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I'm incredibly proud of our church. Yesterday, I spoke on "fasting" and then challenged everyone to take some time this week and fast, meaning no food and seeking God. We had 41% of our adults agree to fast from one meal to 7 days. I believe that our church will be different because of His people chasing after Him. There is power in fasting and I'm looking forward to hearing what God does through this.

final game

Today was the final game of my sons 3-4grade basketball team, of which I am the head coach. I am amazed at how close I feel to these guys. We have bonded as a team and I have enjoyed the privilege of pouring into them. There is nothing more rewarding than to see them reach higher than they thought they could. I am so proud of our team and am better for this opportunity.

14 years

Tonight, my parents are coming in town to see the kids play basketball and cheer tomorrow and to baby sit for Keri and I tonight, as we go out for our 14th wedding anniversary. I love my Keri more now than I did 14 years ago. It's amazing when God is at the center of your marriage, and both people are genuinely trying to love the other more than themselves. Granted, we have our moments...ha...but I am the most blessed man in the world. I hope we have 114 more!

youversion.com

I love youversion.com. I have used it for an online Bible but now using it as a men's Bible study has been fabulous. To be able to check to see if other guys in our group are reading and being able to hold each other accountable. Not to mention, being able to share our comments has been great. They have so many different Bible reading plans to choose from. I have no prep for this Bible study other than doing my readings. We get together and discuss the truth of God's Word. Can you say LifeChange? And it is all FREE! Thanks to lifechurch.tv for blessing the body of Christ with this resource.

change

Healthy things grow, growing things change, change means movement, movement means friction and friction causes pain and uncomfort.
Now .....who is ready to GROW!

fasting

We had a great Sunday yesterday! Several people gave their lives to Christ, we had a great crowd and covered a heavy topic on the roots of our issues. This upcoming Sunday we are talking about fasting. This is the lost discipline of the American Church. Let's be honest, we love to eat and are addicted to food. I'm excited to open the Word of God and then challenge C3'ers to join me in a fast. Whether it is with me for a 3 day, or a 1 day or 1 meal, we all have to start somewhere. Fasting releases God's power and I'm looking forward to teaching on it....I just wish it didn't hurt so bad...lol.

what your made of

I coach one of my boys 3rd-4th grade basketball team. I am truly enjoying working with all the kids on my team. Today we we got down big, came back and then lost the game in the last period. They had some kid on the other team who had the greatest game of his life.
It was a great teaching moment for my team. I challenged my guys that you have to be a good winner and a good loser. When you win, you have beat pride and when you lose, you have to beat frustration or maybe anger. Both winning and losing will reveal what you are made of.

God's blessing

It's amazing how much God gets blamed for. He gets blamed for the consequences or our choices and that of others choices on us. People get mad at God because He won't bail them out or give them a miracle out of a rough situation. Many times, God get's brought into the equation, when we have no other options. But the truth is, God will bless what you give Him. I have truly experienced God's blessing in my life and here is why; Keri and I have placed God at the center of our marriage...blessed....the center of our finances through tithing and offerings...blessed....major decisions by seeking His Will...blessed. How can we go to God and ask Him to bless something that we won't give Him?

let down

I know there are times where I have felt like I have let God down. The truth is though, I can never let God down, because I am not the one who is holding Him up. That truth for me, takes a weight off my shoulders. God is God and HE is the one who holds up everything. He carries the weight of the universe on His shoulders, not me. I can rest in that.

growth blocker

I feel that growing a church, is a lot like a potted plant. First, God is the one that brings the growth. With that being said, there are many things that can hinder that growth. It could be the water intake, too small of a pot, no sunshine or maybe the soil is not good. Many factors come into play. If everything is healthy, then grow is natural. When it comes to the church, I believe it is the same way. It's our job as the leadership to identify the growth blocker and to deal with that. For C3, we just expanded our kids sanctuary seats and now kids space, but now our growth blocker is our parking spaces. Unless we get creative and deal with this issue, our growth will be hindered. What is your greatest blocker to growth? Start there to remove what is hindering your growth.

storms

Good stuff from my reading by Rick Warren:
3 kinds of storms:
1. storms we bring on ourselves
2. storms God causes
3. storms others bring upon us

What not to do when in a storm:
- Don't drift - from what you know is right
- Don't discard - your values and truth
- Don't despair - or give up hope.

- Our test of our faith is in times of crises.

From another book this morning:
"The hotter the fire, the stronger the steel."

look and find

It's amazing how we usually find what we are looking for. This is true for so many areas of our lives. If your are looking for good in me, you will probably find it. If your looking for negatives in me, I'm sure you will find as well. We find what we are looking for. So much everyday is oblivious to us or we pass by unnoticed, simply because we are not looking. It is true, when you seek, then you will find. You know what your seeking....by what your finding.

don't run

Rick Warren said; "It is never God's Will for me to run from from a difficult situation."
Think about it, when we do run, we will still have to face the situation. It may only look different, but it will be the same. We have to realize that God is trying to do something IN us. He is wanting us to learn to trust Him that He is more than enough for any problem. Are you running from something?

fear

Fear has a way of disabling us. Fear forces us to shrink to inactivity and crushes any faith to take a risk. I make my kids face their fears all the time and push through them. I also personally try to intentionally run into my own fears. May we never allow fears to hinder what God wants us to accomplish and ultimately become.

equation

Event + response = outcome.

We may not be able to control all the things that happen to us or around us, but we can control our response. We are the only ones who can ruin our lives. It is our choice how we allow things to affect us. It may be the same event in two peoples lives, but how they respond to it, makes all the difference.
Is there an area of your life you are not taking control of, but rather allowing it to control you?

ambition

We all have ambition. Some have more, some have less. Ambition is what pushes people to achieve amazing things or the lack of, which keeps people from ever even attempting anything. The key about ambition, is the motive behind it. Motive is what makes ambition either good or bad.
On a scale of 1-10, what is your level of ambition and how are your motives?

kalahari

My family and I just got back in from our yearly ministers retreat / pastors kids retreat at Kalahari indoor water park. We get a rate under $100 and water passes for the whole family. It was a blast. The time together as a family is priceless and it is good to get away and be refreshed personally. The drive back was a little dicey. We went from snow to freezing rain and ice to just plain rain. It took a little longer to get home, but we made it home safely. Thank-you Jesus. I can't wait to work my first day in my new office tomorrow.