Staying the Course

What a whirlwind!
Being the lead pastor at a church that unapologetically preaches the true Gospel and makes very strong Biblical stands while trying to love a lot of people in a real powerful way is dizzying enough. Then, throw in colliding with the real world and it tests a leader's metal.

In a just a few short months, powerful events have rocked my world:
-- Lost my Dad. Powerful man who knew Jesus. Taught me how to be a man. Always tough but fair, and I always felt very loved by this man. I don't worry about him, but I do miss him. I miss playing cards and him yelling at the Cards. Losing him took a little chunk out of me, but my mom doing well really helps.
-- Lost Bill. This one had a lot more effect than I thought it would. It had been an absolute joy to watch Bill grow by HUGE leaps and bounds in his faith, and then bam -- he was gone. I miss him. The Bible says that we are to watch out for the orphans and widows. I basically have four widows in my cell family -- lots of watching out for, but, man, it is really good to see Barb be herself lately. She is finally coming out of shock.
Lost Coach Sech. Had some great talks about God in the 15 days from the time he discovered that he had cancer to his death. What an amazing man. It is really interesting that I spent all 48 years of my life basically learning most of what I knew from two men, and they died within one month of each other. It was an honor to stand in the Bob Sechrest Fieldhouse and try and make some sense as I preached my second funeral of a man named Robert Sechrest (I did Bobby's also). They cannot both be gone. No way. I miss them. The whirlwind continued.
Lost Alan Berry. He did not die, but he slipped away in quicksand that I had no control to stop. We ended up not being able to agree on things at the end of his ministry at The Bridge, but I love him. It has been like a death. I miss him.

The fall season has been insane. The weather has been great. My marriage has been great. Justin is doing well. But I have hardly been able to notice as the responsibility of coordinating a one million dollar project has been a whirlwind. I have great help, but I got all of these people into this thing and so I feel really responsible. I know that I can blame God, but that is just how I feel.

GAP is kicking off and I am going to do all of the talks for CA. That is okay because it is what God has called me to do. I am planning on learning a lot from the course. This Recovery at the Village curriculum is going to change the world, and I am ecstatic that we are in on the ground floor of using it.

My life is a whirlwind, but I am staying the course because there is victory in Jesus. Pray for the Kingdom, pray for our nation, pray for me, please! I am blessed to be a child of the most High God, but I am a weak, sissy sinner sometimes that needs the support of the people that God has called to help me glorify His Name.

Some Whacko IT Thoughts

IT is a heart abandoned for Christ. People who are ruined in a good way can find IT. What if you were the good friend of someone who lives far from God that you are trying to show God's grace by the way you live. It is September 11, 2001 and you discover that your friend was one of the ones in the Towers. They died -- you would be ruined, but you would probably experience a change in the passion with which you share the Gospel -- little more talking to go with the walking. This is not destructive ruin.
Sin is destructive ruin.
Anger can be destructive ruin.
When you are ruined for God, it is constructive. It creates IT.
God takes the brokenness and makes IT powerful.
When Christ has ruined me, broken me to where I have had to solely rely on Him or worship only Him, focus on Him, I have IT. When I have IT, I can't stand to see people without Christ, people playing Church, people heading toward the Towers. IT will not let me rest until they at least look at the Gospel. IT drives me.