Things in my head

I think some guys call this a mind dump

• our youth group is going well, leaders are being developed, thank you God

• How can I be a better leader

• I want to be a strategic leader, this takes time to think and listen to God

• Excited about home group in Batesburg-Leesville

• I love my wife and kids, home is a great place to be

• I am blessed

• Our church is growing really fast, we need to put together systems to handle growth, we met and talked about this today! Good stuff

• Becky wants to see Toby Mac at the fair this year, I have to make this happen!

• Can't wait to get home and take a nap

• we had a great camping trip this weekend, but I am tired!

• Last night taught about "being a hypocrite" great discussion with students
  

• that's it right now, Praise God
  

Challenged

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while, it's been pretty crazy. I went to the low-country Mon-Wed to help Robbie put a roof on his mom's house. Something interesting happened. Robbie thought it would be a good idea to say Bible verses while we worked and started. He said you go next...and I couldn't think of anything! It was bad, talk about looking bad in front of your boss! I knew which ones that I should know, but nothing was coming out. It could have been the heat and the exhaustion, i don't know. But one thing it did was challenge me. So...I made a commitment on that hot roof that I was going to memorize one verse a week. I know it's not much and I should have been doing it the whole time but I haven't. So I have a lot of catching up to do, one verse at a time.

Raising Children

Let me start out by saying that I LOVE my children. If I think about them too much I could get emotional. Only three years ago, we didn't know if we could ever have children. After our third miscarriage, the outlook was pretty slim. So all of that to say, I am truly blessed! Our children are great.
But man is it hard to raise them. Anna Grace is now 2. I don't know when it happened, but one day she decided that she didn't want to listen anymore. So we are adjusting to a new phase of loving and disciplining our children. Is it wrong to demand first time obedience? (I know what I think, but what about you?) Is it possible for that to work? A couple of weeks ago, we were talking to a couple of ladies in the church and they laughed at us for thinking it could happen.

So any encouragement, advice would be great.

Too much to worry about...

So I used to listen to talk radio a good bit. It got to the point that I didn't even listen to music, maybe the occasional worship CD. But I noticed something started to change within me- I became very anxious. I started thinking about what this world would be like for my children, would America become a Muslim country, would we be severely persecuted for our beliefs, Who would be the next president and how bad it would be no matter who won. I noticed at night when I laid down to go to sleep I had a heavy load of anxiety. It wasn't good. I had to make a change, several actually.

• Even though I loved the humor on Glen Beck, etc I had to give it up. I don't listen anymore. Matter of fact, I really don't watch the news much-but that's more because I am never home at 6 and asleep by 11, or watching Scrubs. I know that some would day that it's not good to know what is happening in the world and I am just putting my head in the sand, but that's just where I am right now.
• Also, I had to do away with my anxiety. It's sin, lack of trust in God. "But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God, My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me, Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love." Ps. 31.14-16

  
  

Photos of the Family

Encouragement

What if we all had someone that we could go to that would encourage us in the Lord? What if we were that person to someone else? What would our lives look like? the church? The world? I just spent part of the afternoon with a guy that does that for me. We get together every other month or so, but he really challenges me to stop and hear the voice of God and then follow whatever He says. It is so refreshing.
Then, I am always looking for someone to encourage with the same. I tell my senior high guys over and over that they need to listen to the voice of God. He wants to speak to them. He is speaking, it's just most of the time we don't take the time to listen.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus Romans 15:5

I love A/C

Man it is HOT! So I thought that I would just send a shout out to the guy that invented A/C. What a guy! Hip Hip ... Now if I could only get him to come and fix the A/C in my truck, that would be nice :)

A funny blog I came across

enjoy!

click here