Heading HOME from Home!!!!

Two weeks later, and we are now less than 20 hrs from getting in the car again and heading back to Wilmington. It had been nearly 10 months since I had been back to what I've always called HOME, and I've learn a ton in my two weeks back. When we moved, we left because the only thing holding us here was comfort. Now, a year after making the decision to move, we realize the only thing we have here is Family. We do miss the area, the landscape, family and friends, but our calling is so much greater and we are so ready to get back. As I've said to some people here, this is what I called home for 22 years, and now I feel like I've been completely disconnected from our world for 2 weeks and I'm HOME! Does that mean home for me has changed...I don't know, but our world is definitely not in Arkansas any more...our family is, but what God has for us is in the Carolina's. We have fallen in love with the people, the church and the area, and now we are just waiting to see what it is that God is calling us to do! We followed faithfully in the move, we've grown, learned, and been ministered in ways we would have never gotten here in Arkansas. So, as we head back tomorrow morning, we look forward to it in ways we never realized. Driving back I remember having the thought of "what if we don't want to go back?" But that is not even part of my thinking right now. My heart has been shifted in ways I didn't realize and I'm so absolutely pumped to get back and lead people to Christ through all that I am and do! God has been preparing us for something great in the most wild roller coaster I've ever been on. We are looking for our place in ministry, we are trying to get out of debt, we are looking to lead people around us in a whole new way, and we are working on our relationships with God and each other so that there is nothing to get in the way of God and His hand on our lives. I was told once, Just follow God and PRAY that you don't get in His way! I'm afraid that getting in His way may be pretty painful, so I'm trying to follow Him and looking forward to having NO CLUE in where that may lead us! God has done unbelievable things in our lives through the last year, and now looking back on our 2 week visit back Home, we are leaving for HOME with a new passion and perspective, NOT TO MENTION ANTICIPATION!!!

Life's a Trip...

So, after having just completed one of the longest road trips I've ever taken, Sara and I are finally back in Arkansas. I'll tell you one thing, it was an odd feeling driving back into an area that I actually recognized. I was full of emotion but I truly couldn't tell you what that emotion was...excited, anticipation, fear...you name it, I felt the full range and I couldn't explain why. I felt like I was so delusional from just having been up for nearly 30 hrs with about 4 hours of uncomfortable sleep that I didn't understand the feelings. Now that I'm sitting at "home" with my parents, I think about the realization I had on the way here. I realized that I had become the one in the family that was going to be traveling home for the holidays...never thought that would be me...didn't even see myself living outside of Arkansas, much less half way across the Country! I will tell you, seeing that first Arkansas license plate and HOG sticker on someones truck brought back my Arkansan PRIDE instantly!!!

I look at all that God has taken us through in the last year and can't help but wonder what is going to happen this next year. At this point a year ago, we were planning on moving back in with my parents on our way out to Wilmington, NC...and now we will head back in 2010 knowing that there are some huge possibilities ahead of us in the near future(More on this as details come). I'm pumped to see what God has in store, but I'm truly looking forward to seeing all of our family in the next two weeks and getting a chance to reconnect and relax. God is doing a work in my heart, and I just don't want to get in the way of what He has planned. As many of us have the chance to take some time off, I would encourage you to not only to focus on family, but sit down and focus on what it is that God wants from you, make sure you are healthy during this break. Relax, recharge, and seek God. I'm looking for God to really speak and reveal things to me over this break, and I hope that I can challenge you to do the same. God has something great in store for you no matter what position you are in currently, just look to Him and He will blow any expectations you have out of the water! Everyone have an amazing Christmas and ASK God to speak to you! SEEK HIM!!!

Just Be Jesus!!!

I was thinking this morning about a comment that was made to me right after Sara and I moved out here that will forever change my life. My heart breaks for people in a way I didn't know it could. We were challenged to truly love those that we serve, even in our everyday working lives. This lead me on one of my strange yet interesting thought processes that ultimately led me to thinking about growing up in the Baptist Church. I love the church I grew up in, love the people, love the leadership that was over me, and love the ministry they have...but the one thing I truly hated was door to door ministry! I didn't understand it then, and maybe that is because I was scared half to death to do it...but anyone who know me well will tell you that I am extremely analytical and look for the practical and logical reasons for doing something...and I never agreed with it! I remember going on mission trips and dreading the time where I would have to go door to door and "Witness" to people. My mind thought like this...if someone like me walked up to the door of someone like my dad, this is how it would go: Knock Knock Knock.......door opens and huge 6'4" man meets me at the door...me-6'0" and 140 pounds soaking wet. I'm freaked out, say something along the lines of do you go to church or are you a Christian, my dad would look at me, say something close to you don't need to go to church and I'm not interested and the door would shut. Now, note that my dad is not a mean, hard man, but he is like me, logical and real, and what he knows is that the Christians that he has dealt in his past are not the type of people that he wants to be.
So, after thinking this morning about what I was told and what I was "trained" to do in the Baptist Church, I came to the conclusion that the only way to truly reach people is to love them and JUST BE JESUS!!! This begs me to ask the question, how do you make friends? Do you just walk up to some strangers door and ask them to be your friend or be friends with someone else they don't see with you? NO, you get to know them, let them learn to trust you, and live life together helping each other through the hard times. This to me is the way that we should do it...now, not to say that some door to door evangelism doesn't work, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that know Christ because of some bold kids, but you know as well as I do that when someone knocks on your door, your first reaction isn't...AWESOME, someones at the door! I've learned to love those around me, build relationships, and let Jesus reach them through that, I just need to be Jesus to them!!! Jesus went into the homes of those he knew or he had met through daily living, NOT just knocking on a door and asking them to be his friend and welcome him in for the night....I challenge you to search the scriptures, look at the life of Christ and see what it is that He is calling you to do and how, and JUST BE JESUS

We're Opening the Small Boxes

Today, Sara and I visited Barefoot Church down in North Myrtle Beach, SC. We had an incredible time hanging out with several staff and volunteers and joining them in worship. Pastor Clay presented a message that was extremely challenging and not to mention appropriate for us as we are going through this season in our lives. The message challenged everyone to open the small things so that we can get to the larger gifts. Just as with a child and Christmas, it doesn't really matter what is in the box, it usually matter to them for who gets the biggest gift. As Christians, he challenged us to look to God in faith and be looking for the smaller gifts to open so that we can get to the bigger ones. I realized that we are in that season right now in our lives. We have tried to take the gift from God as they come and figure out what it is that God has us to do, but there are several things that have the opportunity to hold us back. We have to completely focus on God, Listen closely to what He is telling us to do, and...as Pastor Clay put it, GET OUT OF THE LAZY-BOY!!! You can't follow God sitting on your tail, God has called us to minister to others, and that's hard when the only thing we are focused on is ourselves!

To fill you in, the last couple weeks have been a sort of cleansing process by God...getting rid of the junk in our lives that may cause us to stumble and He is setting us up for something BIG! Barefoot Church is an amazing church with an incredible heart for the people of North Myrtle Beach. God has a plan and I look forward to seeing what that is, but for now, I'm going to focus on the small gifts that God has given me and never lose sight of God! We so look forward to continuing to build the relationship we have started with Barefoot Church!!!

DEBT BEAT DOWN!!!

When I graduated from school, I knew that I had a ton of debt that was going to be dropped on us within 6 months and I wasn't to happy about it then. Being nearly a year and a half since I finished school, it has been the biggest hit to our finances since. We have a few other debt items that are holding us back from really being able to live the way we feel like God has called us to. Sara got out of school with no debt, we have a small credit debt from making it through the past couple of months during our move, and a few medical bills, and we will have a car payment coming here in the next two months from an extremely generous gift that was given to Sara by her parents. I'm going to be extremely transparent so that others can hold us accountable to this and also see that no matter what hole you are in, you can make it out. We are currently in a position that we have right now just over $33,500 in debt(and remember, that's about 70% school loans) and those are split into 7 different bills. With the budget that we have set up, we will be able to pay off with just our income 3 and possibly 4 of those bills in the next year. Getting the snowball rolling as Joe Sangl says! The other bills that we have will be payed off through time, the last being obviously my school loans. Financially, God has finally blessed us with the stable income to make the decisions to we have to get out of this debt we have. I am also planning on selling my car, getting something cheaper, using that money to put down on the debt, and then also putting nearly every bit of our next income tax return on the debt outside of creating an emergency account. So, be praying for us, because I'm sick of this debt that feels like a weight on our shoulders and I want to get rid of it ASAP!!!

Life Change All Up In My Face

Life change happens right in front of us all the time and most of the time we don't slow down long enough to either one-let God use us or two-take hold of opportunities God is hitting us in the forehead with. I've had a couple instances that have happened over the past month that may be an encouragement to anyone who may read this.

I was sharing with our Sunday morning, 5AM bible study guys a couple of weeks ago out a situation with my car. Basically, my car got towed for no reason and I fought for about 5 hours on the Saturday before I shared with them to get it back without paying. Without going into all of the details on that situation I will go into detail on the conversation I had with my neighbor who had a friend staying with her whom also had her car towed(Her's was a legit tow, mine on the other hand...I did get it without paying if your wondering!) While we sat in the lobby of our apartment complex waiting for things to unfold, the conversation started out with them dropping just about every four letter word you can think of out of frustration. I'm going to give you a break down of how the conversation went so if you don't follow it, read it again and I think it will make since.

So, it started out talking about how we felt about the complex, what I paid for our 2 bedroom, were we lived previously, how much more expensive and smaller that it was, if Sara was my wife living with me, then how we had ended up in Wilmington, what I do for work, the fact that she used to work for the lady that replaced, how she hated it, what I used to do for work, that I'm a youth pastor, if I work at a church now and what church we go to now, how she feels like she needs to get back to going to church and wants to be connected in a small group, the fact that me and Sara lead the Life Groups at Lifepoint....inviting her to come back to church and check out Lifepoint.

Now that I'm done with that, I hope you followed the progress of conversation. The biggest point that I want to make is that in all of the frustration and just staight up being pissed off that my car had been towed and they were wanting me to pay $100 to get it back, I made a point at the beginning of the day to ask God to use this situation rather than focusing on the situation. All said and done, I was pumped to know in my own heart that I had done what God wanted me to. I was fulfilled in know that, without knowing that she may come to church some week, which by the way she did a couple weeks later with another friend of hers...and she said she loved it! As I sit in the same spot I did that morning and remember the feeling of frustration but realization that its not about me or my situation but that God has a plan in all things makes me realize how important it is to slow down and look for God in all that we do. So, when I wake up, when I go to work, when I look at my wife, everything...my focus has to be on what God wants from me!

It's been a while!

I've been thinking a lot lately and realized how much blogging helped me get out my ideas/feelings. Thought that I would start a new blog for myself, but then again, I don't want to deal with starting a new one. Our lives have been completely thrown everywhere in the last year. Everything from moving to Wilmington after a modern day computerized dart throw at a map, to having the responsibility of a Life Group ministry put under us, to meeting new friends that have changed our lives forever. Being homesick has reached a whole notha level. When I realized that I will not have seen any family in over 10 months by the time we get home for Christmas blew my mind. Before our move, I hadn't went more than a month without seeing family. Being a holiday has made it even harder. Standing outside of the King's house outside of Raleigh, looking over the Lake behind their house, I realized how much I missed Arkansas, Family, and friends back home...but then I realized how absolutely blessed we are to be in the position we are. Having as many people invite us over to join their families for Thanksgiving as we did has blown my mind. God has placed us in a position that has truly challenged both of us, but for me, the friends I have made challenge me daily to focus on my relationship with God, with Sara, and doing everything I can to be a leader and example of Christ to anyone. I've been challenged to truly reevaluate what it means to live in a constant relationship with Christ and what it means to live ministry, not be in a ministry. The feelings I have felt over the last couple months has been one of humble growth and confused direction. God has called us to this area for a reason, but beyond this, I have no clue. It may be the typical thing to say, but I've grown more in the past 10 months than I've ever grown. My life has been thrown upside down, our relationship is stronger than ever, and I can see how God is setting us up for something huge!!! Hold me accountable, whomever reads this, blogging helps me get things out, and I look forward to sharing the ideas that I feel God is placing on my heart so that I can possibly use this to help anyone that may read this. Love you all and look forward to getting back into a good habit of expressing myself. If I can help you in any way, let me know!

PS...Starting on a plan of getting out of Debt and will be giving updates periodically, but pray for Sara and I to stick to it and kick this Debt we have in the Teeth!!!!

If you attend Lifepoint, you NEED to read this!

So, I don’t quite know how to go about telling this but here goes. We were absolutely blown away last night in our Life Group. Our group is comprised mostly of younger couples from what we had gathered from talking with everyone, but we also knew there was a couple that we didn’t know much about, that was new to Lifepoint, and that was looking to get plugged into a couples group...by the way, we also knew that she had an accent from talking with her on the phone. NOW, bringing you to tonight. We only had 4 people show up, but we had a dating couple that attends UNCW who we haven’t met before come, and then our foreign friend and her Personal Assistant. Now, when I say Personal Assistant, I mean a individual that is helping her get acclimated to the U.S. (getting a bank account set up, drivers license, all the stuff we see as normal and a pain)!!! Through talking with them, we found out that she has only been in the U.S. since Thursday, September 10^th as I recall (three weeks!). On Friday, she received a door hanger from Lifepoint saying something about a Church. Now, on to the amazing back story! She and her son moved here from Germany, but her son has been here since school started back in August by himself...HE’S 14! She received a lottery Green Card for her family from the U.S. last year, and their family has decided to take the chance of giving up everything in Germany to see if God is calling them to the U.S. Her son told her in moving here that they needed to find a church...HE’S 14...and Lifepoint is there with an invite, God is at work here! Her husband is still in Germany, and pending finding jobs and such here in Wilmington, he will be visiting for 4 weeks in December and possibly giving up his job, land, etc. in Germany to make Wilmington, NC, U.S.A. their home! God is amazing in that we were planting Midtown the week they moved here, a week earlier and they would have never gotten the door hanger! Instead of figuring out the Midtown thing, they went online, Googled Lifepoint and visited our Ashley Campus that Sunday, 3 days after moving here. Now in talking with her tonight, she and her family are all Christians, and know that God has put them and Lifepoint here for a reason. They have attended every weekend since, and she said that this past weekend’s message on life choices made it clear that she was following God and he is in control. Her son has even attended the Ignite service and loves it! God is doing amazing things here in this city and I can’t wait to see what’s next! Now, if that doesn’t pump you up about what God is doing through Lifepoint Ashley, and now Lifepoint Midtown, I think we may need to hook you up to some jumper cables!

This is why I love my church!!!

So, this morning I got my 1st official phone call concerning our new role as Life Group Coordinators at Lifepoint Church and it totally pumps me up! NOT going into ANY details, the conversation came to a point where a statement was made and I realized how awesome our church really is! The individual I was speaking with stated that if we were in a typical church, he knew what the response would be, "throw them under the bus," but we're not your typical church! HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!! Lifepoint church exists to Love God, Love Others, and Serve the world...we don't throw our brothers and sisters in Christ under the bus...we love them and guide them in grace! Everyone lives in sin in one way or another, we've ALL fallen short, but we don't exist to cut peoples legs out from under them or judge them. We are here to respond as Christ would, and I pray that we would never loose sight of that!
Pastor Jeff has set an amazing vision before us as Lifepoint Church, and God is going to do whatever it takes through our church to reach this city and beyond. I pray that we would all come behind Pastor Jeff and do whatever he leads us to do because he is annointed by God to reach this city...and with that said, we will do whatever we are asked in order to reach people, and with grace, we will guide these Life Groups under the vision of our Pastor! WHO'S IN? It fires me up to see God move the way He is moving and to hear from people in our church who are IN!

No Doubts

So, its been a while and I'm feeling kinda anxious about this...pretty much fired up that I get to share what God is doing and that I was reminded that I have a blog to get things out on!
Life has gotten completely crazy for us here lately. Let me try to explain, this may take a while. When you move to an area where you don't know anyone, you have no jobs, and it was kinda the throw the dart at the map and move where it hits type thing, I'd say we had pretty much laid it all on the line and told God that if He wanted us here, He would have to provide for us, and giving up that control was hard enough, especially if you know me and most definitely if you know Sara very well at all!!! We've been here for 4 months and 9 days and after just asking Sara, she agrees that it has been the most exciting but scariest time of our life! We haven't ever grown this much in Christ. I can tell you from my perspective that if you would have asked me 9 days ago, I would have told you that I had some feelings of "God, are we REALLY supposed to be here?" "God, how is this going to work?" To say the least, I was confused and ready for something new! Then as I was sitting at the pool I WAS working at as a lifeguard for the summer, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number but went ahead and answered thinking it was probably someone from the church or one of the other pools. When I answered a lady asked for me and then asked if I would be interested in interviewing for a job at Codington Elementary School here in Wilmington for the After School Program Coordinator position. I DIDN'T EVEN APPLY TO THAT SCHOOL!!! Long story short, within a week, I was filling out a hiring packet and within days I was on staff working at the school...can God answer prayers or what?!?! BUT, that's not all...in the last couple days, Sara and I have been approached about a new opportunity at the church and we're pretty pumped about it! God is really putting us in a position to reach people and I can't tell you how awesome this is!
So, with a guarunteed job for the next year and a crazy awesome opportunity to serve the people of Lifepoint Church, I'd say that my doubts and questions about if we are really supposed to be here have been answered! God has been faithful to us 100%, we just don't tend to focus on all we have, but all we wish we had. I constantly get asked what brought us to this area, and now the only answer that I can truthfully give that God called us here and I wan't to open my life to whatever He may have in store for us! For those of you that read this, hold me accountable to that! God has blessed us with amazing friends, an increadable church, and finally a job, and my heart goes out and prays for those that are still searching, God has something out there for you so use this time to get as close to Him as possible!!!

Love

I sit here and think about what is going on in our lives...friends, family, finances, LIFE...and I come to realize that I have it pretty stinkin awesome!  Within three months of moving nearly 1200 Miles away from what I've always known as home, and not knowing a soul, we have a place where we feel we belong; this is our home!  Even though our families are over 18 hrs away, we know that we are here for a reason, and its home!  We had the discussion tonight, as we often do, on how much we love this area already.  I always tend to chime in with the ever constant feeling that I'm cheating on Arkansas or something!  Arkansas was/is my home....always will be, but I've learned that there is more to home than a specific place.  Our home is ministering with our friends, being in community with others, caring for and praying for our families, and loving everyone we come in contact with!  I've just realized that our home is in our ministries, and when I say ministries, I don't mean the skewed view of ministry that many often have of being in a church, or a non-profit, or a church camp-I mean life, every second of every day.  Our friends, our work, our church, our families, and even something as small as our trips to the grocery store!  God opened a door for Sara and I this evening as we were walking into Harris Teeter(a local grocery store)!  Sure, I play guitar, but thats something I do on my own time right now, but I just so happened to be wearing a shirt that has the picture of a Fender Telecaster on it.  A guy that was working in the fresh produce section named Robert turn, looked at me and asked me what kind of guitar it was on my shirt??HUH  When does someone ever just strike up a conversation anymore?  Anyways, we got to talking, found out the guy used to build custom Guitars, still does on the side, and has an amazing personality.  Even though we weren't able to really get to know the guy, within a 7 min. conversation, God was able to open the door, now I just get to take of and go through it!  I'm praying now that I see this guy every time I go into HT...I want the opportunity to speak with Robert more, find out what makes him tick, find out if he knows Christ, and if not, introduce him!  This is honestly the first time that God has shown me something so clearly!  

Since moving here, I'll tell you over and over, and I'm sure you can tell from previous blogs that God has been pressing the idea of truly loving others on me like you wouldn't believe!  Even two nights ago my heart broke into pieces listing to the testimony that Pastor Jeff's parents were giving.  George(Jeff's Dad) said at an extremely difficult point in their life, he had his pastor come up to him during a major accident and told him that if the Pastor lost one of his kids in the car crash they had just been in in order that George would come back to Christ it would all be worth it in the end!  HOW?  I don't understand that type of love!  My heart broke, because he did end up losing his daughter, and George is using his testimony to help married couples through difficult situations.  God uses everything, and this Pastor had it figured out, even if he lost one of his own kids for someone else, in the end, it would be worth it!  I WANT THAT!!!  Not that I want to lose things, but I want to be able to give up anything so that others will know Christ!  I want others to see love in me, not frustrations, or an attitude, or arrogance!  I want everyone to see that I would be willing to do anything/everything for others to know HIM!  To most this probably makes no sense, but if you are anywhere close to this position, I'm praying for you just as I'm praying for myself, God, Let us see as You see, let us Love as You Love, willing to sacrifice it all, for just one to know You!  Get rid of my pride, take away my selfishness, and don't let me be comfortable knowing that I missed the opportunity to speak to someone about You!  I don't want to feel like I need to apologize to anyone for not living like Christ would want me to because I don't want there to be any chance that I'm the reason someone doesn't know you.  

I pray that with all my heart, I hope all that I come into contact with realize there is a decision to make, to follow or not, and that I am an influence in their life to follow!  Christ will use me no matter what, just depends on how I want to see things happen, the hard way or the easy way!  I'll ask you the same question!

Daily Tearing down of my Pride

I had a moment today where I realized that its all about how we look at things.  I was reading a book that I swear I could have probably wrote some of the things he wrote about!  It's a great book, I've had it for years and just haven't gotten around to reading it.  Blue Like Jazz.  It's been out for several years, and it is absolutely crazy how God works.  I was given this book free outside of one of the dining halls on campus at the University of Arkansas and it has sat on my shelf for nearly 4 years.  It's not that I haven't read anything at all since then, trust me, I've made huge advances in my reading skills, I just looked it over.  But God was saving this read for a specific season in my life, and here it is!   This book is almost an outside look in on my way of thinking, and has humbled me to really look past all of my personal desires, "my plans," my way of analyzing everything, and truly see things through God's eyes.  It's awesome how God will speak through other people to you at just the right time.  If I would have read this book when I got it, I would have probably hated it, but its relevant to me, NOW!  This current book and the one I just finished, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, have really challenge me to Focus my thoughts on God, but not to over think God.  I often times try to reason out and analyze God, the situations He has me in, and the purpose He has for me, but I miss the point!  I've spent all my time thinking about God, rather than focusing my thoughts on God and letting him lead me!  I look through my eyes trying to figure everything out, and when I'll let God take control, step back, and look through his eyes, it blows my mind!  

God has us in the situation we are in for a reason; me Sara, our families, everyone.  We can't see the end result, or even what will happen tomorrow, but I'm learning to adjust my focus so to speak!  I step back and see some of the things unfolding in front of me and I get jacked up about it.  I've been challenged to live Christ out in everything I do, even when I'm driving, which is probably one of my weaknesses!  It's hard for me to love the guy that just cut me off without using a blinker with the same love Christ shows me.  Its even more humbling for me to realize that I'm pretty much doing the same thing to him when I want to do things my own way, and basically cut Him off out of the picture!  Are we willing to love EVERYONE, or just the people that are nice to us, look like us, act a certain way....you get the idea!

Update!!!

Hey everyone, trying to get a bit better at this! For the next several weeks or so this should be much easier because through some ministry opportunities which I will explain here in a few, I have temporarily been given a computer! Ok, so, here is some of the new down low. We are loving it here!!! The weather pretty much rocks, most of the time it is in the 80's, sunny, with a slight breeze, often time strong...20+mph. Me and another individual in the church have been given an amazing responsibility of keeping the Life Groups for the church running, and actually attempting to bring more organization to the ministry while Kevin McGeorge, our Life Groups Coordinator, is on mission to Africa! I'm pumped, but with this new responsibility, my life just got a bit busy! I'm also starting my job with the city at the pools this week! Praise God for work and ministry, but seriously, all at once...AWESOME!
Sara hasn't found a job at the moment, but she has literally tried and looked everywhere! Trust me, if she was supposed to have a job right now, she would. God is just giving her a break from work, which for her is totally not normal! She even feels like she's not doing enough, but I'm often encouraged not only by her words, but her passion for those around her, volunteering, and just seeking what it is that God wants her to do! Thank you Jesus for a Godly Wife!
Anyways, here are a few new pics just to give you an idea of some of the coolness that we are a part of now!
























The first pic is from Greenfield Lake downtown, "there's gators in there!"
The second one is down on the "ROCK" south of Ft. Fisher.
The two with the Helicopter are from the Lifepoint Helicopter Egg Drop for Easter...isn't that nuts! The last pics are from the beach we frequent, the last two are of another crab that didn't have the best fate!!!
Love you guys, later!

My mind races

So, I'm sitting here, my wife is asleep trying to sleep off some sort of sickness, and my mind is racing with all sorts of things. If I made a list, it might take all night, so I'm going to leave it at that! The one thing that is amazing is how God can completely pull you out of all the CRAP of this world, and bring his glory in clearly and make all worldly worries feel insignificant!
I was attempting to clear my head on my own, so I was trying to be quite by playing my electric guitar and trying ever so humbly to learn how to play a song by Phil Wickham called True Love. The man is absolutely amazing, can sing in a range that most girls can't even hit, and I have found out that he uses what is called a DADGAD tuning...what!!! To save you the boring Guitar info, and get to the point, I was listening to the song, mind still racing with all sorts of things, and then God put it on my heart to truly listen to the song! The lyrics took all my worries and threw them out the window! I challenge you to go listen to this song! You can actually download a free CD from his website! Give it a listen. The song starts out by saying that God is more faithful than the morning. THAT'S ALL I NEED, i don't know about you! If I know that He's there for us no matter what, just like I know the morning will come in the next 7 or so hours, then what in the WORLD do I have to worry about!!! But it doesn't stop there, its truly a song of hope and victory! Not only has TRUE LOVE died for me, you, everyone....but He's ALIVE! One of the first things I remember doing as a Christian was making a corny bracelet the summer right after I became a Christian, but I remember thinking so hard on what I wanted my beads to spell out! Others had put Jesus, or God, or something of the like. I remember finally coming up with the perfect thing, and its amazing how God will remind you of the small things that made so much sense to you then when you feel like everything is coming in on you! All my bracelet said was HE'S ALIVE, I wanted something on my wrist that wasn't normal, not just looked at and understood, but something I would have to explain when people didn't understand it! God has made my life that way, and I don't even realize it sometimes!
Last night, I had the opportunity to invite a coworker at the Gap to church, someone that said that going to Catholic service on Saturday night(to avoid the old snobs of the church on Sunday morning) was just another day for her, had been for her entire life! That honestly crushed my heart, because she was hurting and you could tell just by the way she talked! Sometimes I think how did I draw the short straw and end up as a lifeguard in North Carolina with a degree??? BUT REALLY, I'm blessed to have what I do, my WIFE, family, friends, NEW friends, church, ministry, etc...and God has given that to me freely, and this girl at the Gap has no idea that its right in front of her! God I PRAY that she will come to Lifepoint tomorrow! And I also pray that He would get rid of my pride, and allow me to realize how awesome it is to truly serve Him in all I do! How awesome would life be if we could constantly be reminded of how faithful our God is...Oh wait, look around you!!!

ARC: ALL ACCESS

The conference...AMAZING!

From start to finish, everything that was talked about flowed perfectly, and these guys didn't share what they would be speaking on, there were no meetings to plan what would be talked about...this conference started by giving everyone a spiritual gut-check on the condition of their heart, then progressed to the logistics. It was great to hear some of the guys speak, I would try and pick out a few guys that were great, but they all brought it and left nothing unsaid! I love to hear church leader get up, not afraid of who they may offend by challenging their spiritual politics/hypocrisies, and just bringing it on what the bible truly says. I can't wait for them to get the other sessions up so I can watch the ones that I was unable to go to.

If you are in Conway, Greater Little Rock, or Heber Springs check out New Life Church, Rick Bezet is crazy awesome! Their church is really making an impact on that area, and it is amazing how God is using these people to reach out nationally too! With Kris Allen(Worship Pastor) in the spotlight with IDOL, God is using Godly men to reach his people, that is to stinkin sweet!

On a side note, but connected in a way to what was said at the conference, I've read Galatians last week and my heart was really opened to seeing stuff that I had never seen before! The church of Galatia is very similar to the church today. Paul talks about how the Galatians have made the law so important, that they might as well forget about what Christ did for them! That's harsh, can you imagine a church leader...say the Executive Director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention to put this into today's context, coming forward and saying that the church today is all hung up on religion, rather than JESUS! NOT THAT I HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST ABSC, just an EXAMPLE!!! I would venture to say that that individual would no longer have a job within days!!! I think we all need to realize that its about JESUS and His people, not about adhering to rules placed by men, we have gotten so caught up in "how church is done," that I think alot of people have lost sight of what it means to truly be a Christian...a follower of Christ! I could sit here and try to explain this, but I'll leave it to the BIBLE...I think that would be clear enough!!!

Galatians 2:19-21
19For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

I challenge everyone to read Galatians with this in mind! It has changed the way I live my relationship with Jesus! Its all of 6 chapters, 1 a day will take less than a week and 10 minutes a day!!!

So, I feel like I've been disconnected from the world for nearly a week now...and other than a three day conference that rocked my world, I couldn't tell you why! God laid down a clear message throughout the ARC:All Access conference that we went to-It starts with the heart, if God isn't leading you to do what you are doing, then what are you doing? God has to be the reason, and if you don't genuinely care for people, you don't follow the vision laid before you either by God to you, or through your pastor, and you aren't willing to do whatever it takes see people come to know Christ, then your ministry is not what it could be! My mind has been in a constant spin, and it's been AWESOME!!!

We got to spend time with the staff/leadership of the church, and let me tell you, these guys are about to explode Jesus all over the East Coast. They have a passion and a desire to follow Christ like you wouldn't believe. It's all about Him, it's all about His people, and it's all about taking God everywhere they can! Hence the Vision for the church, LOVE GOD, LOVE OTHERS, SERVE THE WORLD! And they live it daily! I love the guys and God has really blessed us here!

On another note, its been, to say the least, a bit stressful trying to figure out if we were going to be able to pay our bills, and after being shown some CRAZY LOVE by some of the most awesome people ever, we are able to make it at least one more month! Sara is still in the works of finding a full time job, but is loving the work she is doing for Wilmington Parent! Me on the other hand, I've turned down two jobs, to end up working as the Head Lifeguard for the city of Wilmington. The other two jobs I turned down would have been awesome, but feel like God is leading me elsewhere. With this job, I'll have a pretty flexible schedule, which is what I need, mostly because I'll be the one doing the schedules! I thought I had hung up my whistle already, but I guess I'm going to dust it off...hopefully for one last hurrah!!! We have been blessed here, and can't wait to see what is still to come! We know without a doubt that we are where we are supposed to be.

I'll go into more detail about the conference tomorrow if I get the chance, they are still working on it, but you can click HERE and keep checking it if you would like to listen to/watch the speakers. They'll blow your mind!

JUST SOME QUICK RECAPS-
-Ed Young JR. is amazing, and crazy...about a 7 on my scale
-C3 is an awesome church, with some amazing leadership
-If you are in Conway, Greater Little Rock, or Heber Springs check out New Life Church, Rick Bezet is awesome (by the way Kris Allen is their worship pastor, and does it blow anyone away that there are two...2 worship pastors in the TOP 4!!!)
-Ed Young JR. wears really tight pants, he's really likes HILLSONG
-Met Kevin Mawae Tennessee Titans Center, shook his hand, broke mine, the dude is huge, has an amazing story, and LOVES JESUS!!!
I'll be back, love you all!

By the way, Congrats to those of you Graduating from the UofA, AWESOME...sorry we can't be there for it!!!

Conference Invite/ LIFE?!?!

So, Sara and I have now been invited to join the staff and others from the church to go to ARC: All Access. It is a conference up in Clayton, NC that the Association of Related Churches is putting on that is focused on church planting, leadership, and church growth! It's going to ROCK, not to mention a great opportunity to meet other strong church leaders, hear their thoughts on ministry, and spend some time with the amazing staff at Lifepoint Church!
I'm supper pumped about tomorrow, because it will be the first week of normal services(however you may define normal) at the church after Easter. We had over 1200 people show up for 3 different services, and as I said, like 20 people make a life change to follow Christ! With the numbers in the air, that would be nearly 500 visitors, many 1st time visitors, and crucial family members of some of the attenders, pray for the church, because instead of having just 700, we may be pushing those numbers again and only having 2 services! Thank God for the volunteers at the church, I've never seen a group of people desire to serve harder than these people! Lifepoint has given them an opportunity to meet with, understand, and develop a relationship with God, and now they are taking that amazing relationship, and doing whatever it takes to reach those around them! It is awesome to hear people asking us to pray for their family members to come to church...WE'VE BEEN HERE 5 WEEKS... and even asking us to pray that they would see major change in these peoples lives!
The opportunities that have opened for us are amazing, and that is one of the things that has been able to keep our spirits up! With not very much luck when it comes to jobs, its hard to understand what God is doing when we are trying to figure out where the money is coming from, but we know it'll be provided! Just an encouragement, when it seems like everything is just crap...think about how awesome it is to have family and friends around us that care...that's what's keeping us up, and a God that is doing something so much greater than a stinkin job...I pray that we'll be used in any way possible! As the staff tends to say, we look forward to doing whatever it takes, doing Anything short of sin to reach people! What I'm learning is that God doesn't need a job to supply us with what we need, but that doesn't mean I'm completely reliant on that!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE A FULL TIME JOB!!! I'll regret saying that someday!
So I'm ranting/rambling a bit, but things a quite interesting around here. I'll try to update more often, as often as I can, as requested! Thanks for the support and prayers, love you all

It's unreal!

I keep feeling like starting these blog post with, "you won't believe this" or "So, It's been NUTS!" Pretty much a constant feeling right now. We have now joined a church here in Wilmington called Lifepoint Church...talked about it in the last blog or two, but we ARE were God wants us to be, no doubt! We joined last Sunday the 5th, and we've been going since! I have a tendency to kinda gravitate towards the leadership in any church that we are involved in, I'm guessing that has something to do with God calling me to Ministry! We've had the awesome privilege to hang out with the staff, their family's and other awesome volunteers throughout the past couple weeks, and it has really been amazing! We've gotten to be a part of stuff that you can only explain by using the word GOD! Saturday, the church put on a completely free event for the city of Wilmington...a HELICOPTER EGG DROP! It was CRAZY, check this out, and here are some pictures! In talking with Pastor Jeff and the others, they expected about 5-6000, 10,000 showed up! Then yesterday the church at 3 services, usually only have two and run a bit over 700...had nearly 1200 show up, 20 decision to follow Christ, and trust me, this church is all about following up on things, as I said, we were contacted 3 times within a few days of attending for the first time, for those of you in ministry, its huge!!! We have truly been blessed through the church already, and we are looking forward to seeing how God is going to use us in the Lifepoint ministry! We are pumped beyond belief! Be praying for the church and the city of Wilmington, because that is what the church is all about! I feel like this week was 1200, and yeah it was Easter, but I'm thinking they'll be back with friends, so I pray that we're prepared for what God is about to do!

Still looking for jobs, but God is definitely providing! Praise Jesus for that! Love you all, later!

So, where do I start?

Alright, its been about 3 weeks, and things are just nuts! As I said last, we visited PC3, a pretty sweet mega church in the area that is really doing some awesome things! We left the service re-energized and pumped about the way things were going. Then, last Sunday we decided to head down to Lifepoint Church...they meet in Ashley High School in Wilmington, two services, and they're running about 750....3 YEARS OLD!!!! It's crazy...after the service we were introduced to Daryl...the guy I got in contact with over e-mail, who then proceeded to introduce us to Pastor Jeff! You've got to check this church and this guy out! lifepointnow.com and jeffkapusta.com Last night we attended one of their...for lack of a better word..."preview" services at their new Lifepoint Midtown campus across the street from UNCW. It was amazing, it was a total celebration of what God is doing in the church! They baptized like 20 people, and it was completely amazing, the spirit was everywhere!
That's just the half of it! Lifepoint contacted Sara and I 3 times after Sundays service...within 3 days, I'm supposed to meet with the staff for lunch here in the next week or so to give them the low down on us and what God's doing, just got a call from the youth guy at PC3 to meet in two weeks, and both me and Sara start new jobs this next week!

But I want to just give you an idea of how God has been working around us!
-Right after my last blog, I was pulled over by a Wilmington Sheriff's Deputy....talk about WELCOME TO NORTH CAROLINA! He slapped me with a "careless and reckless" ticket with a court date set in May. Come to find out, North Carolina has the strictest traffic laws in the country. Talked with the people at our apartment office to get some info, they hooked me up with a city police officer who lives on sight, he told me that the ticket was bogus, and after calling me back a couple days later, said he would accompany me to court as a character type witness and also gave me a contact to a local pastor he knew in Wilmington and thought it might be a cool connection!!! Just wait, it gets better!
-We decided we would look into getting our cars insured in NC to get all that JAZZ taken care of! Come to find out, the Insurance agent we randomly decided upon is a Christian who asked us where we were going to church, offered to escort us to their churches, and then told us to just pray to see where God would lead us in choosing insurance!?!? WHAT...does that happen?
-Then, today, after going to Best Buy and having Pastor Jeff of Lifepoint holler at us from down the aisle, and talking with him for a bit, and setting up vague lunch plans, we went to get a local bank account, and come to find out, the guy that was helping us was a missionary in Russia for a year after college, has been in ministry, and is now working at the bank and invited us to his church here in Wilmington!

If God's not at work here, I don't know what is going on! We're still waiting for some of the financial situations to pan out, and jobs to line up, but hey, it's going good so far! I'll keep you updated!

Update from the Port City!!!

It's been a week, but we've been busy setting up interviews, finding places to interview, exploring, sitting on the beach...you know, typical life! So here's the update: we're loving it here, we miss everyone, and the fact that we have no friends yet is kinda a bumber, but hey, we've been here a week. I've had several promising interviews with the likes of the City of Wilmington Parks and Rec, wbsurfcamp.com (pretty sweet gig there), and I've already got one job with Coastal Horizons working as a prevention based organization using the outdoors for an outlet(high ropes, low ropes, sea kayaking)...and Sara has an amazing opportunity to work with a local magazine here in Wilmington called Wilmington Parent that she has an interview for on Wednesday of next week! Be praying for us, I know God will provide, but we'd really like some info on how(haha). We'll be participating in a work day tomorrow with Horizon Church (wilmingtonchurch.net/home)-the church that offered us a place to stay when we visited-that will help them clean up the facilities, and I've got a chance to go to a church planting conference in Myrtle Beach next weekend with Gary, the pastor, so we're getting plugged in there, but we will be checking out a few other churches this Sunday, PC3(portcitychurch.org) and also Lifepoint Church(lifepointnow.com)! I'm looking to also get plugged into these ministries in any way possible to continue ministering to youth, so just looking for the open door and waiting to see what can happen! I'm pumped about our opportunities, and can't wait to see what happens!

One quick thought, God is really putting on my heart the importance of study with Him. I've realized that the nights that I go to bed after spending time looking at, studying, and reading His word, I seem to sleep much better, that is unless He puts something on my heart and I can't stop thinking about it!!! God is awesome, and has truly been faithful to us in this move! Please take the time to thank God for His grace, because without it...I know Sara would have probably already KILLED me by now! HAHA....P.S. Sara says Hi, and thank the Lord for Income Tax Returns! COME VISIT IF/WHEN YOU CAN!!! We'll hook you up!!!

We're here!!!

So, rain, clouds and cold weather...(haha, 50's and low 60's) were not what we were expecting, but hey, it's all good! We are getting everything settled in, love the apartment, and are loving the area...I know...it's been 4 days. Physically, emotionally...we're done, can't seem to find the energy, but we are ready for things to get going here! We have been in contact with all sorts of job possibilities, and everything looks positive. God is preparing us for something, not sure what it may be, but definitely getting us ready! We're missing friends and family already, and saying by to my parents is quite possibly the hardest thing I've ever had to do! Well, in a bit of a hurry, so I'll explain more later, but looking foward to fresh life, and new experiences! Love you all and please call us, we miss everyone! More coming soon!

Well, we're off!!!

Alright, I'm not sure what I expected when Sara and I jointly decided that God was calling us to Wilmington, but the emotional roller coaster that we've been on for the past week has been CRAZY!!! After having the opportunity to see almost all of our family and every friend we could get a hold of, we realize how blessed we are here. We want to thank everyone for supporting, encouraging and praying for us as we go off on this amazing journey.
The realization finally hit me; not after saying goodbye to family, friends, etc...but when I realized that I'd be waking up tomorrow morning, hitting the road, and not being in Arkansas for the next several months. When I know that the place I've always called home will no longer be within an hours drive...it starts to pull at me, and Sara's the same way, the only thing that we can say has been consistent throughout our lives is now not going to be within immediate reach. And I can't openly go outside and call the hogs and instantly have others join in...I'll just get the neighbor who thinks I'm absolutely insane!
It's something that I've done for the past several years, and while it may sound weird, it strikes a cord with me and has convicted me. I try not to say "Goodbye" when leaving friends and family...I purposely say "later" because I plan on seeing everyone again, no matter the time, date, or place! Not sure why I share that, but it truly makes me look at my relationships in a Godly way...and I honestly do want to see everyone again!!!
We have reached a point where the emotion of leaving our amazing friends and family has taken hold, but we do want everyone to know that it is out of love, not sadness! We look forward to hearing everything that is going on with those we care for, and also look forward to sharing our story with those interested. So, as I sit here knowing that I'm about to go to bed at 8, wake up at 2...and hit the road, I'm ready! SO READY, to see what God has in store for us in Wilmington! God, PLEASE protect us...and be with our friends and family! Bless them as much as you have used them to bless our lives day in and day out!!! Amen

Love you ALL!

Next time we talk, I'll be a hog fan in a state of BLUE??? GO HOGS!!!

T-Minus 7

So, 7 days from this very moment we'll be on the road, at some random hotel in either Alabama or Georgia, on our way to Wilmington, NC! We'll be leaving the 12th and moving in the next day. My parents will be going with us to help us get everything out there, and then they will be heading back to VB on Sunday or so. Not only do we ask you to pray for us and our safety traveling, but also for my parents on their way back, and for the opportunities and the hearts we will have the chance to touch when we get there!
I have gotten a job with Coastal Horizons, a prevention based organization that works with teens and other individuals that are high risk or at risk of drugs, alcohol, etc... What I'll be doing is working with the Outdoors center working with teens and such on the Alpine tower high ropes, low ropes, and also sea kayaking/canoeing down in the ocean and in the bay of the Cape Fear River. Sara has gotten some freelancing work with several of the area magazines and is also most likely going to be working with the Magazine-Wilmington Parent. She will be doing a lot of the same stuff she has been doing/will continue doing for Peekaboo in NWA!
So...to put it straight, things are actually coming together! I don't think there are very many people ready to leave comfort as much as Sara and I are. We can't wait to get out there...just trying to be patient. God has really been working on me in several different ways, and its stretching me in ways I didn't realize! I'm growing as a youth pastor, and I'm not even pastoring youth yet! He is showing me things that will be very helpful in the days to come, and I'm pumped! God has made it very clear to us that He wants us in the Wilmington area, now we just get to see what he has in store for us! As always, we will miss everyone, and we would love to see everyone before we leave, but that's just not Humanly Possible! Please feel free to contact us any time you want! We love hearing from people and getting a glimpse of what God is doing in those that we care abouts lives!

Just a small something to chew on! I've been reading through Matthew...and God's shown me things that I've never realized before, maybe because I'm a bit slow sometimes, but man is this awesome! It blows me away in chapter 16 when Jesus is talking to Peter. Jesus asks who am I, and after several "answers" He asks again...who do you say I am? Peter replies and that conversation ends up with Christ telling him that on him, on the rock, God will build his church...the CORNERSTONE OF THE CHURCH! Right after that in a matter of 5 verses, Jesus tells of His soon to come death, burial, resurrection. Peter pulls Jesus aside and REBUKES JESUS(that's just dumb), and tells him that this would NEVER HAPPEN! Peter just doesn't know when to keep his mouth SHUT!!! Jesus then looks at the CORNERSTONE OF THE CHURCH and says, get behind me Satan, you are a stumbling block to me because you are to worried about the things of man, and not God! If that not encouraging to those feeling like they are called to lead, I don't know what is! When the cornerstone of the church can also be the stumbling block to others, then I know that I have no right to be anyone great, but God is still going to use me and call me to do so! I'm ready, who's with me?

OK, Here Goes!

Alright, so we're back, and after sleeping in way to long today, Sara has come down with something from the non-stop going for the past week and we're exhausted, but pumped! Wilmington was all we could have hoped for and more, except for the fact that everyone said we brought the cold weather with us and it never got over 50 degrees until we left! But they assured us that it would be back to normal when we got back!!!



When we got there, I thought I had found a slice of Heaven here on earth, and it was an awesome sign that things were going to be good for the rest of the trip. While sitting in a somewhat sketchy Wendy's, waiting for our Pastor friend that we had connected with via e-mail, I tasted my sweet tea...and let me tell you, that was BY FAAAARRRR the strongest sweet tea ever!!! I took a drink, and had to let it soak in for a second. Once Gary(pastor friend) came in and we met him(awesome guy...more on him and the church to come) we found out that its not uncommon in that area to get SWEET sweet tea! Kinda their thing! AWESOME....so to keep from boring you with a minute by minute summary, hear are some pics to give you an idea of what was in the area, what we did, and where we'll be living!!!

This is down at Fort Fisher. It is one of the furthest south point of New Hanover County, only islands and marshes south of it!

There is a man-made walkway across the bay that connects some of the Islands, this is the start of it that I'm standing on!

This is the beach from the Wrightsville Beach Pier.

If you think your house is colorful...Take a look at these, and this was everywhere! The next two pictures give you an idea of how creative people are with their choices in housing down by the beach!

While we were there, we met Gary, the amazing pastor of Horizon Church, his wife Jennifer, and their son Jason...who is three and loves Sara now!!! During the Sunday service, I was amazed! There were a total of about 35 people there, including a group from a church in Raleigh that came down! The pastor of this church spoke, he was originally from the Congo in Africa, and he spoke 7 different languages! It's been a long time since a service has brought me to an emotional state, but seeing the mixture of people that were just hurting, and now looking to Jesus for the answers was awesome! I can't wait to get back! The Spanish service that evening...yes Spanish service...was the same way! They interpreted for the preacher, and it was awesome! We had 9 different languages present and speakable that night, nuts!!!

Here are a few more pics from the trip!

This will be our home, on the North side of Wilmington, about 1.5 miles from the beach!

Old docking Pier near Fort Fisher.

Just a small, and I mean SMALL glimpse of what the down town area looks like!

We're back! And man do I have a story!

So, I'm sure you're expecting the exciting story of how Wilmington was AWESOME, but frankly, I'm exhausted...so I'll get that done tomorrow! But I did want to throw out this interesting story!

During our flight home, we had the privilege of hearing an older woman completely pour her heart out to a younger girl on the way from the Houston airport to Tulsa. They were sitting right behind us(yes, I was eaves dropping)! It was interesting hearing someone share their faith, without hesitation! I know that it should be that easy, but often times when I'm in just a random conversation with someone I just met, I don't typically look for ways to share Christ, I'm to worried about other things...and that is one way I fall short. But this lady was hitting on all cylinders! She would just strike up conversation, then lead it towards Christ...no matter what they were talking about! They seemed to be having a great conversation, laughing, carrying on...when I realized that she had really gotten somewhere with the younger lady. She(younger lady) went on to explain about how she was raised in a home with little religious influence, and within the last year or so she had really felt something pulling her to find out what she believes. She didn't make a decision, and I was so thankful that the older woman left it up to the younger girl to make the decision...but man, was there ever a seed planted!

When the plane landed, the Christian older lady explained that she hoped to see her again someday, and seeing as to the odds of ever seeing someone you randomly sit by on a plane ever again, she said she hoped it would be in Heaven...as the younger lady left...she said something that blew me away!!!! She said, "Thanks for talking with me, I enjoyed it! I'll see you again someday!" Enough said!

My Thoughts are Running

So, as I sit here in anticipation of the upcoming weekend, my mind has constantly questioned what is going to happen. I try to logically figure out how things will work out and what in the world God has planned for us! If you know us very well, you know that I'm extremely analytical but laid back, so I realize that worrying about things will only get me nowhere, and you know that Sara is going to try and plan everything out so that we have nothing to worry about(Reason she is my WIFE)! So basically, I'm not worrying because I can't deal with thinking about it at the time, and Sara is planning everything to prevent worry! She's been getting on me about not calling certain people to get things set up...I tell her to not worry about it and then I realize...she is wanting me to do it because it will help me out...and by me doing it now instead of later, it will help her out! It frustrates me sometimes when I realize how my ego gets in the way of what needs to be done just because I want to do things on my own time! She is doing these things one...for her sanity, and two, because she loves me! This brings me to the thought of how amazing it is going to be to have her to share this adventure with! I look forward to it because it is going to give us the opportunity to work together to do something great for God! I ask that you all would pray for us...mostly Sara...so that she can put up with me! But Seriously, we will miss everyone, family, friends, church...etc...and only God can give us the strength to see the big picture! Be praying not for our well being, but that God will bring us closer together no matter what God has in store for us...and be praying for the people that we will be in contact with, we want them to see God in us and meet HIM through our relationships!

So, my thoughts may not make sense completely, but there it is! We leave on Saturday around Noon! We will be getting back in town Wednesday later in the afternoon! I can't wait to share with everyone what God is doing in Wilmington! Our hearts are starting to get attached to an area that we've never been to before! If that's not God I don't know what is!!! We want to stay connected and help everyone in any way possible! Please let us know how we can pray for you! This is the least we can do!

So, Here's the down low!

-We decided that we wanted a way to let everyone know what is going on in our life without having to sit down and have or type up a 20 minute conversation with everyone we know...so here is the way that we will keep everyone updated!

-Back in November, as some know already, we were serving at The Church at Arkansas in Fayetteville. We love the church and I(Nick) was working as the Youth Pastor intern when the church decided that they would no longer be able to keep me/bring me on as the youth pastor beyond December. So when we found this out, the search for a full time position for me as a youth pastor began! We've been searching non-stop since and other than a few churches showing interest with some feedback, we have had nothing set in stone. We currently are in contact with two churches, one in Roann, IN(good luck finding that one) and another in Simpsonville, SC just southeast of Greenville. These churches are current possibilities but the one in Indiana wouldn't start until May...and the church in South Carolina is in the process of narrowing down candidates(that's always fun to hear)!

-Now, on to what we are currently doing! We have moved out of Fayetteville, and are now transitioning in Van Buren with my parents/working as Substitutes in the VB School District/and are now looking at moving to Wilmington, NC! WHY, you ask...great question!

-Since we've felt God calling us out of Arkansas, we have constantly felt a call to the east cost and in particular, the Carolina's! After being contacted by churches in that area, and seeing what God is doing in those areas, we decided that maybe God was wanting us to just go! We sat down, looked for about 45 minutes each online, and came up with a couple places. After going through each, we realized that the area that Sara had chosen would be the opportunity that God was calling us to! I told her that once we picked a place, I would go online and contact every church in the area that looked to be moving forward and active in the community! After doing this, I was contacted by a church the following day called Horizon Church. The pastor, Gary Keyes, has treated us the way that you would expect to be treated by a fully devoted man of God! He is trying to help us in ways we didn't expect, and has truely given us a vision of Christ at work in Wilmington through our conversations with him.

-We decided this last week that we would visit Wilmington, so we are flying out Saturday, Feb. 21st to set up jobs, apartment, etc...and we are pumped about what God is doing in our lives! We will be setting up a 3 month lease so that if God does call me to be the youth pastor at a church, we will be able to leave quickly, and if we are being called to stay and minister in Wilmington, we will know exactly what God wants by then! Please keep us in your prays and we will definitely keep you up to date on what is going on through this Blog! We will miss everyone and wish we could see and hang out with everyone before we go, but as we all know, thats pretty much impossible! We love you all, and just remember, if you want to visit, feel free! If there is anything or anyone that we can be praying for, please let us know that as well! Well, I guess that all for now! I'm out!