have to admit it feels kind of awkward riding it down the street at the moment, but before long I should have it painted. I guess the old adage still rings true..."One man's trash is another man's treasure!" I will try to follow this up with some before and after pictures so you can all stand in awe of my wise purchase.

Unexpected Meeting

The Kirby folks stopped by last night. I was outside working on the lawn, and this girl comes up and gives the spill. We were up front with her and told her that they could come in and clean some of our carpet and go over our couch (which needed it anyway), but there was no way we were going to buy one. Not that we wouldn't mind having one, but it just ain't gonna happen right now!

So the two guys came over and commenced to cleaning and giving their approach to the sale. During all of that, one of the guys started to really open up and convey some pretty hard stuff he was going through. I am really glad that I let them, because I was able to get some major prayer requests from this guy that was really looking for a new church and just a place to belong. A place where people who could support and stand by him. I won't expose any more of the story, just to protect my new friends' privacy...but it was a HUGE God moment! You never know when God will open a door for you to be a witness, sometimes it can be totally unexpected.

Stretching

This morning I led worship at See You At The Pole at Lakeside Junior High. I got to be honest, I am first and foremost a preacher, not a worship leader. I picked up the guitar a few years ago and started taking some singing lessons, but I really didn't know how far I would take it, it was just an interest I had.
I had a pastor tell me one time, "God will use whatever you give Him to use." That's so true. This opportunity was so unexpected. Matter of fact, when it was offered to me I quickly rejected it. After a couple of days though, God really dealt with my heart about it. It wasn't just a random opportunity...it was a God opportunity! It stretched me like crazy, but it went really well. God simply used what I had been preparing for in a back room for some time and brought it to the forefront. There are many Biblical examples of people that God prepared in the secret and then thrust them to the forefront seemingly all at once.
Don't just jump to reject something though you may feel like it is out of your element or comfort zone. God may be trying to use you to do something you never thought you could do. God sees things inside of us that we could never even imagine. We should never be opposed to trying something new, even if it does require a little stretching.

Getting Excited!!

I have a few things I am really excited about right now. First, The Crossing Church begins having preview services on October 5! Second, deer season opens in a week! Third, it is almost fall! This time of year really gets me going! I'm PUMPED!!!

Football Schedules

One way we chose to serve our community was to give out football schedules at Little Elm's first home game. Our Administrative Assistant and Graphic Designer, Kristyne, custom made some pretty cool schedules. We were able to give out about 2000 last night free of charge to our community. The Assistant Athletic Director, Tom Swartz, gave us permission to put our logo and website on the back of the schedules which really helped stir an even greater buzz for the launch of The Crossing. We had numerous conversations with people who had no home church, and for the most part they are very interested in coming to check us out when we launch. It is pretty wild to see God doing great things right before your eyes. Thanks to those who helped with this...it was another huge success. Continue to pray for The Crossing as we launch this church.

This Is the Song That Never Ends

Just about everybody knows that annoying children's song listed in my title. What is really annoying is when this song becomes our life theme. You know, when you get caught in the same battles over and over again. Often times, we find ourselves singing the song that never ends in one area of our lives or another. Fighting the same battles can be exhausting and discouraging, with a major lack of reward. The battles can be in our individual lives, marriages, ministries, family, career, and/or many other areas. Maybe something that you just can't seem to get past. You see the horizon of victory ahead, but for some reason you have been camping out on this battlefield for a long time.
I remember the part of the song that goes, "some people started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because...this is the song that never ends..." For some of us, our life sings the same old song and we never intended it to do so, we just started singing (or making decisions) not knowing the full content of the song. Many of the battles in our lives that we face we got ourselves into not really knowing the cost of the battle. Not only that, if we look hard enough, we will come to find that most of the time our enemy on the battle field is not just satan, but ourselves alone. Many times we are geared up to fight the forces of darkness when the force that should be conquered is...our own desires.
If you find yourself in that endless battle today...no...when you find yourself in that endless battle today, start conquering right at home and then work your way out. By doing so, you will leave no room for side or rear attack on your life. And don't forget the encouragement from Romans 8:37. Have a good one, and sing a new song!

We're In!!!

If you follow the other Crossing Staff blogs, you will definitely hear this news on their blogs too. But for those of you who don't....WE FINALLY SECURED OUR VENUE!!!!!! We have been praying super hard for months now as to where we will hold services, and we have really felt strongly about the Lakeside Junior High School in Little Elm. This school is perfect for our set up. They have a 250 seat theatre auditorium, a big gym for Kid's Crossing (our children's church) so that we can set up our inflatables for our kids every week, plenty of space for Toddler Town and Baby Boulevard (our nursery), and a huge foyer for all of our hospitality ministries. There are no other places that would really be suitable for us, the other venues were to expensive or they just weren't the right size. Long story short...it was either the Junior High or have revival from a tent...old school style! After miles of red tape, lots of prayer, many nerve wracked days, and lots of searching....WE'RE IN!! The Crossing Church will hold preview services on October 5 and 19, and we will launch with weekly services on November 2. Thanks for all your prayers, and thank God for a huge miracle and an enormous plan for Little Elm TX!

The Real Preachers

I am coming to the realization that the greatest preachers on Earth are those who preach without saying a word. Their actions say it all. The elderly couple that is still in love after all those years, the little girl with down-syndrome that seems to brighten everybody's day despite her own situation, the young man that truly keeps his priorities in line, the daddy that takes time out of his busy schedule just to wrestle with his little boy or have "tea" with his baby girl, the minister that looks to bless others rather than just inflate his pocket book, and the list goes on and on and on.
The Bible declares in Proverbs 9:1-6, "1 Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; 2 She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table. 3 She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places of the city, 4 Whoever is simple, let him turn in here! As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, 5 Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding." Wisdom is calling out from the roof tops, if we only had the sense to pay attention to it. May we hear the sermons and receive the lessons that the Father is speaking to us daily. In turn, let our lives exemplify all that God desires them to, and speak volumes to a world indifferent. We are all preachers, our lives all tell stories, but the important thing is what the content of our message is.

been slackin'

Sorry I haven't been posting much the past few days! I have been limited as to internet usage. More to come soon....promise!

Another One of satans Tactics

Here's how this one works...Satan adds stress little by little until it all heaps up into this huge weight on your shoulders. After that, he pushes the "pet peeve button," or something of the sort, at the point of culmination and causes us to have a break down. The trick is...live by the Spirit and keep your focus, release the stress by faith and you won't come to the melt down point. Pretty simple, but very hard to live out. Good luck!

Sun Poisoning

Well, I paid the price for standing out in the hot Texas Sun all day this past Saturday. No sunscreen, no hat, not a lot of water, nope...no need, I am iron man....yeah right! I didn't even know there was such a thing as sun poisoning, but I do now! Man, I was sooo stinkin' sick yesterday! I won't even describe the details, you can Google the symptoms if you want! I will just say this...respect the Sun, and take ALL precautions!

Family Night at the Park

After months of preperation, nearly 5000 door hangers, many blisters and sunburns, buckets of sweat, newspaper ads, hanging numerous posters (even in liquor stores), and so much more...we were finally able to see the fruits of our labor and the gracious hand of God at work tonight at our first big outreach event, The Family Night at the Park! Thanks so much to all who had a hand of help in it, you are very much appreciated. We had bbq, ice cream, huge bounce houses, a petting zoo, a clown blowing up little balloon characters, big giveaways, and countless conversations with people who wanted more out of life than what they had come to find from the mundane. I cannot express in words all that we experienced tonight. My body is so drained, but my spirit so pumped because I caught a breif glimpse of the beginnings of a major move of God. I am so hungry to see more. Anyways, just a few quick thoughts before I crash out for the night. As soon as we get some stats I will be sure to post them.

Bad Day

It has been one of those days that you wish you would have just stayed in bed! Between some cop thinking he was a hero for giving me a speeding ticket for doing 27 mph in a school zone to Satan and his clan trying to thwart everything that has to do with The Crossing...it is has just been a tough one. But I guess I find hope in the old statement..."this to shall pass!"

Chalk It Up To Sovereignty

There is no doubt that God is ultimately supreme over all creation. The problem is that we think just because He rules over everything that He controls everything that happens. That is really pretty far from the truth. We sometimes say, "well, if it is God's will it will happen anyways!" When we say that we are saying that it is God's divine will that people are sick, people die, they are demon oppressed or possessed, people are murdered and tortured, raped, abused, addictive, and the list goes on and on. That is so not true! God has given us a huge part in this thing...the freedom and power of choice, the power of prayer, the freedom to act, and so on. We are not puppets on a string! If we were then there is no way that God could be righteous, because he would have been the one that created all this mess. We jacked things up when we sinned and that is the bottom line. God is just having mercy on us and giving us a second chance to make things right. We cannot just chalk up all of our issues and shortcomings to the sovereignty of God. If we do we make God out to be a liar, because He states something totally different in His Word. In Matthew 18:14 Jesus declared, "Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." That Scripture speaks for the character and divine will of God. Anyways, I had to get my preach out for today!

Half Way Up the Mountain

In Exodus 24, we see the account where Moses went up the Mountain of God. Let's lay out the scene: Moses is ascending to the One his heart yearns for to receive one of the most incredible revelations of all time; Joshua, Moses' assistant, went with him, but was left only half way up the mountain; and the children of Israel were left at the base of the mountain, awestruck as the glory of God consumed the top of the mountain where Moses had gone to. Later, because of a severe lack of patience and self control, the Israelites would fall away from their God and create an idol to worship....all in just 40 days, with the glory of God showing from the mountain! Crazy!

I want to expound on Joshua's position for just a moment, because I find myself in the same position in my life right now. I have been reading The Making of a Leader by Frank Damazio, and he brings a huge revelation out of this passage of Scripture that shook me at my core and I am sure will speak to many of you as well. I am in a "Joshua" stage of life right now, a preparation stage so to speak, half way up the mountain. Above is the glory of God, the vision, the plan, the destiny, and below the party is going on, the distractions, the commotion. Above is my destiny, but lingering below is the temptation to give up and compromise. Ever been there?

During times of preparation, God likes to set us at the middle of the mountain, to truly refine all that lies within us. If we will be the leaders of tomorrow, we must go through the refining that takes place half way up the mountain today. 40 days, the time Joshua spent half way up the mountain, is typically symbolic of a time of trial or testing. God put the future leader of Israel in a place where he was faced with the decision to be faithful and wait on his leader or descend back down the mountain...back to the status quo. He passed the test! I bet ol' Josh had plenty of time to think about his current placement as well. I am sure he heard the commotion and distraction below. I am also sure he saw the Glory above. He also defined who he was while he waited. He had time to hash out all the details and get a clear mind about things. Sometimes, God throws the brakes on us and takes us from a place of doing ministry to defining ministry.

What a cool lesson for those of us that find ourselves with a dream, but only half way up the mountain. That dream will come to fruition as long as are willing to pay the price of preparation to see it through. The price of stretching and building. Sure it hurts, but it is so worth the blood, sweat, and tears. We pray for great things, let us not jump ship when the time comes to pay the great price for it. Wait....the Glory at the mountaintop is greater than the glitter at the bottom.

Quick Update

Just wanted to let everybody know that Seth has started saying some more words! He is saying bambi, dumbo, dog, and choo choo! Linds has been faithful to read to him and practice with him on all of his words. He is growing up fast!

Aim Small Miss Small

In the movie The Patriot, Mel Gibson plays the role of William Wallace, a war hero from Scotland. There is one part of the movie where he and two of his sons are about to take on an entire group of soldiers, and the last bit of advice he gives to his young son was, "Aim small, Miss small." For them it meant living or dying. As an avid hunter, I know what it means to make a good shot on your target. It can mean the difference between success and a lot of hard work for nothing. And for the record, I have done both...made incredible shots and horrible ones. It is a lot more fun and a lot less work when you make a good one!

At The Crossing, we have decided to narrow our focus to reaching young families. Not that we will never reach the youth, or the middle-aged, or the elderly. All of these certainly have there place in the family of God, but for us to get this church of the ground and rolling we have to maximize our first "shot." If we miss it, we may not have the option of another shot. The median age in Little Elm, TX is 28. That is our bullseye, others are definitely on the target, they are just the outside rings and not the center focus.

Many times, people tend to have a "buckshot" mentality. Just pull the trigger and let it fly! We don't know for sure what we are going to hit! "It may be sporadic but we might hit something." Not a good idea! We end up just doing a lot of hard work for very little return. We should like it to more of a "rifle" mentality. You have one shot, one bullet, make it count. Lives and destiny's are at stake! By narrowing our focus, we increase our effectiveness. In life, you don't always have the option for a re-do. The damage has been done when the trigger is pulled.

Think about it this way, if we all individually hit our bullseye...we conquer the entire target. Just a quick thought! Have a good one!

Event Advertisment in a Liquor Store

I did it! I went into a liquor store again after 7 years of sobriety! But this time I wasn't looking for the most toxic beverage to get wasted on. I was simply doing a little advertisment for our next outreach! It was quite comical as Zach laughed at me from the truck! I have to be honest, we were both laughing and taken by the moment because a year ago that action would have been out of the question for both of us. But I have a good feelin that Jesus would have done the same thing. Religious folks gave him a pretty hard time for His outreach tactics, but He knew who he was after and He didn't let the ridiculous accusations from the pharisutical crowd sway Him. We want to attract lost people, and what better way to attract them and connect to them than by showing them that we are not afraid to go to them and give them something worth having when we get there. That is how I was reached, and I know that many more would come to Jesus if we had the guts to meet them where they are instead of waiting for them to come to us in all of our pride and pomp. There is a balance, Jesus had people come to Him, but He also pursued them wholeheartedly. He spent time in the Temple, and He spent a lot of time in the market too! I am not saying open yourself up to temptation or expose yourself to danger or We are chasing lost sheep...no matter what the cost. Anyways, chew on that for a little while.

Already Workin' Out

Seth shows off his brute strength on the bun and thigh machine! We are so proud!

Imagine

We have been preparing for our first series at The Crossing. We are taking a team approach to our sermons, with Zach, Seth, and me being the main communicators, while the creative team will assist us with ideas for illustrations, introductions, closers, and so on. As we have been in preperation for our first series, Imagine, God has been dishin' out some cool stuff. As Zach and I started discussing some of this and hashing out ideas yesterday, I really started to get excited about it! Here is a little taste:
To imagine is to have an intangible vision. Everything that exists, including creation itself, started as an intangible vision. It was imagined before it was created. From things as simple as a wooden baseball bat, to things as complex as the i-phone, everything that we can physically touch never materialized until it was initiated by thought first.
People have been imagining things and making them a reality from the beginning of time until now. As we go on, it seems that our imaginations get more and more complex. This generation is seeing things come to pass that the previous generation could have only imagined. If the truth be known, this generation enjoys the benefits of the imaginations that the previous generation had and their willingness to act on and strive for those imaginations to materialize into a reality.
In order to imagine what God has for us, we must visualize the final image that God desires to create through us and be willing to take the course of action that will allow us to attain that measure of greatness. If we can see it, we can be it…if we believe it.
I promise you it gets even better. The things that Pastor Zach will have to say in these initial messages will be incredible, but you will have to come to The Crossing Preview Services to get the rest! See you then!

Do what you gotta do

I have been pretty tuned in to the 08 Olympics in Beijing. One of the only problems I have had is picking up the channel on my t.v. We should be able to get cable or satellite in a month or two, but until then....well the pic says it all!

Installing Work Ethic

Some would say this is cruelty...but I say it is simply encouraging work ethic at a young age!:)

Waiting

The Lord spoke something to me about waiting on Him. On most occasions, I have interpreted the Scripture in Isaiah 40:31 to be on a devotional level and not an ongoing basis. I guess I always think about it that way because I relate waiting on the Lord directly to my prayer life and drawing strength from Him there. Here lately God has been teaching me not to compartmentalize my communication with Him, but to be continually sensitive to His voice.

Jesus said in John 5:19, "I'm telling you this straight. The Son can't independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing." (The Message) If we want to be included in what the Father is doing, we are going to have to learn to wait, watch, and listen for Him at ALL times. By waiting on Him in this way, we allow Him to dominate our entire existence. It's pretty simple...just wait.

Our New Neighbors

We just moved into our new house, and I intentionally made it a goal to connect with my neighbors the first time that I saw them. By doing that, I have already met and connected with most of my surrounding neighbors: Emily, Rodrick, Cindy, Emanuel, and Calista.
The last two names that I just mentioned are actually non-denominational, spirit filled ministers from Zimbabwe. They have two kids, 9 years and 18 months old. It was actually pretty comical the way that we met, it was about 9:00 at night and I had just run outside for a minute to pull some stuff off of the u-haul trailer. I didn't have a shirt on, due to the scorching Texas heat, and here they come pulling up into their driveway. I was going to just say hi and introduce myself from a distance, but they seemed to want to get up close and personal. So, there I was, trying to cover my shameful nakedness and thinking about how awkward the situation was about to get whenever they asked me what I did for a living and I had to tell them pastoring, since most pastors don't just run around without a shirt on. It got a little more embarrassing when they said they were pastors too! Eventually I found a reason to run inside real quick and throw on a shirt while Lindsey continued conversation with them.
Despite the awkwardness of the moment, I couldn't help but just stand there in awe of the God moment we were experiencing. Emanuel and Calista had uprooted and traveled a two day flight from Zimbabwe 5 years ago, leaving everything they had ever known, and here we are in the same boat just not quite that far from home. It was one of those moments that you know something bigger than you is happening at that moment. Who knows what will come out of this connection! I am glad we met them, even at the expense of my embarrassment. God is sooo big!
After talking to them for awhile, Emanuel invited me to come and preach to their congregation some time...which mainly consists of people native to Zimbabwe! That could be just as comical and equally as powerful as meeting Emanuel and Calista for the first time! Please pray for me, that when the opportunity arises, that this very white country boy can speak something life changing into our brothers and sisters from Zimbabwe!

Engaging in Your Call

When you are not actively involved in whatever it is that the Lord has gifted you to do, it thrusts you into a state of vulnerability. It causes you to have to fight harder to serve God on a day to day basis because you can no longer rely on the routine or comfort of your strength. It makes you vulnerable because you lack engagement, and lacking engagement gives us an excuse to let down our guard and get lazy. Anyways, just a quick thought.

More Miraculous Connections

We have had so many "God moments" since we started this church plant! I just got off the phone with a friend of mine, Shanan, that moved to the Little Elm area to be a part of The Crossing, and he was telling me about the connections he has had since they moved here a couple of weeks ago. We haven't even started the main thrust of our marketing yet, and you can already feel the buzz in the air! This place is truly ready for the kind of church we are bringing to the area.

Ben Arment talked about the fact that church planters should check the spiritual climate of an area when considering to plant there. You should ask yourself the question, "has this area been cultivated and prepared for what we are going to bring?" The further along this journey we get, the more I see that Little Elm, TX is cultivated and ready for a major move of God! I am just pumped to be a part of something so great!

We're In!!

We are officially moved into our new house! God totally blessed us with an incredible home! We have a little more stuff to get form the apartment, but for the most part we have everything moved. It feels so good to be back in a house again! After living in a home previously, it is difficult to downsize to an apartment. We are lovin' it! We will try to get some pics on here later.

When Rock Bottom Becomes a Solid Foundation

You know, I really don't care to much for the opinions, stance, or product of J.K. Rowling, but she said something in her speech to a group of Harvard Graduates that really stuck out to me. Her entire speech encompassed the idea of turning failure into success. She talked about how she went through a terrible divorce right out of college that left her as another victim of a failed marriage. After illustrating, she stated the phrase that demanded my attention, she said,"I allowed rock bottom to become a solid foundation to build on."

What a cool thought! If only we would allow the stripping of everything away to become a fresh foundation and not an object of demise. Sure, rock bottom can be cold and lonely, but there are also no other diversions in place to compromise us. You can't go anywhere else but up. The problem is that when we hit rock bottom we tend to let the loss of what we once had overwhelm us. If we find ourselves here, our best bet is to hang onto Philippians 3:13, and go ahead and let go of what is behind us and the things we can't do anything about. The only thing you can do at rock bottom is work with what you've got, and what we have is Christ...the Solid Rock. We can build on Him, He will never falter.

Exposure: An Incredible Teacher

I am beginning to realize just how significant "exposure" is to my success. I can look back on my life and truly see the impact that exposure to different elements has had on my life and on the people around me.

I can remember my dad used to always expose me to some of the highest levels of competition when it came to baseball. So much so, that it became commonplace for me to find myself competing with guys 2 and 3 years older than me. If he would have neglected to expose me to greater levels from a young age, I would have never known what it took to compete at that level nor would I have known that I could compete at that level. Later in life it truly showed by the awards and accomplishments that I was able to achieve. The exposure led me to greater places.

That same element has been vital in my success in life, ministry, marriage, and so on. The people, events, ideas, creativity, etc., that we have been exposed to seems to push us further than we ever thought possible. People with a lack of exposure are also people with a lack of vision and drive. For instance, if you have never been exposed to the need, you can't have a passion to meet that need. If you have never been exposed to someone who is a step ahead of you, you just might find yourself putting "it" into cruise control. If you have never been exposed to creativity, you may struggle to get out of the box yourself. The list could go on forever! You will react to things you are exposed to.

Not only do you react to exposure, but it is also easy to morph to it. Exposure to negativity causes you to be negative. Exposure to passion encourages passion in your own life. Exposure to excellence teaches you to strive for perfection, and so on and so forth. Anyways, exposure....pretty cool thought!

"Martha Mode"

OK, so I am a lot like Martha sometimes. In Luke 10:38-42 Martha was pretty consumed with everything that had to be done, while Mary just sat at the feet of Jesus and listened. Mary had it figured out.

I find myself doing the same thing as Martha....busy, busy, busy. I am a "doer," and I find it hard to just set still. I want to "hit the floor running" everyday. I want to feel productive, and the way I do that is by accomplishing the minuscule tasks of life. I hate pending projects! I am probably the guy that always shakes the table by bouncing my leg up and down underneath, because I can't be still even when I am sitting down. It's how I stay skinny despite the fact that I eat everything in sight all day... I just keep on movin'.

What we fail to realize out of this story is the fact that Mary was being more productive than Martha...and all she was doing was just sitting there...and listening. Production isn't just in physical movement; successful, effective, and precise production always originates with thought first and fulfills itself by acting on that thought or meditation. I guarantee you this, if Mary was more productive in life than Martha it was because she learned to listen and ponder on things first. All of us "high strung" folks got to watch out for this one...the "Martha Mode."

Lindsey's Book

My wife, Lindsey, is in the process of writing a children's book. The content and focus of the book will be to help kids overcome the fear of going to the dentist by utilizing a funny cartoon flare. She has already met a couple of cartoonists and other folks that can help her out. Please pray for her as she carries out all that God has placed in her heart. We will try to keep you updated on the process.

Stretched

I am currently experiencing a season of life that has far surpassed any previous on the subject of stretching. I have preached it, taught it, and even lived it on smaller scales, but it has gone to a new level since we embraced the call to church planting. I know it is for the best, but it sure hurts when you are in the midst of it.

It is easy to lose focus in the midst of the fog of the "stretching process," but I have found that I must keep my eye on the prize or I will perish. When you are severely stretched it is easy to focus so much on the stretching process that the vision gets dimmer and dimmer, and this creates a "fog" so to speak that attempts to rob the initial vision from us. But the vision is sometimes all we have to hang onto, and when we keep our eyes focused on the vision amidst all the question and strain, we show that we truly trust God, and I am beginning to learn that "trust," or in other words "faith," is truly the reason for our stretching in the first place. God stretches us through difficult situations so that our faith is big enough to handle the next portion of our destiny.

I guess the most encouraging concept about my stretching is the fact that I am not being stretched for me alone, but for all of those who will be edified by a stronger leader down the road. Hang in there, God has bigger plans for us. We just have to be stretched to fit into it.

Making the Most of It

What I am about to say is not a leadership lesson or an attempt to try to give the latest greatest blog entry...it is just a voice from the depths of my soul. I am with Seth on this one, it is definitely a time of deep soul searching for me too. Tonight, I found myself out on my balcony just weeping like I haven't wept in awhile as memories from my past dominated my thoughts. I have changed a lot in the past 6 or 7 years, the old country boy isn't just the little old country boy anymore. It seems that life has gotten a little more complicated than just hunting and fishing...bull riding and baseball...family and friends. Lots of things have changed drastically, and in the midst of rapid change you can sometimes lose yourself, and also begin to assess relationships superficially as well. It is easy to just skip through life when we should be delving deep and making the most out of every moment. Before we know it those moments are gone...forever.
I think back to the hundreds and thousands of relationships, connections, and memories that I have made in the past and how many of those moments I just passed off as irrelevant to "the now,"...I wish I had some of them back. The harsh reality is that they are gone along with many of the people...never to be seen or experienced again. The family, the friends, the colleagues, and the acquaintances...most of which I took for granted at one time or another.
My prayer is that God would truly teach me how to make the most out of every opportunity, God only knows how many more of them I have. To truly love my wife and son, to truly value every person and relationship in my life. To make conversations a true connection instead of a shallow gesture. To love God and people unconditionally, and to recognize the value of every moment.

Kick Out the Nest

I have had these birds, doves namely, hanging out and making babies on my balcony for the past few weeks. The female (I am guessing) just perched up on her nest for the duration of the incubation period, and then last week...they arrived, two little baby doves! I watched them as they just sat there for a couple of days, but something crazy happened after those first couple of vulnerable days. One morning as I looked out onto my balcony, I noticed something. Not only was my balcony covered in dove fecal matter :), but the doves nest had been destroyed and spread out everywhere! I looked up, and there they sat clinging to the edge of a high ledge probably trying to figure out who was going to jump first! The parent doves hung out for a little while to ensure the safety of the baby doves, and then they checked out. So the little ones were left with no home, no parents, and forced to leave the only source of comfort and protection they had ever known.

I am sorry, but I can't help but apply it to leadership. The momma dove had a pretty good handle on what it took to see these little ones spread their wings and do what God had created them to do...kick out the nest! I am sure the baby birds were freaking out at first, but thankful later. When raising up leaders, kick the nest out and put them into situations where they have to "jump and fly."

Get Yourself a "Fat Head"

I have been fighting the "big head" syndrome since the Rangers signed me!

Frustrations

I have a couple of frustrations at the moment.

#1 would be the fact that we were supposed to close on our house YESTERDAY and now we are not sure when we are going to close because the people writing off on our loan think that they own the world and can move at their own pace!

#2 Seth is teething and we are trying to break the "passie" habit as well, so...well, you get the picture!

But this too shall pass, I have a couple seasons of "24" to watch and I am gearing up for a fun weekend at the lake so that gives me some hope for joy in the near future!

Random Stuff

• God continues to open huge doors for The Crossing. We finally secured most of our equipment and it looks like we are about to secure our location (which has been a major miracle...believe me!) I will elaborate on details in a later blog. Also, our website is up! Follow the link above.
• I just passed another Berean test with a 98%! On my way to ordination soon!
• Seth just had his eighth tooth come in.
• The only place I can connect with the wireless Internet from the club house right now is on the counter right next to the stove and refrigerator. It is pretty convenient though, I don't even have to get up to get anything to eat!
• We finally get to close on our house next Tuesday!

Nothing is Impossible

During this whole church planting adventure we have found ourselves in numerous "impossible" situations. Many people have looked from the fleshly eye and have questioned and criticised the move we took individually and as a team. But ever since we embraced God on this challenging journey we have witnessed miracle after miracle. Way too many miracles with way too many intricate details to mention in this short blog. It is pretty cool to be on the edge of what God is doing rather than just swapping old victory stories from the past. Lindsey and I are excited and humbled to be a part of something so awesome. God still works miracles through His love, and it is pretty awesome to watch Him do His thing. It is a Power that just can't adequately be described with words.

As I was strolling through my blog roll this morning, I came across one of Gary Lamb's latest blogs. In it he put the links to this song and the story behind it. I have heard this song many times before but it seems like it is just one of those songs that sticks with you over time. The story behind it is a great story of mercy and miracle. I think the bridge of the song has definitely become my motto. Check it out! The first link is the song, and the second one is the story.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4xsWldmqAo&eurl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ_ny8hMgRY&feature=related

Screamin' Plants

During our "Saturday Morning Cartoon Extravaganza" this morning, me and little man watched Beakman's World. While Beakman was answering viewer questions, he stumbled across one that asked, "Do plants really make noise when they need water?" His answer was something I had never heard before....YES! I did not know that plants made a high pitched screaming noise when they need water, higher than what we can hear, almost like a dog whistle or something. Maybe I just missed that one during 3rd grade Science class, anyways, just humor me.

Ever been there? Screamin' out, and nobody can hear you. You need relief, but it seems that you are doing nothing more than blowing a whistle that nobody else can hear. This is a common place, not only for leaders, but it seems that this silent scream has found it's way into all of our lives sooner or later. Nobody to talk to, they wouldn't understand, their judgments to much to handle, but the bottom line....if you don't get some water pretty soon, you will die in this desert land we call life.

Thank God for His Son Jesus, that gave us a promise in John 7:37, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." The only difference between our inner scream and a plants' scream is the simple fact that when we scream out, someone hears us.

In High Demand

The other day, I had a thought about working with volunteer helpers and lay ministers....people who put in lots of work for not a lot of pay! How much can you demand from them? When have you asked for too much? When are you on safe ground? Have you strained your relationship? Are you still scraping the bottom of the bucket when the supply ran out a long time ago? These are all questions that run through the minds of leaders whose realms stretch beyond paid employees.

As I pondered this question it seemed as though Jesus spoke with clarity to my spirit and said, "You can go as far as your investment and chemistry will allow you." What a thought! Jesus invested everything into his followers while always attempting to make a valid connection with everyone He met. His time, His resources, His energy, His passion, His LIFE, everything He had...He invested. Investments insure that our stock is sufficient for the demand. In the leadership arena though, investment is not enough alone. The Scriptures are clear about the first century church, "they had everything in common." (Acts 2:44) Sounds like a pretty incredible chemistry to me! Surely they weren't all the same personalities with the same interests. So, why were they so connected? They had the same goal and the same purpose in view. They followed the same vision wholeheartedly....they all KNEW the vision! No matter how many different ministries we have, and how diverse the responsibilities, there must be one common thread, something strong enough to hold everyone together and push them towards the end result while allowing them to operate in their individual giftings. Their "common thread" was to love God and love people (as should ours be), and that very command kept them connected and energized to see the mission fulfilled. But, that would have never happened if Jesus didn't first invest, and He couldn't have invested without some type of chemistry or connection. That is why His teachings were always relative to the audiences personalities and experiences. It was probobly the reason Paul stated "I become all things to all men that I might win some."(1 Cor. 9:22) Investment and Chemistry absolutely go hand in hand. If I invest in you, but I have no chemistry with you, you might respect me for my investment while you will still be reluctant to fully commit to me or the mission because there is no real connection between us. If we have a great chemistry, but we never invest anything into the relationship, the chemistry that initially connected us will dissolve. Given, we will not always have a personal chemistry with everyone we meet, but there should be One Common Thread with the people we serve with.

I could talk about this for awhile, but that is it in a nutshell. If we want our volunteers and laity to respect us and stay on board we should invest in them and allow the chemistry provided to the body of Christ through the Cross to keep us connected. Just a thought!

The Most Horrible Thing

I had to take Seth to get his 12 month shots yesterday. It was a heart-wrenching experience to say the least! The nurse immediately stated that Seth would be needing 7 SHOTS! Of course, I freaked and asked, "Why so many?!" After my confessed concern, she found her mistakes and the total was reduced to 5....still a lot of torture for my little man, but better than the alternative. I was unaware of the fact that they could've also combined the shots to minimize the number of punctures he would recieve, and so ignorantly, I held Seth's little hand while they commenced to gouge his little thighs with five needles. It was horrible to watch him go through such repeated pain. I know....I know, it was the best thing for him, but it was still a grueling experience. I was pretty upset when I found out that she could have combined the shots and never told me! Anyways, after that experience, my thoughts reverted back to the relentless punishment that the Son of God endured. I couldn't help but think about Jesus on the Cross, and the Father having to turn his head from His one and only Son as he suffered so intensely. At least I was able to comfort my son, God had to turn from His Son because Jesus became sin on the Cross for our forgiveness. For the first time in all of eternity or all eternity to come, Jesus and the Father were separated from communion together, as evidenced in Matthew 27:46. I cannot fathom the weight of that moment. It boggles me. The love, the sacrifice, the victory....it is all so deep. It is hard for me to let my son go through agony even when it is for his own benefit, much less letting him endure it for someone else! God's love amazes me...and it challenges me to confront my own shallow version of love and delve deeper and deeper into that Love that knelt at that whipping post, bore the shame, endured the mockery, and hung there on that Cross over 2,000 years ago.

Freedom

OK, so God woke me up the other night for one of those 3a.m. meetings, you know....one of those bitter sweet experiences. I hate being messed with when I am sleeping, but I am sure glad that I responded to God that night! God began to pour into my spirit some pretty cool bits of wisdom on the topic of freedom. Here are a few of the highlights from that awesome meeting:

• Freedom is a release from the things that hold us captive, from the powers that delve us deeper and deeper into despair, from the demons that incapacitate us, and from the temptations that manipulate us.
• Freedom is never relegated to one specific place, but is meant to better the lives of those surrounding it, and not only better them, but solidify them as well.
• When you are set free, you have a responsibility to that freedom to allow it to permeate the areas surrounding you. If you ever stifle that freedom, you will surely lose it...freedom has a natural progression, not recession.