Ready, Set, Jump

1 Year Later

2011-09-03T08:02:00.002-05:00

So...if it wasn't for me having to work the past couple days, I would have written this two days ago. Sept. 1st was exactly one year from the time that we had an amazing group of friends help us load up and send us off on the next leg in the adventure that we call life. From North Myrtle Beach to Arkansas we went, passing through every states Capital on the way and a year later I get to reflect. At this point last year, I was probably sitting at our friend Brent's place trying to figure out what was next. Sara spent nearly a month working nearly 60 hrs a week until I got the job over at the Buckle. Since that time I've moved on from an great job there, to an equally great, but completely different job over at Arvest Bank in Siloam Springs, which is now where we are living. We have a nearly 3 month old little boy that's pretty much the coolest little guy I've ever met...NO...SERIOUSLY!!! I'm in my third week of classes at John Brown University pursuing a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and Community Counseling, I'm loving every minute of it, and I'd take more than two classes a semester if I could balance it all at the moment without driving Sara Crazy! Going back to school has been a shock but also a joy. It's been 3 years since I sat in a classroom, and working the After School Program at Coddington Elementary in Wilmington doesn't count! I realized that I'm going into these classes with a much different attitude than I did when I was finishing up my Undergrad at the UofA. Then, I was just ready to get it done and over-with, now I can't wait for my next class. I look forward to the reading, and the only drawback is that I'm having to balance so many things that I can't truly focus on what I'm passionate about with everything I am. Oh by the way, I'm also assisting in leading worship at our church...another time block that I HAVE to focus on somewhere! Did I mention I have a wife and a son...whew...sometimes I feel like I'm on a tight rope, and I'm only allowed to stand on my little toe, now THATS balance. But honestly, its not that bad. I love where we are, its just been hard trying to figure out how to live here again with the experiences we've had over the past 3 yrs now. Life is completely different in NWA than it was in the ILM! We miss Wilmington, NMB, and the amazing people that we were blessed to share that short time of our lives with, and I don't think our investment into the east coast is done, just have no idea how, when or what God has planned for us. But I can tell you this, we are in NWA for a guaranteed 3 more years, WHY, because that's how long its going to take me to finish school. Now a lot can change in 3 years, just look at our past 3...and I'll leave that up to you to go back and read past posts...it'd take me another year just to put all the pieces together so that you could get a clear understanding of what God has allowed us to experience since we got married! So, as we look forward to what God is doing here, and how different, frustrating, rewarding, challenging and confusing it is, I wanted to look back and tell everyone that we've met in the past 3 years that we love you all! Our hearts are with you in Wilmington, our hearts are with you in NMB, and now are hearts are invested into NWA, but don't think that we have forgotten what you all did for us! With a FULL heart, we pray for you all. God bless those that have blessed us in the past 3 years. Let your power be seen by others as we have seen it, and never stop using these friends we consider family to do the things that you have called them to! God, I pray for strength to be stretched, wisdom to lead, and understanding so that they can guide the people that you have put them in leadership over so that they can guide them to you and your love. We love you all and look forward to the next opportunity we have to visit...which looks like sometime THIS SPRING!!! Can't wait to see what God is up to and to share the same!

DEBT BEAT DOWN

2011-07-31T14:10:00.002-05:00

Alrighty, the DEBT BEAT DOWN is back, and its taken a few hits over the past year in our favor!!! Its been since January of 2010 that I've revisited this sector of our lives, and I'm telling you without holding back that its difficult! The "emergency fund" is still in the making if that gives you any idea of how life can throw some interesting blows at you. We have been able to take a significant chunk out of the debt, and obviously, school loans are still the front runner in our financial hole that we have been digging out of, and when I say hole, its not that its bad, its just what we've had to do to make life work!

So, to get to the dirt in our finances, here we go! Since our last update, we've actually been able to cut nearly all of our debt down to school loans...which is unreal! Its still the heaviest financial burden we carry, but we have been able to pay off 3 medical bills, in the next month or so we will probably be able to pay off Sara's car, and my car, well, its somewhere on the East Coast I assume being enjoyed by someone other than me! I purchased a "PROJECT" and we'll leave it at that! So, out of the 7 bills that we had at the start, we have consolidated all of my school loans into one loan...(look into it if you have major school loan debt, it can save you HUGE, call me)...and outside of that, we have the credit card still but its being used as an emergency fund for the time being and we are using it to pay bills, in turn saving money on our insurance(another cool thing to look into). So by the end of August, our debt will be down to less than 17,000 which is almost half of what we started with on this journey just under 2 years ago!

We are now back in Arkansas, we've moved 3 times, live in the wonderful town of Siloam Springs, AR, and I'm going back to school at JBU for my Grad. in Counseling this fall....YEA...MORE SCHOOL LOANS(this has been looked into very deeply, trust me)!!! Oh by the way, did I mention we have an Emery now? Our little boy is going to get to reap the benefits of our struggles to get out of debt over the past couple years! By the way, HE'S AWESOME!!!

Post any comments you may have or questions, we have resources, experiences, frustrations, etc... we are willing to share if you need help or are just needing a sounding board to see what you need to do about your finances!!!

Baby Doll vs. Action Figure

2011-07-06T08:27:00.002-05:00

Something happened the other day that I really can't go any longer without sharing. I really have two reasons for sharing...1 is that most will find this either amusing or ridiculous, and 2 some will find this interesting and may lead to changing the way you look at your child. Now in Sara's defense, she was completely innocent in all of this, I was the one that saw the issue and most mothers will think its crazy, but as a DUDE I can tell you that this was a reaction that I had for the sake of my son, and it is one that I will continue to have until he can stand for himself!!!

We were hanging out in the Garden doing some yard work and Sara was holding Emery (our Son) while she was picking weeds or something when I hear him start to get a bit fussy. She then begins to try and sooth him and this is what she says; "Its ok my baby doll." Now, let me explain that most guys will tell you that they never want to be called a baby doll! But considering my son is only 3 weeks old most women would consider this to be a sweet conversation between her and her son, but to me, it was a shot at his manhood and as a Father I had to step in. My response was this; "If you're going to call him something like that you better call him an action figure!" I know, its a bit ridiculous, but I'm telling you that came out of me without even thinking!!! My heart jumped out of my chest when I heard it and although it sounds crazy, the "masculine soul" within me screamed for Emery. If you want to read something that is absolutely amazing in context to what I'm talking about, check out the books Wild at Heart, and Way of the Wild Heart by John Eldredge. They take you through the heart of a man and the masculine journey of a boy to manhood. If you have a daughter, I'd suggest his book Captivating!

The heart I have for my son is connected deeply to the heart that Sara has for Emery as well, but our natural reactions and the ways we see him in our hearts can be extremely different. This was just the moment when her view of him as her preciously little boy(Baby Doll) and my view of him as my strong little man(Action Figure) came to odds. We laugh about it constantly, but I will tell you that we will make a point of making sure that Emery grows up knowing that he is strong, he's a boy who will some day become a man, and will give him every opportunity and encouragement in his masculine journey!

Really?

2011-07-01T22:58:00.002-05:00

Well, from the title you can see that I'm starting this off with confusion, but trust me, I'm not confused...but you may be after you read this! So...let me begin without going on any rants.

I'll start by posing the question of; "What do you do when you are moving up in management, you're being told that you may be able to basically have your own business within the next several months, you're being trained by some of the most successful leaders in the company, they love you and you're pretty good at what you do, PLUS you just had your first son?" Well, in my case you walk away from it all graciously...and I can't emphasis GRACIOUSLY enough! Right around 9 months ago I was offered a job that I really didn't know what I was getting into. Since that time, I've been promoted, developed, trained, and basically guaranteed that if I stuck with it for the next couple years, I'd be making more money in retail than I ever thought possible, and that's no exaggeration...I can show you the details if you want! It's crazy, right? Who does that...well, I was called to. God opened up the opportunity for me to go back to school this upcoming fall and since making that decision, my heart has completely been occupied with what God is trying to do through me rather than what this world has to offer me.

When I sat down with my boss to discuss things, through no lack of trying on his part, I still had to walk away. I have more respect for the Buckle and the people that work there and run that company than you can imagine. As I told him, I will forever be a recruiter for that company! God has something big in store for Sara and I...and now Emery, can't forget him, and I can't really explain it very well right now, but I do know that in the next couple years it will involve getting my Grad degree in counseling, working/living in Siloam Springs, and investing our time in the people around us and in the church! God's got some sort of vision stirring in my heart and its just now starting to take some sort of form, but when, where, how, who with...I'm assuming will all be revealed to me here in the immediate future! So, as I step out of one job this weekend and into another, anticipating the start of school this fall and working on being the best Husband/Father I can be, please be in prayer for us, and I don't mean in prayer so that we will be well, successful, happy...the prayer I'm requesting is one that is quite simple. My prayer is asking God to direct me...and for ME TO LISTEN...so that I can:
1. Lead my wife
2. Lead my son
3. Discern God's plan for our family and the vision He has for our ministry

So, that seems pretty "cookie-cutter," but honestly I'm seeking vision right now...which all plays into my reasoning for leaving a job that in a worldly perspective is perfect, going back to school, and investing in my family more! Love you all who read this and we pray daily for you to seek God in your life to the fullest! We're not supposed to be ashamed of the gospel, so lets live it!

I'm a Dad! Here we go...

2011-06-16T21:53:00.004-05:00

Well, if you live under a rock and don't have any connection to the outside world then you are just finding out that Sara and I just had our 1st little boy, Emery Luke Ross, on June 11th, 2011. He weighed in at a whopping 7 lbs 15 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. I do have to say that if you were to stretch his feet out he'd probably be more like 23-24 inches long, the boy has ski's with monkey toes!!! Definitely gets that from me! Check out my or Sara's FB for some pics.

I can't honestly express the range of emotions that have been running through Sara and I over the past week. The feeling of holding my son for the first time was unexplainable...maybe even the entire experience, so I'll save you the babbling attempt at trying! I can say that as a father, husband, and as a guy in general, I've never felt as weak as I have the past several days. I hold Sara and now Emery and I feel like I could life the house if I had to, but when they are in pain and you can't do anything to help, it will eat at you from the inside out. I would have done anything, but there is nothing I can do...other than PRAY...so that's what I did. I didn't want God to fix it, I wanted God to use it, to strengthen us, to be an example to others. I prayed that Sara and Emery would know that I am there no matter what, that I'm not going anywhere and that as soon as there is something that I can do to help, guess who is going to step up, step in, and come to the rescue...ME!!! I want them to have a faith in me as strong as my faith in God, and that their faith in God would far surpass their faith in me...if only I can be an example, and be there for them when they need me, then I'm exactly where God wants me to be!!!

I will tell you that I haven't felt more grateful and more in love with my wife ever. The number one priority for us right now is keeping God the focus of our relationship, and then jointly focusing on taking care of Emery. We have been blessed in more ways than you can imagine...everything from friends bringing us meals, to family taking care of him so that we can focus on us with coffee dates and not to mention an anniversary lunch yesterday! I love my wife with everything I have, and though I may fail some, I will do everything in my power to be a Christ follower 1st, a husband 2nd, and a father 3rd. Those are my priorities and they are NOT changing, everything else in life will just have to fit around those three!

Sara and I have spent a lot of time here lately talking to one another about whats next. For one, I'm planning on going back to school this fall to get my Masters in Counseling-Marriage and Family Therapy. Second, we've decided to take another step forward with our faith in our finances...can I say upping the bar! We feel like God is preparing us for something, but not really sure what that may be, but outside of just having Emery, our life is about to get even more interesting here in the next year. Who in their right mind goes back to school, lives off of one income, and has a newborn all in the same year??? ME...and I'm telling you that God is in control and I know that is where we are supposed to be.

The overwhelming responsibility that I've been given makes me sit back and really question what God has for us here soon. To think I'm having a child and say its all good compared a month ago to holding him, or holding Sara who is holding Emery and seeing it, feeling it first hand, praying for them together as we go to bed, is almost enough weight to feel like you can't move. All in all, I'm confident in knowing that God is the one setting all of this in motion, His plans for us are perfect, and there will be nothing greater than our life together following hard after Him. We're most likely going to be in Siloam Springs for the next several years and I have no clue what that may hold other than getting my Masters, but I do know that things are about to get interesting up in this place, and if you want in, call me, throw me a message, or just come by because I'd love to get a better idea of who is all in for seeing God do amazing things in and around Siloam. We're looking for a community of people to live life with...and we're not about to try and have the community on our own...one son is about all we can handle right now and I don't know if Sara would be up for that any time soon!!! I don't know what comes of this, but God does, and its about time for me to step out and start trying to figure this out a bit more! Love you guys...and THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for the words of encouragement, messages, food, etc...that you have been blessing us with. We can't say it enough!

This may sting a little for some but its about to Drive me NUTS!!!

2011-03-22T11:04:00.007-05:00

Can I get a show of hands of the people that were taught how to "lead people to christ" based on a folded piece of paper that ended up being a cross after unfolding it that is known as a Tract. If you can't see, my hand is raised...but honestly, I've never been a big fan of it from the get go but it does give you somewhere to start I guess. Now please, for those of you that feel like I just slammed my foot down on your toes, give me a second to explain. I do agree that at one point things like that worked for some but to be taught how to "share your faith" based on that was pretty surface level and I've always tried to be a little bit deeper of a thinker than most around me, not to mention analytical about everything!!! And no, I'm not being arrogant because it gets me in trouble a lot because I OVER THINK things and tent to shove my foot down my throat because of it! So here goes what spurred this thought.

I had an experience in the past couple of weeks that has really frustrated me and literally broken my heart and pissed me off all at the same time. For a desired lack of detail, a friend I've been talking with lately shared their beliefs on life and their lack of a belief in God...and trust me, he could probably argue his points with the best of them, but most of his points were based off of the attempts of Christians to "Convert him" as he put it! These attempts were at best the semi-educated attempt of sharing ones faith based on their lack of understanding and "Tract" style of information they had memorized in bible school back when they were in Discipleship Training. To make it simple, he had never been approached through an actual relationship and from an intellectual standpoint. He was given our surface level attempt at salvation which involved an introduction of who they were(no relationship), a statement of what they believed, and then a choice: condemnation or salvation! For an individual that has been through a lot in their life and has made it pretty much on their own in this world, they need a little more of a showing of who God is and what He is about than a "Tract."

Now when I say I'm a little pissed, its not at the fact that people were sharing their faith, but that one, as leaders, their was a failure somewhere to communicate the true passion and life of Christ, and two, we as Christians think that we can save someone on our own based on knowledge that we were given and we've never been pushed to truly understand what and why we believe what we believe (And again, when I say Pissed off, I really mean -has made me Extremely Passionate about, so please don't pick at my choice in words, my wife is the english major, not me!!!). I'm not angry with individuals, I'm not frustrated with God, I'm upset about the fact that we failed at some point to give true understanding to the people that we are leading and discipling as Christ followers. To tell someone that they are going to hell if they don't believe what you believe is extremely simple and not very educated, but it is the truth that we've watered down to make it a bit-sized chunk for people to chew on, but what happens when you are hit back with an intelligent question or comment that is based on experience? There was no fold on that cross that came open that told you how to respond to someone that has been through some struggles in life and as Leader I BEG YOU to evaluate if you are teaching those under you to be able to go off of the Tract and be real with someone. Because trust me, it really throws you for a loop when someone gets off the Tract before you even start unfolding the thing! We have ZERO ability to save someone on our own and I truly believe that it is only through a relationship that you will be able to reach others, not a Tract...I'm not trying to SAVE my friend, I'm trying to be Christ to my friend so he can see what being a "Christian" means so that God can get a hold of him. I'll let scripture speak for itself:

Titus 3:3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled by others and became slaves to many wicked desires and evil pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy. We hated others, and they hated us. 4 But then God our Savior showed us HIS kindness and love. 5 HE saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of HIS mercy. HE washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 HE generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. 7 HE declared us not guilty because of his great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life.

GOD saves, it says HE over and over, not me, not you, not our pastor, but HE!!! We are called to be Christ to the world, not condemn the world, because that is God's power and his power alone! Psalm 75:7, James 4:12

I'm sorry if this comes across harsh, but seriously, there are people that would go to Hell right now if things were to end today and all they've ever been given is the watered down, bible school version of God in a "Tract!!!" Can we be real, can we be authentic, can we please be effective, and God, PLEASE let us be as close to you as possible so that people don't need a watered down version but they desire to know the WHOLE story of who you are!!!

Attitude and moving forward!

2011-02-22T13:54:00.003-06:00

So...since the last time I was on here we've had over 2 feet of snow, only had one issue with my truck during that time in the casualty of one of my tires being claimed by the cold weather, and now the O button on my keyboard has fallen off...so needless to say, I'm about to start typing without O's and just let you all fill in the blanks. I also thought it may be fun to throw in some random "letter of the day" instead but realized with certain word/letter combos that that could become either very interesting or very offensive although probably more on the funny side.

To be very blunt and honest, this has been one of the most interesting/difficult times of Sara and I's lives in general! Our schedules are not ideal, we've had some moving of finances and losses of jobs, with Sara being pregnant with our first...EMERY LUKE...emotions have been EVERYWHERE, and just general calling in life has been difficult to say the least but for most you'd think we've got it made.

I've realized in the last week or so that my attitude straight up SUCKS some times and my wife gets to hear the most of it, so publicly, I'm sorry about that Sara! I was reading Philippians today during lunch and when I got to ch 2 I think God hit me with about the biggest dose of reality he possibly could. It talks about how your attitude should be that of Christ and then I blindly slammed into the wall in verse 14-16

14) In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, 15) so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them. 16) Hold tightly to the word of life, so that when Christ returns, I will be proud that I did not lose the race and that my work was not useless.

I've been complaining about life, work, people, you name it...not because life sucks that bad, but because I've had a bit of pride festering in my heart because I think...God, after all that we've been through, why aren't you making this easier on us, why aren't you opening new doors, why am I not in full time ministry, what's the next step? And this is where my pride has taken hold and I just this week realized that the little hold that Satan had in my heart was going to make things a whole HECK of a lot worse if I didn't get things right. This is how our situation truly stands, I've got an amazing wife that is about to have my first little boy in whom I WILL NOT disappoint as a father and husband, I've got a job that is giving me the opportunity to move up and quickly might I add, I've got an amazing church that has come around us to support us and also given me an opportunity there to lead the people in our campus to a place of worship during our services that sets the tone in their hearts to receive the message that our Lead Pastor Shannon O'dell has FROM GOD(and I believe that with all my heart). We are moving up to Siloam Springs, but we are committed to the people of BNC (Brand New Church) at the NWA campus and I encourage you to come check it out and get plugged in if you are not already a part of a local body of God's church somewhere. I've decided that no matter where I'm at, God has me there for a reason, not because he's not being fair, but because he is using that to either teach me something or use me to reach others and I need to pursue my circumstances with the Passion and Attitude of that of Christ.

Now what does this look like? NO CLUE honestly, but hopefully if you follow me around from here on, you'll be able to see and I'll right a book on it later! But in all honesty, my attitude has been horrible recently and my prayer is that of Philippians 1:20

For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or I die.

And so I hope that I haven't drawn or pushed anyone away from the call and love of Christ. Me leading worship has brought me to a new place in my spiritual life, and if you need me to pray for you in any way please let me know...I'm taking it personal to pray for everyone that comes to mind!

I'm still alive, made it through the Holidays, and I can breathe now!

2010-12-29T23:37:00.004-06:00

Well, once a week all the sudden turned into 2 months ago, and I can honestly say that I can remember sitting down and writing the last blog like it was yesterday. Life has pretty much been a nonstop whirlwind the last two months and that is all thanks to the Holidays. Not that I don't love the holidays, but working in an extremely fast paced retail setting during the holidays will knock anyone out of contact with the real world. Since then, Sara and the baby have grown considerably and we have now heard the heart beat(talk about reality setting in)...we have made the extremely tough decision to find a better home for our little puppy Siqa, which we have done and is absolutely amazing for her(yard with room to run, extremely active owner, and great relationship between us and her new owner so if we really wanted to see her, we could)...and we're looking at buying our own house and new possibilities for churches.

I'm not going to get into other churches right now because my last rant pretty much summed my feelings up, but the one thing that I feel like I am extremely passionate about at this moment is the heart of the church, and MY HEART for that matter. My heart burns for change, for community, and for growth. We visited another church a couple weeks ago, and after I get done moving my schedule around and getting things a bit more back to normal at work, we are going to start attending and seeing what it is that God is calling us to get involved in. Sometimes we get so caught up in the normal routine of life, that we miss the opportunities right in front of us, and in my case, we get caught up in the chaos of life and don't even realize that it's been two months since I took the time to sit down and actually think!

My heart burns for the people around me, but even with a passion burning as strongly as mine, I still get too busy sometimes, and what is my excuse? I've been in this situation before and looking back on it, it was even in the church. I got caught up in doing so much, that I let the moment pass me by without actually seeing what it was that God was wanting me to do! This actually reminds me of a book I read back in High School called "Paradise Lost." One of the main things I remember about this story of how true paradise was lost was that Satan brought about Chaos. How/Why I remember that I have no clue, but it has stuck with me since then and I find it as true as anything I can think of. Satan truly is trying to create Chaos so that we lose focus, and he's flippin GOOD at it. Not that we aren't following God, but that we lose sight of urgency, we lose sight of passion, but I will tell you that through this season, I've never lost sight of God. It's easy to get discouraged, but God has called me to so much more, and I'll say it till you're sick of hearing it. Do I fill like I'm doing exactly what God has called me to do, not really, but do I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be, YES! It's hard, because I don't know or see what the next step is. I pray that if you are in the same situation, that you would sit down and take the time to refocus. I wish I could time a week or so to get my thoughts together, but that ain't happening any time soon, so amidst the chaos, I've got to consciously keep my focus on Christ!

Sara and I have been discussing the way people see community around here, and it's been hard because we don't have the same type of community as we did back in Wilmington or NMB, and we're starting to think it's cultural, and I mean in the church. It's the culture around here to not live in community as members of the church. It's hard to create community, and that's what our next mission is...but I'll stop myself before I get into that topic too much, plus I want to look into community around here a bit more before I start throwing out conclusions I've made. My heart burns for community, and for those of you who did life with us back in Wilmington and NMB, we love you and miss you all! Its encouraging to know you are still there behind us in heart, because I know your hearts personally! God's not done with you, with your church, or with your current situation, he'll see you through it and he has called you to greater things because of who you are and who you live for!

Urgency is something I'm learning!

2010-10-27T21:23:00.004-05:00

Well, my thought of a daily blog has now pretty much become a once a week or so deal..but hey, LIFE HAPPENS!!!

This evening we got plugged in with a great group of people that are seeking after God and trying to figure this thing out that we all call LIFE! The lifegroup was awesome to say the least and as we were driving there, it dawned on me that this was something that we hadn't done before. Since the summer of 2006, I've been a part of the inner workings of every church that we have been a part of either through being on staff or being a "high capacity volunteer," and Sara has been with me the entire time! I realized that this was the first time we had ever went into a small group/lifegroup without being the ones leading it or without knowing someone already...we were finally the ones looking in from the outside. It was definitely a different experience, but was a great time.

Another thing that I realized is how blessed we've been to have been exposed to the life that God is desiring for us to live. I see that we were shown so much over that past two years that I walk away from conversations desiring so much more for people and their relationship with God. There was a moment tonight where I saw a glimpse of the comfort in Christianity that Sara and moved because of back 2 years ago, and it fired me up because I don't want to see complacent Christianity!!! Now you've got to understand that I'm not judging these people because they are trying to do everything they know how to live a more Christian life, but I left feeling like there is so much more and my prayer is that they won't fall into the same comfort that we were in back in 2008. I don't know if you will even understand what I'm trying to say or if you even know what I'm talking about, but there is SO MUCH MORE!!!

Two years ago, we could have walked into any church and just slid right in and done the "Christian" life, but we had a feeling there was something more and when we moved our prayer was "God...put us into the middle of something HUGE!", and that is exactly what He did! Now that we've returned, you've seen some of our recent prayers and this is what we felt like God was telling us to do, follow your heart, and our hearts are here in NWA. So with all that said our major prayer has been and always will be the same, something HUGE, and complacency has no room when it comes to HUGE! I've never seen a move of God that wasn't something HUGE, trust me, when the first thing you see at a church is a Helicopter dropping what they thought was a ton of plastic eggs onto a football field(10,000 eggs to be exact) and actually 10,000 people show up when it was thought that maybe 3-4,000 would come, that's HUGE! God doesn't do little, when God moves its HUGE....even if it seems insignificant or small or just plain backwards like losing a job and having no idea what is next...God is in the business of HUGE so get ready and go with it and see what God is teaching you. Get it yet or do I need to keep saying it? What does this mean? I have no idea, but I do know that I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that the people around me are given the opportunity to understand what we've been a part of and what it means to be a life-giving church. God has called us all to SOMETHING MORE, and that is HUGE!!! Please don't put our AMAZING GOD in a box and ask Him for only the small things or the quick fixes, ask God to do something HUGE, then get ready and don't just stand there because you might miss it. Get out of the Lazyboy, be on your toes ready to get into the game, and be a part of what God is doing around you! I'm so ready for whatever that may be for us here in NWA, and after an amazing night like tonight, I can hardly sit still I'm so jacked up!...do you sense some urgency?

Ok...Done with my rant or randomness or whatever that was, goodnight all, I'm exhausted!

Life Just Got Interesting!

2010-10-16T10:40:00.003-05:00

Our prayers as of late have been:
-Give me a job
-Let Sara start moving towards not having to work so much so that she can focus on her writing and other passions
-Let us find a Life-Giving Church
-Show us why we are here, why we moved back
-Grow us closer together
-Put us in a position to lead others/inspire others

Now, while we are waiting on some of our prayers to still be answered, we have been given a partial glimpse to some of the answers.
-Got a job as an Assistant Manager In Training at the Buckle.(Full-time, benefits, I'd say answered prayer)
-Me getting a job opens it up for Sara to start pulling out of some of the temporary work she has picked up when we moved.
-After next week Sara will no longer be working 65 hrs a week!!! PRAISE GOD
-Started attending Keypoint Church
-Pastor Casey has an amazing heart for the people of this area
-Looking forward to getting plugged into their ministry to NWA and see what God has in store for us through Keypoint
-Sara went to their recent women's SPA NIGHT with Kimberly and had a great time, not to mention a free Back Massage
-Oh yeah, and the morning of the day I got my job at the Buckle, we found out that Sara is Pregnant
-WAIT.......What? God, really? OK, we are stoked!

SO...within one week, I got a job, Sara gets to quit a job, we got to hang out with the pastor of an amazing church, and we found out that we are going to have a little one running around here come May or June 2011...WOW...I've been a bit busy so its been a week or so for the blog, but I asked for God to do some big things and guess what, HE DID! Don't ask for it unless you want him to show up! God is still in the process of doing something cool...and I don't think He's done!

I'm absolutely JACKED UP about what's going on right now, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us as we get more invested into Keypoint Church, more invested into NWA, and prep for a little one!

Love you all, read the first couple chapters of Hebrews and see what God shows you. Comment below with what He shows you and maybe it could help someone else or even me! It rocked me pretty good and I'll share more on that hopefully tomorrow!

Wake UP!

2010-10-06T13:28:00.003-05:00

This morning wasn't unlike any other morning, I wake up to light creeping into the window and a small high pitch whimper coming from one of the back bedrooms(which by the way, I get to finish painting as soon as I get done with this)! Every morning our little Sib pup Siqa wakes us up to tell us that she is ready to go outside and do her business! I put her back in her kennel and crawl back into bed hoping that the alarm is a couple hours from going off and just as I'm finally getting settle back in and half asleep...the alarm goes off and so does Siqa! Now she knows its time for breakfast...and sadly enough if one beggar isn't bad enough, I've got our bipolar cat Nehlah screaming in the other ear by the time I get into the kitchen!

Now, why am I talking about this...well, because I started out typing this with a quite boring teaching type blog that I thought I wouldn't even want to read no matter how Godly it is! So for your enjoyment, there you go...but I do have a tie in here...just hold with me. The dog and cat wake up every morning knowing who to look to for what they need and exactly how to get it(in our case whimpering and meowing(LOUDLY I might add)...Now this isn't some amazing revelation, but I realized that if I'm not willing to live my life with that type of faith in God, then I'm relying on myself and myself alone! God may be a part of it somewhere, but that's not what he wants. God wants me to wake up and be crying out to Him daily, asking him for what I need, from the time I open my eyes, its all His!

I decided to study the sermon from this past weekend that Pastor Casey gave over at Keypoint Church and the series is called Confidence. Now, as always, I took my own little spin on this one after studying further but if you want to get messed up by scripture, go read Hebrews 10:19-39 and pay special attention when it gets good in verse 26, not to say it isn't all good! With all that has been going on in my crazy head lately, that scripture just blasted me with a bit of reality that what I'm doing is right! I need to refocus every bit of me and not forget what it was like when my life was forever changed on Dec. 20th, 2000 on a ski trip in Colorado. So, take some time, read it and see what it is that God may be wanting to tell you through that scripture!

Something's Up!!!

2010-10-04T18:59:00.004-05:00

So...I think today may be the day that will go down as one of the most vital days of my life. God has been absolutely tearing my head and my heart up for the past several weeks and the only thing that I've got to show for it is confusion. Sara and I just moved back to NWA about 5 weeks ago and I can honestly say that this has been HARD! Not that we weren't supposed to move back, because I'm sure of that, but every other question you can think of has been racing through my head...one because I feel like we were called back to this area for a HUGE reason, and two, I haven't found a job yet which means I'm just sitting around filling out applications, sending off resumes and pretty much doing nothing else other than house work while my wife is working her tail off until I can find something. As I sit here and type I'm reminded of someone I'm supposed to send my resume to...so, now that that's done, I can continue!

Well, to keep from boring you with the details, here is the short of it...I've been challenged here recently to really seek after God, not just be a Christian, but pursue God with all I've got. I've toyed with the thought and I think God is disappointed with my effort so far, but honestly, it scares me...I think that may be healthy. I've been reading and watching videos of great leaders here recently that has done nothing but challenge me to stop being scared of what God may be able to do in me, and start seeking after God and do whatever he lays on my heart. This freaks me out because its what you call becoming completely vulnerable and open. Now to some, you may ask me what I'm really talking about because you know me, but this is real, raw, faith...not just something you accomplish by going to church on Sunday. I recently heard someone challenge Christians by saying that if you are not going to the bible to seek after God, but you have other intentions...such as only going to the bible for answers or for something to teach on, then you don't get it. This is a key in my life that has been tearing me up since I heard it. I've always had a reason to pick up the bible, but rather than having something I'm needing to get out of it, I realized that I don't spend time in God's word enough just to be with God and let HIM SPEAK to me. This week, I'm going to dive into the love of God through His word, and rather than looking for something to teach, needing an answer, or asking for something, I just want to learn and listen to His guidance. God's word is vital, but how can I stand behind some of the things I tell people, if I'm not willing to let God leading me through His word. So...here we go, if you want to join, call me or shoot me a message. This may even make no sense to you and if not, that's cool...but God has something in store for me and I'm jacked up about it, but also freaked out at what He may ask me to do...but you know, if I don't listen, then all of this is pointless and I'm living in and of myself.

I'm going to be posting as close to daily as I can during this process and who knows what will come of it. I don't have a 30 day plan, or a reading plan, I don't have a date I'm shooting for or anything like that. Only expectation I have is to have my world rocked and become what God is calling me to be RIGHT NOW! So no more procrastination of Faith, it's on. Pray for me and as I said, join me if you want...I'll be praying for you all! God's about to rock my world and I would love to have you along with me for this journey but only if God is calling you to it!

I'll let you know tonight or tomorrow what God has revealed to me as my first steps in this process for me. All I can say is SEEK GOD, then do whatever it takes to do what he says!

Thank You

2010-08-24T11:59:00.002-05:00

So...as you may have heard, or for those of you that haven't, we're moving...again! But this time is probably one of our most interesting moves. We're moving back home, or what we would consider home, Northwest Arkansas. God has been pushing us to follow our hearts, and that is where our hearts are leading us, and with some of the confirmations we've had in the past couple of weeks, we know we are going where He is wanting us to go.

The reason I'm asking everyone to read this is because we can't possibly sit down and try to contact everyone that has meant something to us over the past year and a half. From those of you that were there that first couple of weeks we were in Wilmington, to the ones that we have went to church with, to the ones who we have learned to do life with, we have the highest gratitude, respect and thankfulness. It would take us a couple of weeks to contact everyone that has made a difference in our lives the past couple of years and we will forever be changed by the friendships we have made with you all. From the bottom of our hearts, we say THANK YOU and we love and will miss you all, but we will be back to visit frequently! If you are ever in Arkansas, give us a call and we'll treat you to the best burger, fries and shake you'll ever have, and our door is always open for visitors!!!

Control

2010-07-28T08:58:00.003-05:00

So...God has an interesting plan for us all, and he often does things in very strange and interesting ways, BUT it is ALWAYS done to teach us something whether we are in the mood to learn or not! God has released us from a ministry, that, while a great opportunity, we just didn't fit. We had the opportunity to see several of the students come to a relationship with Christ and get Baptized, and I believe that is why I was there, not to save them, but to give God the stage to draw them back to Him! There is nothing that we did or nothing that the church did that caused us to be leaving Barefoot Church, it was based on philosophy and direction, and we just didn't fit. Now does that mean that there is something wrong with Barefoot Church...NO...and shame on you who think that I would say yes. God is using Barefoot Church in amazing ways, but those ways are different than how He wants to use Sara and I, and that's perfect. Now the question is, What's Next?

I can't really say at this moment what we are going to do next, but whatever/wherever that is, we are following our hearts. God has shown us things in the past year and a half that will forever change our view of Him and ministry. I could take you on the journey we've been on, but not at this time, COMING SOON!!! One of the several things that I've learned is how to completely trust His direction. It's amazing how God is just waiting on us to give up control and let Him lead us so that we can be used for what we were made for!

Control is something that I've always enjoyed. Take sports for example. If you've been around me very long, you know that I'm extremely competitive and love sports. When I played baseball, I didn't really love baseball as a whole, but I loved PITCHING! I CONTROLLED the entire game with every pitch. And if I didn't have control, I wasn't successful. I wish I had some sweet analogy or something to make my point (I tried and would have completely confused everyone who reads this except for other reminiscing pitchers) but I don't, it is the point. I love being in control, knowing what is going to happen, how I'm supposed to get there, what I need to do next. I HAVE NO CLUE RIGHT NOW! And at first it freaked me out, but then I took some time to think about it, spent some time with some great friends back in Wilmington, and then realized everything that we had been a part of and how God was teaching and using us even through this.

God is pushing us right now to follow our hearts, and you'd think it'd be easy, but when you take a leap like we did half way across the country, little bits of our hearts are left everywhere we've been. So where are our hearts? Great question, but right now its just a waiting game to get out of our lease on our current house. God is in full control of us, and I think I'm starting to be cool with Him being the pitcher so to speak...wow, lame, I know...but I'm serious. I've been in some form of control for the last couple years, or so I thought. It's funny how you think that you've mastered patience and then God decides to show you that it's not really patience that He's trying to teach you, He's trying to break you of control. Read about Jesus leading his disciples, He's constantly teaching them to release control of their own lives so that they can be used by God for greatness!

True Creativity

2010-06-29T09:52:00.006-05:00

So, I added an album of pictures just to the right of the screen that has these pictures of the flowers that Sara planted this past spring that are in full bloom now! It brings me no greater joy than to see my wife take joy in her hobbies, check out her blog to truly see what I mean because she decided this past year that she was going to start a garden...little to my knowledge she was actually dreaming up a small farm in our backyard! But hey, last night was by far the best pepper I've ever had, not to mention the fresh green beans, broccoli, squash, and soon to be much more!

Most of the time when Sara says she has something in her mind that she wants to do, I have to realize that she already has her heart set on it and her mind working on how to do it, like with her sewing, her photography, etc...so, I think my wife is just CREATIVE and needs outlets for that...and so this is why we have an amazing camera, to take the amazing pictures of her flowers that were just kind of a side thought to her garden! Then you've got her bags that she's made that are being sold at the SURF HOUSE in Carolina Beach, NC that just blows my mind. She also decided that she was going to teach herself photoshop...which she uses over at Ribbet Salon & Shop for Kids over in Wilmington, NC...you should check out the graphics, some of which are her handiwork! It blows my mind to realize how amazing my wife is, and it took me encouraging her to take pictures this morning of her flowers to remind myself of that!

God has an amazing way of revealing things to us through his creation, and I think this is a big reason why my wife is so Creative, because she can see God work in and through a lot of her creativity that most don't recognize! For most of us we see flowers, but God created them, check some of these pics out and just look at the creativity that went into making each one different. I have to slow down sometimes and take notes from my wife when it comes to creativity, because she draws from the master of creativity...GOD, and maybe I should look into being a bit more creative!

I can't wait to spend this evening on the beach with my wife, friends, and students from Barefoot Students. I'm truly blessed and I get to enjoy God's creativity daily...we just have to open our eyes and look for it! Plus I get to SURF!

Effective or just busy?

2010-06-24T14:19:00.004-05:00

WOW...it's been over 3 months since I've written something on here, and it feels kinda weird! Life has been nuts, and that is partially responsible for fueling this post. Here lately God has been pushing on my heart to evaluate what I'm doing and see if it is effective or if I'm just doing things that make me look busy! Since my last post, the Barefoot Student ministry is finally moving in the right direction. After figuring out where and how I fit, I started getting a vision for the student ministry from God and I've been plugging at that ever since. I mean, we've got 5 students getting Baptized this weekend, can I get an AMEN (for all my Southern Baptist Family back home). There are alot of things that I do throughout the day, and some I've already stopped that just make me seem like I'm busy, but actually when I evaluated their effectiveness, seem like a huge waste of time.

When I was at the UofA, I remember spending(wasting) HOURS on Facebook seeing what everyone and now literally their Dog is up to! Pet facebook...come on people, your dog and cat don't need you living their lives for them through a fantasy social network, Sorry, just weird to me!!! Anyways, I've truly seen it all. I've been a member of facebook since the beginning of my freshman year..oh yeah, by the way, it launched in february of that same year! That is back when only MAJOR Universities had it, you had to go through an application process that the Chancellor of your school had to approve! A year or so later they opened it up to anyone with a University/College email...and I remember when I thought the world was coming to an end when they allowed High School Students to sign up!!! Now, as I said...EVERYONE AND THEIR DOG!!! So, is it a social network, marketing scheme, conspiracy? Who knows, but all I know is that I evaluated its effectiveness at reaching our students...and I had more adults and staff members on our Student Ministry Fan Page than we had students...I'm not kidding, like 6-10% of the "Fans" were actual students. And that was the trend for Twitter as well!

Now on to why I started this post. With Facebook and now Twitter, your week could get lost TWEETING, RE-TWEETING, Checking facebook status' and looking at pictures that your "friends" posted that you really didn't even talk to back when you were IN high school. I just feel like someone needs to say this, I'm a realist and to me this just doesn't seem RIGHT!

I'm a math mind, so bear with me for a sec and I'll explain! Say you spend 30sec tweeting every time you tweet, you tweet 15 times a day...that's nearly and hour a week tweeting...I'm being generous here! Then you add in all of the time you spend reading others tweets, re-tweeting, and direct messaging others when you could just call or text them, and you've probably got at least another hour if not more there!

2 Hours a week on TWITTER...now I don't even want to go into the math that is involved with Facebook, but for a social network to bring people together, it sure has made interactions with others even more secluded and shallow than ever, not to mention a huge chunk of time wasted!

Now don't get me wrong, I do have both twitter and facebook and no plans of getting rid of them anytime soon because they can be great tools to connect people...So...God has really pushed me to re-evaluate the way I spend my time, the way I use things like Facebook and Twitter in my ministry, and is pushing me to think even more strategically when it comes to my ministry. God is really pushing me right now to clean up areas of my life that, although may not be bad, are not the best for my ministry. What is God telling you to do next? How much time do you spend being antisocial on Social Networks where you could be spending that time with God? What's the first thing you do in the morning, recognize your SAVIOR, or update your status? These are all questions I've asked myself in the last several months and they can be painful to own up to, but God wants your best, not just good!

God is Pushing Patience

2010-03-21T13:42:00.002-05:00

I tell you what, when God wants to teach you something, He typically goes all out! So, with the process of moving comes all sorts of things you end up having to deal with, and in our case that included breaking our lease at our apartment in Wilmington and signing a new lease in SC. Our lease in Wilmington was a 13 month lease that we had started back in September, but to break our lease we had to give a 2 month notice, two months rent on top of that, and any concessions we had been given, so the cost was quite pricey...but the only way out of it was to find someone to sublet our place. SO...in short, we had about 60 days to find someone, and lets leave it up to God to wait till the 59th day to find someone to sign the contract, take it off our hands, and save us some money! It was truly the only thing that was holding us to Wilmington, and it caused alot of stress over the past couple of weeks trying to figure out how we could show it living over an hr away, finding people who were interested, getting them to take an application, and actually hoping and praying they would sign it. God's humor is amazing because I was with a friend of mine here in North Myrtle Beach when Sara calls me and says "They took the apartment!!!" You've got to understand how nearly hysterically she was on the phone because it was finally something we could let go of and be done with, and save money! I had so many discussions with God trying to figure out what he was doing, because I couldn't understand why he would allow for money to be basically thrown away, when it could be used in a better way! I guess it was the point where Sara gave the apartment complex the check to buy out the lease and were personally able to let go of that money, that God was good with our mindset enough to bless us with that money. Now we've got to figure out what God wants us to do with it. I pray that God lays it on our hearts what we need to do with that little bit extra, because I'm pumped to use that to bless someone else! God is growing us constantly and you're probably getting sick of me saying how much we've grown, but as we grow, I am constantly reminded of how much I still DON'T KNOW!!! I've got a long ways to go, and I pray that as you seek God, he will reveal His awesome power and make you realize like I have that I can't do this without HIM!!!

I'm back, and hitting the ground running!

2010-03-10T18:22:00.002-06:00

So...once again...it's been a while. Since my last post we have successfully moved down to a town just outside of North Myrtle Beach called Longs, SC, started work as the Student Pastor at Barefoot Church, and pretty much dug up the entire back yard so we can have a garden for this Summer. Basically, the past couple weeks have been an absolute whirlwind, but I think it's safe to say that it's pretty much been nonstop since we decided to move just over a year ago. You won't believe how jacked up I am about what is going down and coming up at Barefoot Church in the coming days, weeks, months...you get the idea. God has really started to give me a clear vision over the past several days on where the Student Ministry is going, and it has been crazy how He's been doing that. God has revealed things to me over lunch with potential leaders, in talking with current leaders over pizza before LIFEGroups, and even while I'm sitting in bed reading. It blows my mind that it hasn't come during the times I've set aside for ministry, like office hours, study times, etc...God likes to work in my life in really random ways...it cool, but extremely confusing sometimes! But the best part is that it's never planned, and I think that is what God is trying to show me, I can't plan a ministry, I can only guide it in the direction He gives me. It brings me back to the ideas that you can't plan a move of God, you can't plan a revival, you can't plan a salvation, but you can prepare yourself to minister to someone where they are in a situation that you have been given a vision for.

Pastor Clay has laid out a very clear Vision for our church "We are Changing Lives that Change the World!" My job as a Student Pastor is not to create a new ministry, but to take the vision that our Pastor has been given and focus it in a specific area of ministry, Students. We are not trying to create another church for students. We are going to build relationships with student meeting them where they are i.e. School, Weekend Services, Sporting Events...and guide them to Jesus! That is what God has called me to do, and if you are reading this and would like to jump on board and help me in this, just shoot me an email at nross@barefootchurch.com I will get back to you ASAP and we'll get you plugged in with our ministry. God truly gave me a clear vision tonight hanging out with our students at our LIFEGroup night over pizza and I can't wait to see what God is going to do through this core group of students that we have at this time! I'm praying that our students don't end up just attending a weekly bible study and church service, but that they get involved, serve God, learn to trust in God and live life through faith, and build relationships with others that will forever change their lives!

So, now that I've rambled a bit, I plan on blogging a bit more, not to mention starting some new stuff for the student ministry here in the near future. Love you guys and let us know if we can help with anything at all!!!

ABSOLUTELY JACKED UP!!!!!!

2010-01-22T22:05:00.002-06:00

So, from the title you can guess that I'm pretty excited. I've felt like a caged squirrel waiting to be let out so that I can get to the nut that is just out of reach! So...Just to finally get this out, we are moving...again! This time it isn't quite as big a distance as previously, but although it is unreal awesome, it is sad to know that we will be moving away from the amazing people that we have met and grown to love in the Wilmington/Carolina Beach area. On the lighter side, we are only moving an hour down the coast, so we'll just be down in North Myrtle Beach. I will be taking over the responsibilities as the student minister at an amazing church in North Myrtle called Barefoot Church. I can't explain to you how huge of an opportunity this is for me, and I cant wait to see what kind of impact God can have on the students in NMB and at Barefoot Church through Sara and I. My final day working in Wilmington will be Feb. 19th but we will be moving on Saturday the 13th so that we will have a week or so to get things settled. God definitely had plans for us, and we just went where we thought we were called and through our faith, God has blessed us even more than we could have imagined! The friendships we have made here in Wilmington, the opportunities to minister to and serve with the people of Lifepoint Church, and the growth we have experienced personally are irreplaceable! We can only give God the glory for this opportunity and greatly anticipate this new season in our lives. Thank you all for your friendships, leadership, and continued prayers as we jump into ministry and join the amazing ministry team of Barefoot Church. Please pray for the leadership there as we seek after God and what his desires are for the church and the people of North Myrtle Beach!!!

Debt Beat Down UPDATE

2010-01-14T20:43:00.002-06:00

So, we're pretty pumped to say that we have payed two of the seven bills off as of this month!!! Two of the smaller medical bills are now in the past and we were also able to save nearly $80 by paying one off early. I would like to add that no matter what anyone says, always ask, because you never know what someone will say when you tell them you have cash and can pay X amount up front! So, now we have decided to simultaneously start saving back an emergency fund that will give us two months of living expenses just in case of...obviously....an emergency and also paying on some of the other bills. Once we have our emergency fund we will be able to focus all of our attention on saving and paying off the rest of our bills. The next bill payoff may be some time away, but we are in an interesting season right now and look forward to bringing everyone up to speed on that soon! We have been stretched and growing in ways that I can't even explain lately, and really are excited to see what God has in store just around the corner!

Passion, Purpose

2010-01-11T08:17:00.003-06:00

I think that it is safe to say that there are some huge things going on in everyone's lives right now whether they realize it or not. God is definitely at work in some crazy way right now because everyone we talk to seems to have the same desire...a NEW CHURCH...and when I say church, I don't mean we need to move into some new building...we need to change the way we see what the church is. I'm sorry to say this..no wait...I'M NOT, but people need to get out of the idea that the church is the building on the corner and actually get out of the church building and see what God really wants to do with them. God has definitely called me to be more than just some church attender and yes, while going to church is a great thing, becoming the church, living it out in community with others, and serving those around you without any expectations is what I feel like the church should be.
Through the last year our lives have been "flip turned upside down" to quote the Fresh Prince! We had some thoughts of what might happen, but God threw any preconceived notions we had out the window and blew our minds like you wouldn't believe. Within weeks of moving to an area that we didn't know anyone period, we were plugged into Lifepoint Church and getting to know people that would forever change the way we lived our lives for Christ. Now, on to the reason for me getting off on this rant. I was looking through an old pile of papers when I found a card that had come from an event that we went to for the leaders at Lifepoint. On this card was written the one thing that I think has prepared Sara and I for the position we are in right now. This is what Sara had written: "If the need is there, we should fill it when called. I've felt that way since they spoke to us last, regardless of our circumstances or if we'll get paid or anything."

Now, not to say that Sara and I had figured it all out, but I think in a weird, unknowing way, we had. If we are seeking God, then our desires will get pushed aside, and His desires will take hold. We shouldn't be looking for that one thing, but in all that we do, look for God and He will give us the opportunity to do that one thing we love. It may not be now, and it may not be in the way we expected, but when the only thing that you expect is for God to show up, then God will use you and there will be much greater joy in that than seeking out a passion. My father-in-law has said find your purpose and pursue it with a passion. Wise words for anyone to listen to, and I will tell you that my purpose is to do whatever God calls me to do, and following Him with a passion no matter where that may lead us! I pray that God wrecks your hearts in a way that gives you the desire to get out of your seat and pursue HIM. I'd like to know where HE takes you!!!

Heading HOME from Home!!!!

2009-12-31T13:06:00.004-06:00

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...

2009-12-19T21:43:00.003-06:00

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!!!

2009-12-15T07:58:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-13T15:00:00.003-06:00

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!!!

2009-12-08T09:00:00.004-06:00

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

2009-12-03T20:06:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-11-26T18:54:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-09-30T07:46:00.004-05:00

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!!!

2009-07-31T09:11:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-22T21:27:00.003-05:00

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

2009-05-30T23:25:00.003-05:00

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

2009-05-26T19:21:00.003-05:00

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!!!

2009-05-20T11:48:00.006-05:00

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 Mc George, 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

2009-05-16T22:05:00.002-05:00

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

2009-05-06T08:51:00.003-05:00

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!!!

2009-05-01T09:35:00.003-05:00

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?!?!

2009-04-18T18:00:00.006-05:00

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!

2009-04-13T10:31:00.003-05:00

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?

2009-04-02T15:00:00.002-05:00

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!!!

2009-03-20T09:07:00.005-05:00

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!!!

2009-03-16T15:14:00.000-05:00

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!!!

2009-03-11T19:23:00.002-05:00

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

2009-03-05T23:10:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-02-26T17:41:00.007-06:00

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!

2009-02-25T23:04:00.002-06:00

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

2009-02-18T13:20:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-02-15T22:29:00.001-06:00

-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!