Pursuit of Growth

So I sat in Church on Sunday at Port City Community Church only to be challenged one more time. The whole message was based around Prepare HIM Room. As i sat and listened I realized that I had not been intentionally pursuing to prepare HIM room. I realized that I had come to a point in my walk with Christ where I had become satisfied with where I was and God was asking for more. It was my time to take the next step, go to the next level, pursue after him in a more passionate way.  One of the things that the Lord showed me was that there was a balance to going to the next level and it involved a total pursuit of health in all areas. For the pats 6 months I have become so consumed with church planting that health had lost importance. God opened my eyes to seeing that part of my spiritual growth was understanding balance spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally.  So i come before you with a challenge to search deep within your own soul and see the areas of your life that are unhealthy. You don't have to wait until the new year to start making changes. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you move toward health.

Spiritual

What does your soak time with the Lord look like?

Physical

How are you eating?

What are you doing to strengthen your body?

Mental

What are you reading that is encouraging you and challenging you?

Emotional

How are you managing stress?

How are you processing your emotions and feelings each day?

Remember pick 3 critical areas to focus on this week. Challenge yourself to just take small steps toward health and if you mess up one day kick yourself in the butt and keep going JUST DON'T GIVE UP!!

Just so you know I am doing this as well so here are my goals for the week.

2 times this week - run/walk 20 minutes

portion control at meals - drink lots of water - limit sweets

A more focused Soak Time - Train the brain to focus

Download the day with Ashley - and finish by praying together (everyday) before she falls asleep

God Loves each of us but he doesn't want us to stay where we are. It's time for each of us to take some next steps to spiritual, emotional, mental and yes even physical health. 

I started reading Matthew 5:1-16 this morning it was a great encouragement to me and a great reminder. Read it, Pray it, Learn it, and then LIVE it. 

Have a great day and start the week off right. Taking a step toward health.

Last thing is tell your spouse or a friend what you are going to do, then allow them to be your encourager and also kick you in the butt if you are not doing it. 

Remember Love God with everything, and Give Him Everything because He deserves it.

Growing UP!!

I can't believe it. I always heard my mom and dad talk about how fast I was growing. I always heard people talk about how fast I was growing but now I see it with my own eyes. I was laying down with Caleb the other night thinking man where has the time gone. I've got three kids who are all in school and before I know it will be heading off College, getting married and who knows what else. Cherish the days. I have taken for granted many of the days I have had with my kids to this point. I laid there asking the Lord to slow me down. let me enjoy and cherish our days together. Help me not to get so frustrated over the small stuff.  I also realized that writing something like this means I am getting older but the fact of the matter is that I am still just a big kid who is getting older.

Well just my thoughts for today!!

Did I do it out of Love or because I was suppose to?

Today our launch team met at a local park in wilmington not knowing that we were about to experience a divine opportunity. After arriving at the park we noticed that some people were hanging out in the pavilion we had rented. We eventually found out they were homeless people who hung out there most weekends. We did out nice little churchy thing and fed them our leftovers which I am sure for a while made us or at least me feel good about myself until now. As I have sat here and reflected on this good deed, I had to ask myself a really tough question. Did I (we) do it because we genuinely loved those people or because it just was the good thing to do? Maybe I am being a little hard on myself but more than anything my desire is to be like Christ and I know that Christ would genuinely love those people. What I (we) should have done is feed them and then if there is any leftovers eat ourselves. Lord help me to really begin to understand what it means to love people as Christ and put others before myself.

Matthew 25:40 "Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

What will you do? 

What will I do?  If faced with a divine opportunity to LIVE like Christ, and LOVE like Christ?

THE CHOICE IS OURS?

Be Still

Psalm 37:7a "Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for the Lord to act." God is teaching me about waiting that in my stillness God wants to speak intimately into my life. Lord let me wait on you.

Proclamation, Identity

These two words have been on my mind for the past few weeks. What is my life Proclaiming? Is my life being a proclamation of Christ? Am I proclaiming the person of Christ to my wife, my kids, my friends, and to the people I come into contact with everyday?  My prayer has been that God would use me as a vessel to share the message of Christ with people without hope.  The second word is Identity. So many times my Identity has not been in the person of Christ but in what I am doing. Lord would you continue to remind me that my purest identity is in You. What about you? What are you proclaiming? In who or in what are you finding you Identity? I hope you will wrestle and evaluate these in your own life.

Going Places I've never been

11 years in youth ministry with no desire to ever enter the position of leading a church. Now i have no choice. God's calling is much stronger than my desire. My main desire is to live a life that fully honors God and brings honor to Him.  So now I journey into places I've never been, Facing challenges I have never faced, Leading in ways I have never led and doing things I have never done. I enter this journey with great humility and fear knowing the only God can do what he has called me to.