Forum

Fort the past 3 days I was able to be a part of the the Ohio Ministry Networks, "Forum" conference. I was honored to lead the worship there with some great friends and good musicians. I truly enjoyed the teaching of the teachers and gleaned some great wisdom from their words and their lives.
Side note: It's easy to be teachable when you go to a conference for the reason of learning and are looking to do so. It is another level to be teachable all day, every day by everything around you. How teachable are you? Can you only learn from certain people at certain times?

buffalo

There are not too many people who can look out their windows and see buffalo roaming in a field. We live across the street from a farmer who has 2 buffalo. It's amazing to think that these creatures at one time roamed the land in huge quantities. To the American Indians, the buffalo were their chief resource for survival and day to day life. They would use close to every piece of the animal for something. The Indians also had an incredible respect for the buffalo.
In the US, we are blessed to live in a country and have an economy that even in a low time, is light years ahead of the rest of the world. The sad thing is, most Americans aren't grateful or even have a clue how blessed we are.

everyone

This Sunday, we are talking about "everyone." We want C3 to be a place where Everyone is known, Everyone is needed and Everyone is changing. Can you imagine a church like that? We will attempt to do this by helping Everyone plug in a Community Group (small group). This semester we have 18 groups launching. Small groups are the glue that keeps our church together and they help sustain LifeChange. I can't wait.

premeditated

If you are a Buckeyes fan, I'm sure you have heard about the the Ohio Univ. mascot tackling Brutus the Buckeye before last weeks game. The kid who did it is now banned from any Ohio University Athletics and OU staff have apologized. The crazy thing is, this kid said the whole reason he tried out to be the mascot was to tackle Brutus. A lot of time, effort and planning went into that stunt. I have no clue where I am going with this blog other than....God knows our motives and someday, they will all come out for the the world (or 104,000 Buckeyes fans) to see.

weighed

Reading this morning in Daniel where King Belshazzar saw the writing on the wall and then got the interpretation. The one part of that interpretation was that "You have been weighed on the scales and found lacking." For this king, it was his pride and arrogance.
That made me think, when God weighs my life, what does He find? How about yours?

community minded

- Last Wed, our youth ministry (Pulse) had a 150 students show up for "Burrito Night." Chipotle donated 225 burrito's to help make this possible.
- Last Friday night we parked over 275 cars on our property for the HS football game. We gave each car a $1 bill for parking on our lot. Their expressions were priceless.
- October 2nd, we are having our 3rd annual C35k run. All the proceeds are going back into a scholarship fund for local students.
- October 23rd we are having our Fun-O-Ween at C3. We will have inflatables, hayride, chili-cookoff, cornhole, free food, carnival games, popcorn and cotton candy amongst other things.....and it's all FREE.

C3 is here to show the love of Christ to our Community and if we ever forget that we are here for those outside our walls....then shut the doors.

revitalization

Today, I was on a skype call with several pastors from another denomination that has a desire to help struggling churches. I love the fact that it's not about A church or A denomination, but it's about the Kingdom of God. I am seeing more than ever a heart to work together as the Body of Christ to reach the lost and I'm honored to be a part of that.

strength

In our culture, it is an unsaid rule that strength comes from action. I am learning though, how to find God's strength in rest. I am not saying that being lazy and doing nothing brings rest. Rather to trust God and when He says run, I run and when He says rest, I rest. The key is hearing and remaining in His Will. When I live there, whether running or resting, I find His strength.

grace

I'm sitting on a committee that deals with ministers who have fallen morally. The goal is to restore them personally and eventually help them back into to ministry as well. As we walk through these situations, the amount of grace given to these individuals is in direct proportion to their heart of repentance and truly owning the wrong they have done. Grace flows through humility.

weight

When someone speaks, the weight of their words will be determined by truth of what they have said and the level of influence of the one speaking them.
How much weight, do your words carry?

loyal

"I want to be more loyal to the future, than I am to the past."
I heard that said and I think it carries some weight. I love the past, I love my heritage. I have been blessed to grow up in a Christian home with great parents and was raised in church my whole life. These things are foundational in my life, but I never want them to keep me from trying something new to reach more people for Jesus. Some of the things that worked when I was a kid, do not work now. I never want to be tied to a method, but rather to THE MESSAGE! It's not about what I like or prefer as much as it is, "what is most effective?" I want to be more loyal to the future than I am to the past.

blocked

I believe I am experiencing so much of God's blessing. I do my best to put Him first in my life, my family and my finances and have reaped the benefits of it. God's blessing and provision is never too short, but when it seems it is blocked, we need to give something away. Giving removes any blockage from God's Blessing. Giving, frees us from greed so money is never in the first place in our lives, where God should be.

path

God wants to help us find and walk on the path that is most pleasing to Him, not the path that is most pleasing to us. They are very rarely the same path. One deals with comfort (ours), the other deals with growth which means change which means uncomfortable at times (His). What path are you on?

trust

Last night, I walk in my kids bedroom just as they are about to put their younger cousin in a drawer underneath their bunk bed and shut it. There was a high risk of smashed fingers, panic and pain. So I broke that up and shared what could have happened. My 5 yr old little Kali said, "If daddy said to do it, I would trust him, but no one else." I walked out of there feeling great that my little girl would trust me, even though she was unsure.
That's how I want to be with my Heavenly Father. I want to trust, even when I am unsure.

a great day

Today, I spent my day at home with my family, my parents, my grandfather and brothers family. It was great just to hang out, eat food, play some music and just be together. It amazes me how fast life passes us by. Watching our kids play together seeing how much they have grown always baffles me. When it comes to raising kids, I've heard it said, "the days go slow, but the years go fast." I want to enjoy every minute of life that I can. I never want to give part of my life to petty arguments or worrying over stuff, but rather enjoy all that God has given me.

faith and feelings

Last night I was talking to a friend about feelings and how it affects faith. Our faith in Christ and His truth is our anchor in times of storms. As we are walking through struggles our feelings are up and down and all over the place. We must not allow our feelings to make decisions for us, but rather the truth. As emotional beings, there will always be feelings to contend with, but when it comes down to it, we must be anchored through faith.

seasons

I was running the other morning and saw a couple leaves fall to the ground and thought about seasons in the life of C3. We will turn 4 years old in November....crazy. We have just walked through a season where several people have been called away from C3 from either jobs, ministry positions and to be a part of other church plants. I can honestly say they were all on good terms and I wish them well. It is still hard to see some great friends leave, but it's not about C3 Church or me, it's about the Kingdom of God. At the same time though, we have had several new families start attending at C3, and they are beginning to jump in. There is a lot of sharp people who are incredibly gifted who are getting plugged in. We are about to step into a new season in the life of our church and we are excited about what God is doing.....and even more excited by what He is about to do.

tonight

I still enjoy connecting with students. Tonight I will travel to Niles Ohio to speak at Next Valley (nextvalley.org) youth ministry. I'm excited to be a part of their "September to Remember." It will be a long drive and a late night, but I'm praying that God changes lives tonight.