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There are a lot of good things in the world.  There are also a lot of good things that you could be doing right now.  But instead of spending every moment of your day attempting to do one more good thing, most of us are pretty content in finding hope and sacrifice in just a few great things… hopefully.  It’s probably one reason I’ve pretty much abandoned this blog – it was just one more thing that isn’t high on my list of priorities.

In life and ministry, one of the hardest things to live and teach is the beauty of saying “no”.  Unfortunately I’ve learned this lesson the hard way – and almost daily continue to struggle with this very thing.  Honestly, there are a ton of great ministries to be a part of. There are plenty of missions and missionaries that need help.  But we can only do so much.  I’m sure I could spend every minute of the day in the office, planning an event each week; but ultimately I’d prefer to do a few things great.

The saddest part is the choice I see teenagers and families make almost every day.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with sports, music, or any other extra-curricular activities – the question isn’t are these things good (because most likely they are), but are they great?  Or an even better question, ‘Is this the best way for God to get glory from my life?’ What’s sad isn’t their choice to become active in many of these endeavors; the sad part is that they choose these things in spite of their walk with Christ.

Before I get labeled, let me quickly mention that this is not a blanket statement covering all students.  There are many who leverage their influence and talents for God’s glory already – but the problem lies in the intention of involvement.  Quite simply, sometimes the best thing a student can do to pursue Christ is to simply say “no” if it keeps them from growing with God and displaying His glory.  In other words, if anyone is involved in an activity for any reason apart from using it for God, they need to say no.  Especially when that activity they are choosing to be a part of limits their growth with other believers.

When we spread ourselves thin, not only are less effective at the things we are already involved in, but we limit ourselves from really experiencing greatness.  Sometimes, “no” is all you need.  Learn your limits and pick your priorities wisely.

It seems at least once a year I take an unintentional hiatus from blogging.  Honestly, it’s difficult to get back into the habit of blogging when you’ve taken a break.

In the past 3 months I have started at a new church, moved houses, been to Barbados and now I’m nursing a sinus infection.  It seems there has always been ‘something’ to keep me from having any free time to blog.  Even now I am a tad overwhelmed with everything – and to be honest, I cannot wait to be finally moved fully into our new house.

So let me tell you about a little bit of what God has been doing in our lives:

I spent the beginning of the year anticipating a change in ministry- and God brought us to Prince Avenue Baptist Church near Athens, GA.  It is a GREAT church that God is doing so much in!  I have followed a guy who was here for 29 years (which is almost unheard of in any circles whether pastor or youth pastor) and there are some big shoes to fill.  I welcome the challenge and am enjoying it.  In fact, last sunday we voted in a Middle School Pastor – so I am looking forward to that partnership as well.

I commuted for 6 weeks to work – which is about an hour and 15 minute drive.  It could’ve been much worse, but with everything going on around here, it kept me pretty busy!  I would return home only to help Melanie pack a few things up in boxes and spend a few precious minutes with Shay.

I was THRILLED to sell my home, however our buyer picked a closing date that made our lives a little stressful (though not as stressful as not selling our home!) – by setting our closing date 3 days before we left for Barbados.  That got pushed back to 2 days, which pushed our closing on our new house to the day before we left on our mission trip!  We closed on Wednesday morning on our new home, moved all day wednesday, had youth group wednesday night and left the house at 6:30am for Barbados on Thursday!  It was CRAZY!

I was the Project Coordinator for an International World Changers event in Barbados.  Actually, more specifically I was the PC for the first ever Powerplant International which worked through IWC.  We had 67 participants and saw God do some amazing things that week!

We arrived home to a house full of boxes to unpack.  It’s not the worst scenario in the world, but when you’re looking forward to relaxing on the couch – first you have to find the couch, then clear it, then lay down.  If all we had were boxes it would be one thing, but that next week we had c3 camp  and VBS here at church.  I helped a little with C3 and Mel helped with VBS.

Last Saturday, Mel left for her families vacation.  I am hoping to catch up with them on Wednesday night and stay until Saturday so I can be back for church – but now it turns out I have a sinus infection.  I think I’m just ready to get back ‘in the groove’.

So, needless to say – while I have taken a hiatus, I have really just been trying to stay on top of things.  I think when you do blog (or simply write) relatively often, you start thinking in blog form.  It’s like when I’m able to Twitter (no data on my phone for the past 2 months has kept me from twittering as much) frequently, I start thinking in 140 characters or less.

One thing is certain in the midst of the craziness starting out this year – I am thrilled to be exactly where God wants me at a wonderful church.  I have thankful (beyond measure) for an incredible family who has stuck through so much and stayed strong.  I am blessed to be in an incredible house – that is definitely one of the nicest places I have ever lived.  I am looking forward to many great years ahead!

I’m sure there are more, but in my short experience I have noticed at least 3 different types of churches.  Often times these churches reflect their pastors, but in reality their culture can be so ingrained that it would take many years for a pastor to ‘undo’ or ‘redo’ anything that needs a little bit of a change.  It is another reason why it is so imperative that a church hire a pastor that they can follow and trust – because it is difficult to move forward without a leader.

My names are pretty lame, but you get the idea nonetheless.

1.  The Dead-in-the-water Church. This is the church that hasn’t seen ‘life’ in a long time.  They are doing the same thing they did 50 years ago with no results.  The church is shrinking because the congregation is dying out.  They have no desire to change and are otherwise ignorant to the fact that they are largely ineffective not just in reaching their community, but in reaching their own congregants.  This type of church is happy not making waves and their primary goal is to stay afloat and pay the bills.

2.  The Struggling-to-breathe Church. This church has seen better days, and often speaks of those days with fondness.  There is sometimes a desire to break out of their shell and other times a willingness to do whatever it takes.  Often the struggling church struggles because everybody isn’t on board with the same vision.  There is a tension because there is a desire to grow, but not a desire to change in order to reach that growth.  Many don’t understand that changing in methods is not a change in theology or philosophy in ministry.  Another version of this church could be ‘the fluff’ church.  One that may be growing numerically, but they aren’t grounded and solid in the Word.  It’s not just enough to get warm bodies in the door – it’s a matter of what we DO that defines our direction here.

3.  The Solid and Growing Church. Probably the least common (unfortunately) church is the solid and growing church.  This is a church that trusts their leadership, that is faithful to the task of fulfilling the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.  They are often the ones found doing the ministry, and not just talking about it.  This church is not to be confused with a fluff church – as often they appear to be solid and growing but truthfully it’s built on the fame of the pastor, methods, or something beyond the Gospel.  While it’s easy to measure a church by it’s tangible growth, a solid church will also have intangible growth as more and more people become disciples and further commit to following Christ.

Just a few thoughts I’ve had lately that probably aren’t worth much!

There is a big disconnect within many Christians today – and it’s in the fact that they “buy” their faith instead of owning it.  In fact, a better way to our ideal is to let our faith own us.  Instead of giving everything we have toward the mission of God, we tend to look at our faith like a commodity.

I have been guilty of this in the past as well.  I fell into the trap of buying “Christian” t-shirts, only listening to “Christian” music, and of course going to church for all of the wrong reasons.  The problem isn’t in a t-shirt with a cheesy slogan – the problem is that we often purchase a lifestyle instead of giving ourselves over to a new way of life.  The term “Christian” was never meant to refer to anything other than the people of God.  There is no “Christian” music, just music that honors or doesn’t honor Christ.

Semantics?  Maybe, but we all need to be careful to not fall into the trap of simply trying to wear all of the right clothes, listen to the ‘right’ stuff, and finish our checklist.  Everything we do should be motivated by a desire to give God glory.  He deserves all we have — and I’ve got a feeling he’s not a huge fan of the cheesy shirts either.

My friend Ben posted a link to a guys blog who projected some images on a church building a night.  This looks way cool, and I want to do it now!  Can’t you imagine how cool Prince’s new building would look lit up like this?  :)

Check out the pics here.

My good friend Judd who used to be a worship leader at our church posted this music video on his blog.  It’s probably one of the coolest video’s I’ve seen in a while.  Watch it below, then check out Judd’s blog – he’s a pretty great guy.

Click here for the video

I’m a chronic insomniac, and it’s bad.  I can’t sleep at night.  I have theories why, but it’s been the case as far back as I remember.  Especially when there is a big day, or I sense God doing something big – I’m up all night, my mind racing as to what He is teaching me.  Other nights I’m probably watching something on hulu.com

Maybe it’s my dad snoring in the room next to me (Thank you Jesus for allowing us to get 2 separate rooms next week in Florida!), but I just can’t fall asleep.

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