Sunday night reflection

I am exhausted.

After church we had some friends over for lunch and then Clayton and I took my brother and his son, Owen to six flags.

We snuck Owen onto the Judge Roy Scream because he wasn't "officially" tall enough. He loved it.

I almost broke down in church for the first time. Going to the hospital with your helpless son can do that to you. Luckily I am a true professional and held it together.

I love our church.

I can't wait for next sunday, just because.

It was great to see some new faces again this week. Our church has done really well this summer.

I almost told a very questionable joke in the service, but thankfully I edited myself on the fly.

Have a great week!

Spiritual Blinders

I have had a few conversations in the last few days about spiritual blinders. What I mean is this: most of us go through life focused on ourselves. If I asked you ,"who do you know that is far from God? Who do you know that needs you to tell them about Jesus?"

Most of us would quickly say, "no one" , or we might have one name. The reality is that all of us are surrounded by people that want to know God and would respond to us, if we would just tell them what God has done for us. But instead we walk around with spiritual blinders- oblivious to the people that God is putting in our lives. He wants you to change someone's life.

Take 2 minutes to pray for God to open your eyes to those around you that he has put there. Is it the boss that you can't stand? Is it the family member that is indifferent? Who has God put in your life for a reason?

The Pastor and the UFC Champion

Today I got to meet one of my favorite atheletes, Matt Hughes. He was doing a radio broadcast at a Wendy's in Plano today, so I headed down to watch. He was extremely polite and took pictures and talked with anyone that wanted. I can't tell you how cool this was. I know in the picture it is hard to tell who is tougher. (On paper it would be a close fight, since I am taller and heavier)

It makes sense to meet a 9 time UFC champion during the series on leading a Gold Medal life. Matt Hughes defines toughness and hard work. He is also a believer that is set apart for Christ. He makes it very clear that Christ has changed his life and is #1 in his life. This sunday we will continue to look at how Christ can make us champions!

(Can you believe that this man is one of the greatest fighters of all time! How cool is that?)

Sunday Night Reflections

Today we started a new series that will take us through 1 Corinthians. I am excited to make it all the way through the book.

My favorite part of the service was the lighting of the torch. Without a doubt the highlight of the day.

I stayed up late watching the UFC last night. I love UFC nights and it is definitely more fun to watch in a group. This monthly tradition must continue to grow.

I am starting to get into the olympics.

Today's "low" attendance was higher than any day we had all of last year. That makes me happy

I am very tired.

I lost 9 lbs. last week!

Have a great day.

Free Album from Phil Wickham

If you are a fan of Phil Wickham (the Christian musician), then go to this site and you can download a free album. Good stuff from a great musician.

Nobody's Perfect- The Reason YouTUBE Was Invented

The lessons of life are so simple. If you're having a bad day, this will cure you.

My Record Breaking Goals

I am pumped about our new series on Sunday. This Sunday we are going to have our world rocked by our Creator. I am going to challenge our church to achieve some lofty goals. Here are some of my goals for the rest of this month and year:

This month:
- Pray for 15 hours
- Lead the Church to add $1000 margin into the budget. This means an increase in Congregational Giving and a decrease in Church Spending.
-Read 10 books
- have an average of 75 adults in church
- memorize 15 verses
- take my wife on 4 dates without the kids

This Year
- Baptize at least a dozen more people.
- Lead our church to read at least 2 full books of the Bible
- Achieve an average attendance of 150 adults
- Lead my wife in a Bible Study every night
- Lead 15 men through a life changing Bible Study (it begins in September)
- Begin hearing weekly stories of how God is impacting the lives of our people and community.

I hope that you will begin praying about your goals for the rest of this year. There is plenty of time for us to accomplish what God has set before us. Get ready for SUNDAY!