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.