Looking Forward to the Weekend.

Heading to Tennessee this weekend. Leaving Friday night after my bus route. We are meeting Kelly Dempsey and her family for supper in Soddy Daisy on our way to Dunlap to be with Mom and Dad. She lives in Dayton. I haven't seen her or really even heard about her since we graduated. It was nice to reconnect on Facebook and share our stories with each other. She has a great story of grace and redemption. It will be nice to meet her husband and daughter. We are also going to try to hook up with Dave and Mary Snow on Saturday. They will be in Chatt for their son's graduation from TTU. It has probably been about 5 years since I have seen Dave. It will be good to see him again.
We will be spending most of Sat. with Pattie's mom. Keep praying for her and her health.
We will spend Sunday with my mom and dad.
It should be a great weekend.

Lessons in Waiting!

If waiting on the Lord is suppose to renew our strength, then why is it wearing me out? I know the Word is true and that God's promises are sure so the problem must be with me. Maybe I'm not really waiting. Instead of resting, I am pushing. Instead of trusting, I'm doubting. The longer it takes for God to fulfill your dream or answer your prayer, the easier it gets to doubt. And its not that I doubt God but that I begin to question the dream or prayer. Abraham definitely dealt with this as 25 years passed and still no son. I'm sure Noah wondered if the ark was really how he should be spending his time. David probably laughed at being a king while sitting in a cave. I'm in good company! The time between my perceived call to Denver and the actual fulfillment has been longer than anticipated thus allowing room to question and doubt. So today I went back to the beginning when I first sensed the call and wrote down all the reasons why I felt God was calling me to Denver.

1. We were led to Denver through prayer. I laid out the US map and prayed that if He didn't want me to continue here that He would show me another place. Shortly after that Denver pooped up on the radar.
2. The Word confirmed the call. There were many reasons to stay in GA but the Word kept giving us permission to go. We only found encouragement through the Word.
3. It was accompanied by circumstances that seemed like signs pointing us to Denver. E-mails, bumper stickers, license plates, IHOP menu items, t-shirts, TV shows, songs, everything was talking about and showing us Denver.
4. People agreed with our call. Family and Friends encouraged us in this endeavor.
5. My wife was in agreement and also received signs and confirmation.
6. Bob and Monica Selby agreed to move with us to Denver and be our Worship Leaders. They were also involved in the praying and received confirmation.
7. On our visit to Denver, I heard God's voice say that I didn't need to "understand it or figure it all out but just surrender to it because this is where I want you."
8. I had a strong sense that God was done with me in our current area in GA. That He was calling us to another city, a different environment, a special community.
   
9. A sure sense that God still had a work for me to do. There is a fire in me to follow God and do His work. I cannot lay it down.
10. Definitely felt Spirit-led to Denver. I did not dream it up or necessarily desire it.
11. A strong desire to plant a church and do something new.

It is good and even necessary to remember the promise, to refresh the dream, to assure the call. It was real then and is real now. I remain open for God to change His direction at anytime but I expect to complete this task. I must rest in this call and stop pushing my agenda and time table. I must trust the God who loves me, the God who speaks and stop doubting the silence. I must wait and be renewed so I can soar on wings like eagles.

Easter Firsts!

We've had a great Easter. Church was awesome. Great crowd! The Pointe is a great church. Pattie cooked a great lunch and Matthew and Jacob joined us. There were some firsts though:

• First time in 6 years that I haven't preached on Easter. Bummer! What preacher doesn't want to be preaching on any Sunday let alone Easter Sunday.
• First time we didn't color eggs. I have no more children!
• First time that we went to Easter Service without any of our kids. It would be sadder if I wasn't so proud of where my children are in their lives.

Florida Pics

Rayanne, Matthew, Jacob with Nick and Dakota
Me and Jacob
Eating at the Crab trap with my beautiful wife. We had a great time.

The Pristine Jesus

Yesterday, my pastor, Brian Jones, brought up the subject of how we have feminized Jesus and Christianity. He had 2 lists of characteristics on the screen and asked which one was most Christian. Afterward, He disclosed that the 2 lists were taken from the popular book, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus describing the differences between men and women. The list overwhelmingly chosen as Christian was the feminine side. It reminded me of some things I had written in my journal not too long ago and goes along with what I have taught at Axios the past few years on how we have mistakenly thought that our goal is to be good when God has so much more in mind for us:
"Jesus was sinless but not pristine. He was pure but not sanitized. He was not of this world but was in it completely. He was holy but not OCD. He was not afraid to get dirty. His feet were dust covered as He walked among the crowds. He put his hands in the mud, He wrote in the dirt, He ate with unwashed hands. He drank wine and ate meat. He touched lepers and dead people and was not afraid to be touched by tax collectors, prostitutes, drunks and the homeless. He was touchable, approachable, compassionate, available. He didn't find people intolerable nor did He simply tolerate people. He knew everything without being a know-it-all. He was perfect without being judgmental. He obeyed Scriptures but broke a lot of rules. And most of the time, I am nothing like Him."
Oh, to have the courage to be Jesus instead of a christian. To leave my nice, neat, suburban, religious life for something more wild, daring and free. But I shouldn't talk like this. People might get the wrong impression. They might think I'm wreckless or irresponsible or unreasonable or simply going through a mid-life crisis. They may even say I'm crazy. But, hey, didn't they say that about Jesus? Maybe I'm getting more like Him than I think.

What We've Been Up To Lately

• Friday night, Pattie, Rayanne and I helped our church put on a Moonlight Easter Egg Hunt. Fortunately the rain stopped in time and the wind blew through to dry the ground just enough to allow the event. It was a good turn out inspite of the cold and clouds. Not much hunting at this event. More like an egg race or egg stampede. Gave out 10,000 candy-filled eggs. Registered a lot of unchurched families.
• Saturday was beautiful. Started with a haircut at Jenny's and I love spending that time with her. God is doing a lot in both of our lives right now.
• Did some things that Spring just makes you want to do - car washing, grass cutting, dog washing. It was good to be in the warm sunshine after so many days of rain.
• Joe performed at the Woodstock Coffee House that night. That's always fun and he always does a great job. Lots of friends and family showed up.
• Ben is home for Spring Break. Its good to have him around.
• Loved Michigan St. making it to the NCAA finals especially with all the disrespect the Big 10 got this year. I hope we make all the Carolina boys cry like girls like we did when Indiana beat them back in the Jordan days.
  
• Sunday was very good at church with banjo playing and the Lord's Supper. Had lunch at Bob and Monica's afterward.
• House full of girls last night and this morning. Lots of laughing and screaming!
• Pattie, Rayanne and I are heading to Ft. Walton Beach on Tuesday with the Warrington's and taking our grandson's along. It should be fun! We'll be back on Friday.
• I need to be going. Lots to do today.