Yesterday Amy and I were married ten years ago in Centerville, OH at Franklin St Baptist church. The ten years together have wonderful. To celebrate we took this weekend away from the kids. We have ended up in a fun hotel in Florence, KY called the Wildwood Inn and Suites which is home to theme suites and a safari village. The best thing about the weekend is simply being together.

My first reflection on our ten years of marriage is that we are so blessed because we still simply enjoy spending time together. We don’t need anything crazy to keep us entertained or to keep us engaged but by doing whatever we are doing together makes it worth it. For instance last night we were in the hotel room and just enjoyed watching a couple episodes of Lost together. Prior to that we spent some time walking around a mall in Florence. No those things in themselves are not special but doing it with Amy makes it special. For Amy and I this has been nothing new. When we first started dating one of our favorite things to do was to go Perkins and get coffee. Clearly I was settling for less than the best coffee. While there we would spend time in conversation while we colored together. When we would finish our pictures we would always write a love note to each other. I am so grateful that after ten years we simply enjoy being together, wherever that may be.

Sanctifying would be the second thought of reflection. Marriage to Amy has been used by God to draw us both closer to Him as we learn to love one another. Over the years the depth of my sinfulness has been exposed. From my selfishness, to my fear, to my laziness, etc. I could go on but then this could get depressing. In all of it Amy has always chosen by the grace of God to forgive. Never once has she ever held anything over my head or been critical towards me as a result of my sin. This has been a true picture of the grace of God. Amy has also been such a big supporter, encouraging me to pursue the God and at times putting aside her desires as a result. This has been a picture of God’s sacrifice for us and His desire to see us grow. God has also used Amy to sanctify me with her mouth. She has never been afraid to speak up and tell me when I am acting stupid and following Christ. This is such a blessing although at first it can be a bit painful. I praise the Lord that Amy loves me so much that she is not afraid to speak up.

Amy and I have truly lived as one flesh over the last ten years. When I think back I am amazed at how we have made choices together and patiently waited for one another when we weren’t quite ready to make a decision. I was given a great piece of advice when I got married about the importance of unity when it came to making decisions. The impact of this has been great on our marriage. Whenever something comes up and there is not unity, I am driven to my knees in prayer that God would make whatever adjustments are neccesary in either of us so that we may have unity. Without fail God has answered this request everytime. The truth is neither Amy nor I have been given the blueprint of our lives from God so we are both seeking Him and His will. Either of us can miss what He has for us for different reasons. As we seek unity the Lord refines us and helps us die to those desires that may be guided out of selfishness or something else. Everyday I praise God for a wife who I know is seeking God and that her first priority is to honor Him.

There are many more reflections that I could write about and maybe I will take some time to write more tomorrow. I would like to wrap up with one more. Amy and I are daily in need of God’s grace and presence to have another amazing ten years together. If it were not for the gospel we would not be where we are at. Our marriage has been amazing and will only remain amazing if Amy and I continually look to the gospel. In Esphesians we are called to love our spouses. Wives are to submit to their husbands as to the Lord and Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. All of this is built on the grace of God being at work in our lives because of our coming to Christ in repentance and faith. I am too sinful to be able to make this marriage work and to work well, but because of Christ at work in me, I am able to love Amy and die to myself in marriage. As we focus on Christ our marriage will only grow stronger but if we take our focus off Him will only be a matter of time before we focus on ourselves and our marriage grows weaker and weaker. So by the grace of God we must cling to Him everyday as individuals and as a couple. He is so good! Thank you Lord!

If I had one prayer for us it would be that Amy and I would walk with God as individuals and as a couple. I pray that as one flesh we would have no greater desire than to know Christ and Him crucified (Philippians 3).

Amy I love you so much and I praise God for you everyday! You are truly my best friend. lover and wife! I simply want to spend my life with you serving our great God and Savior!

PS- Sex is truly one of the great privileges of marriage!!!

A few months ago I noticed a friend was talking about twitting and reading twitter feeds and I was quickly intriueqed to find out more. I wondered what this thing was that he was reading and wondered how I could be apart of it. Now a few months and 582 tweets later I have found it to be a lot of fun. Not because I like to detail every moment of my life for others to read or because I am extremely well known and I get to have a ton of followers. Rather I have come to enjoy Twitter because of who I get to follow and get a glimpse into their life. No I am not a stalker! It would be better to say that you get to get a glimpse of their mind.  Many of those I follow have similar interest and passions and as a result as I read their tweets I gain great resources and find myself encouraged by the things they say and share. In some ways you begin to be mentored by people that you may never have had a chance to interact with before. To me that is really cool!

Just the other day someone tweeted saying that the reason people tweet when they are with a group of people is that they are lonely. I would imagine that this is true.  They really are lonely or they are bored. When I read that I was struck and found myself wondering if I tweet sometimes because I am lonely even though I am surrounded by a group of people whom I know love me. I must say that if this is true it is sad that I can not find companionship with those I love. Secondly it is sad that instead of finding comfort and peace in Christ I am searching for it on a phone with people who honestly give a rip about me.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you” is a promise from God in regards to contentment. Yes the context is talking immediately about money and possessions but the application is for every area of our lives where we may find ourselves wanting. For those of us who have found forgiveness and grace in the arms of our savior we must recognize that Christ alone will fill any void we find.  Until we realize this and live this we will continue to be brought to great lows of loneliness and discontentment. We are promised that He will not leave us because in Him alone we will find the cure for the lack of peace and loneliness we have.

Twitter has a lot of good for us to take advantage of but we must also be careful to not allow it to be a comfort to us. Christ alone is our comfort. Perhaps I am preaching to the choir, but for each of us, what is that thing that we find comfort in that is not our Saviour? What do you turn to when you are hurting, discontented and lonely. Our savior alone will bring the lasting comfort that we all long for! Seek Him and Him alone!

Have to run to the cross and our Savior today?

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.

Psalm 127:4

Friends and Readers,

I am always curious what others do to riase up their children in the Lord. Moses told the children of Israel to make sure that they pass things onto their kids and it is the desire of my heart that I do that with our three children. I find it easy to think that as long as I have our kids in church and Sunday School that they will learn the Bible and grow up following the Lord. I know that is not the case but rather as Amy and I live lives of faith in Christ our kids will pick up the truth.

Would you please respond with comments and share what other ways you shepherd your children. What is it you do to pass on your faith to your children? How do you implement the things of God into your everyday life so that your children see?

Again please take a few minutes to comment.

This taken from “Think Orange” written by Reggie Joiner. He reminds us that God is God and that we need to trust Him with our kids.

“I am not trying to make them happy;
I want them to really live.

In the middle of their pain,
I can be a better friend than anyone,
even you.

I am the only one who can really
love them unconditionally,
forgive them forever,
and be a perfect Father.

So maybe you just need to trust Me
enough so they can see Me.

Besides…
with all your issues,
I think it’s probably better
for them to trust Me more
than they trust you.

Isn’t it more important for them
to love Me more
than they love you?

I can heal their hearts;
you can’t.

I can give them eternal life;
You can’t.

I am God;
you’re not.”

Pg 56 “Think Orange”

May each of us realize the truth of this as we seek to raise our kids to love and know God! Parenting can be scary, in those times we need to trust God more!

Over the last few months God has allowed us to be on a crazy journey as we have sought His will for our lives.  I always use to think that God’s will was supposed to be revealed in some magnificent way so that we could be sure that we were in the center of it. Then I came to realize that it was not the case but practically I still lived that way.  As we would come to new junctures in life I kept waiting for God to speak but always in the end He never spoke that clearly.

The pattern that I have seen in my life has been a continuous battle to remain patient as I wait for God’s will to unfold. When I am in those waiting stages I find that anything sounds like it would be a lot of fun and as long as God is included I begin to think that it might be His will for me. Therefore I begin to pursue different things with passion that overwhelms me and possesses me until I find the answer. In those times when things don’t work out I am reminded that those pursuits became my idol. Once they began to possess me I should have realized that it probably wasn’t what God wanted, but rather what I wanted as I sought for significance and meaning. After those times of waiting where I allowed myself to be possessed, God then steps in and moves us to what he had originally planed. Then when I look back with 20/20 vision I see how God’s sovereign hand has been involved and that because I could not be patient I missed out on enjoying Him and His peace.

Recently we hit a new intersection in life and had some major decisions to make but by God’s grace I handled it much differently. God calls us to be faithful and because of that I knew that I needed to proceed with caution.  I also knew that I longed to be used by God and didn’t want to wait any longer to pour my heart and life into people. Instead of pursuing a position I simply realized that the best thing to do was to be faithful where God had placed us because I knew there was much to be done.

As a result we have been led to a place where we have been desperate for God to provide. We have been in a place that does not give us luxury or opportunity for advancement but rather it has been a place where I am continually humbled. The place my family and I found is one that is seeking first the kingdom of God in our most imperfect ways. I find myself daily looking at the promises of God and asking do I really believe this. At least a few times a week I find that I want to jump ship and pursue something that has more earthly benefits. In those times God gently rebukes me and pulls me closer to Him.

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3). This summer as we have sought the kingdom, God has been sanctifying us. In times when I felt like I needed encouragement from God, I found Him revealing in greater ways the depth of my sin and how it repels people from Him. In those times by revealing my sin, He also revealed how amazing His grace is and that apart from it I am hopeless. In this process He has been sanctifying me. I pray that the lessons that God has been teaching me this summer will stay deeply planted within my heart.

God has also taught me much about trusting His promises. He has taught me that often times the hardest thing about trusting God’s promises is dying to my own desires. Jesus taught that, the first must become last in His kingdom and so when He teaches us those lessons it is painful because we have to die to our desires.  The thing is that often times our wants can sound very godly, so when we are asked to die to them it seems wrong. I know I have found myself saying to God, “I want this so I can serve you more or so I can give more to you.” The truth is in those things there is a hint of selfishness that is repulsive to God and also makes it so difficult to die to those things. The great thing is that God keeps showing me that the results from trusting His promises are so much greater than what my desires would have produced.

God’s provision has been amazing as we have surrendered to Him and sought to do His will by seeking first the kingdom of God. Yes it has been hard and I have often found myself in a panic and moping around waiting for God to respond. Then He rebukes me through the Scriptures, my amazing wife, a life situation of a friend or a close friend and I come back to reality that my purpose in life is to know Jesus and to lead others to know and experience Him. That is my mission. I am convinced more than ever that I do not need a position or title to ever fulfill the mission that God has clearly called me to.

May I encourage you be faithful to what God calls us to in the scriptures and He will reveal His will to you only when it is necessary. Pray over the scriptures for what God is calling you to do as His disciple and start doing it.  Don’t wait, do it now. When you do this it will not be easy and at times it will be scary but you will come alive and experience life more fully than ever.

Stuck in the trap of always trying to be good!

Last week I finally graduated from Southern Seminary with my Master’s of Divinity from the Billy Grahm School.  Hard to believe that now after three years in Louisville and one year in Dayton that it is done.  Honestly last week as I finished there kept being this sense of now what.  The reality is that I am still employed by Starbucks with no real paid, full-time ministry opportunities in sight.  At one time this was my greatest fear, that I would end seminary and have no idea what I would be doing.  I put a lot of effort into figuring this out, only to have the Lord in the end say no.  This was extremely difficult and depressing as I longed to know where I would be serving after seminary, after all we had spent all this time and money to do something.  God is truly amazing!  He has used this last year in Dayton to reveal to me that ministry is not a job but rather it flows out of who we are.  For instance if I need a “job at a church” to be in ministry then I have lost sight of what God has called believers to. If I can not get in and get my hands dirty now then when I have a job will I be doing ministry at a church as a job or as a calling. So now rather than focusing on where I will be ministering in the future, my heart is to simply do ministry where we are and allow God to move as he sees fit.  This has been a long journey for myself but it has been valuable. For now we are serving at Morningstar Baptist church in Centerville until God moves us on.  We love the people there and long to see the community reached so until that time we find it a great privilege and blessing from God to be there!

The issue for me at this time is laziness!  When I have school deadlines it is so easy to stay motivated and to be studying and growing.  But now there is nothing to drive me to be studying and nothing driving me to read.  At night it becomes easy to lay around and not do much.  Without the pressure of deadlines the sleepiness overwhelms me.  By God’s grace and the driving of His Spirit I must dig in and stay active in my studies and reading.  There is much on my mind to do and accomplish, plus many books on my reading list.  The other thing is that as I become lazy (sin) it then begins to open the door for other temptations so I also recognize how important it is to be faithful and diligent.  God is amazing so I am excited to see how he helps me grow through this time.

The other thing that I am looking forward to doing now that school is done to do expand the amount of time that I am spending with the Lord.  I am looking forward to setting up a Bible reading plan, spending more time meditating on the Word and setting more time aside for prayer.  I understand that the ministry that I have to my family and to others will only be as strong as my relationship with Jesus.  What is the one thing that I have to offer to people? JESUS!  What is the only way that I can give them Jesus?  By walking with Jesus myself! When I am close with Him, He most brightly shines through me. So Jesus here I come!

The final thing on my mind as I am now a graduate is Amy and the kids.  Over the last four years there are a lot of things that we have not been able to do or things I have had to miss because of studies or school! I am excited to be able to have a day off and spend it with the family without thinking about the ten things that I have to get done. I am excited to not have to run off to study or write a paper all the time but instead to go outside and run around with the kids.  I am excited to give Amy some mornings of sleeping in, which she more than deserves. God has been so good to us as we have been on this journey really drawing us close as a family. I have an amazing wife and three incredible kids and I do not want to miss out on their lives anymore!

A Graduate…now what?  Just a normal guy! A family man! A follwer of Jesus!  Just wanting to be faithful in the moment! Hoping to see God do amazing things in the lives of others! Thank you Jesus for everything!

Over the last four years as I have completed my master’s there is one thing thing other than God that I could not have down without: Amy!  Between working full-time, school and the family if she had not been there we would not have made it through.  Throughout the entire journey with all the ups and downs, mountains and valleys she was a so strong and made so many sacrifices.  For all she has done there is nothing I could do that would be worthy to express how amazing she is.

She is an amazing friend. Amy is my best friend! There is no one I would rather spend my time with than her.  She knows me inside and out, with all my strengths and weaknesses and yet she still wants to be with me and around me.  As a friend she was such and encouragement during those highs and lows of school when I thought I might fail a class as well as when I did great on a test.  She also encouraged me through different jobs I had that at times were tough because I didn’t enjoy them. She would stay up late to spend time with me and always do lots of little things to let me know she was there for me.  I praise God that He has given me such a great best friend!

She is an amazing wife! In the Bible it teaches that the women was given as a helper to the man.  A famous line from a movie is “you complete me!” These two things typify who Amy is as a wife.  Over the last four years and I am sure for the rest of our lives she has been great at keeping things going in our lives, allowing me to be free to focus on school.  From making phone calls, to dealing with people, to keeping our calendars insync, to finding unique ways to make money she did so much to keep us a float.  One winter she addressed and stuffed envelopes so that we could buy people Christmas gifts.  She spent hours doing this, with such determination and doing all of it because of the deep love she has for people. She also sold pampered chef for a little while which also helped keep us a float.  I know especially when we first got to Louisville it was extremely tough but through it all she came out on top, trusting the Lord to get through it all. So much of who Amy is, is a complement to me and vice versa.  Where I am weak she is strong and she often has insight into things that I am missing.  From what I can tell she is an example to all woman of the calling God places on the wife.

She is an amazing mother! We had two kids when we moved to Louisville and the third arrived while we were there. I often find myself amazed that even when she is entirely drained she finds more energy to give to our children.  With three kids under five it would have been easy to just let them run wild around the house but that isn’t Amy.  She has a strong passion to see our kids grow, mature and know how to behave in a respectable way.  She has done a great job with consistently loving and discipling our children.  Not only that but she is always thinking of creative things to do with them.  I am often amazed at the things she does with the kids that I know would blow my top with stress! Things like letting a two and four year old free paint. Freak me out!  The thing is it doesn’t even shake her.  Another area that she excels in as a mom is teaching our children about the Lord and taking those teachable moments and maximizing them. I am thankful for her passion to share Jesus with our children. There is nothing she would not do for her children. Amy is such an amazing mother, I can not praise God enough! Thank you Lord for the woman you have created in her.

She is an amazing women of ministry! As I just wrote about all the things she has done to get us through the last four years I am am blown away to be able to say that she is others centered.  The truth is she could have been a hermit the last four years and said she was too busy to get involved in the lives of others.  That isn’t her though!  There have been women over the last four years that she has poured her life into despite everything going on.  She truly loves people and it drives her to make the time to help them out.  Even when she would be hurting she was still willing to give. She is truly amazing! I am blown away by her!

She is an amazing follower of Jesus!  I praise the Lord that I have married a women that loves God and wants to have a life conformed to Him.  Over the years she has learned much and there would be times when I would come home and she would share what Christ was teaching her.  She was driven to be in church because she wanted to stay close to Jesus.  She would find time to read the word and pray because she knows that He is the source of her strength.  I know that her love for Jesus will be an example to our kids.  I was always amazed how when either one of us felt drained spiritually the other seemed to be strong and close to Christ.  We were often able to mutually encourage one another in our walk with Christ.

She is an amazing fighter in Christ!  The truth is that while we have been in seminary there has been many attacks against us as a family and her individually. Some have been from struggles in my life that she has fought through and forgiven me only to see our love grow deeper.  Also though she has been attacked physically.  While in seminary she has dealt with tendonitis in her shoulder while having three kids to care for. She still deals with that today.  Even when she was in incredible pain she would still pick up our kids and love on them when she was needed most.  She also had a scare with the potential for cancer that she fought through.  She had a baby that involved a tough, tough pregnancy.  She had a cyst grow on her foot that had to be checked for cancer and had to have surgery on.  She had a large kidney stone after Emma was born and had to have surgery to deal with that. All the while she still dealt with headaches and migraines.  As I write that list I am amazed at what she endured with three kids and having me in school.  She fought through and relied on Jesus.  There was also a broken nose and surgery , and staples for Alexa and stitches for Noah’s head. Again through all of this she fought through and remained positive!  She walked with Jesus and remained full of love!  She is truly an amazing women!

She is an amazing proofreader!  Finally I don’t think I could have made it through seminary without her proofreading skills! Those who know me, know writing is not my expertise but with her help I got through with a good G.P.A! Thanks Amy!

Everyday I can’t praise God enough for Amy!  She is my friend, lover and bride!  I really and honestly could not have made it through without her!  Her support and encouragment were always timely and appropriate!

Thank you Lord for such an amazing gift!

I like being with her!

I love her so much!

I love you Amy!

The last couple of days I have been reading through the book of Titus and this morning I was amazed at the emphasis of good works in the book. As a follower of Christ for many years now, I know that good works are to be a part of the Christian life but today the importance of them hit me more than ever. I would like to leave you with a few initial observations that are swirling in my head.

As followers of Christ as we grow in the truth and follow sound doctrine we will grow in our good works. Essentially sound doctrine results in good works.  In chapter one the author points out that false teachers are unfit for good works. The teaching that they proclaim does not lead to good works nor is their life fit for good works.  This makes me ask myself, when I teach are believers compelled to do good works. Also would the mark of a healthy church be that it is full of God’s children doing good works.  Is the church impacting the culture and community through service?

In chapters two and three Paul tells Titus that believers are to be zealous for good works and devoted to good works.  This does not mean that every once in a while we do something good but rather one of the marks defining the Christian is that they are all about good works. Paul uses the same word “zealous” of himself in Galatians 1:14 when he was talking of his following the traditions of the Jews.  It says he was more zealous than his fathers. Paul was so zealous that it led him to persecute the church in order to protect Judaism. My son Noah is a great picture of being zealous for something.  He loves apple juice and when he wants it nothing will get in the way of him attaining it.  He will ask Amy and I over and over again until he gets it. No answer is sufficient unless it is that we are going right that second to get it. That is how we as believers should be towards good works. They should consume us, we should be defined as ones who do good works. Is this how you or your church are defined? I think of the body we are a part of right now and what would happen if all 200 people were devoted to good works. How would Centerville be changed? How would your community be changed if everyone in the church were zealous for good works.

The last thought that I would like to leave you with is some thoughts about the gospel impact of being zealous for good works.  I was intrigued because Paul did not say that they would be zealous for sharing the gospel or to be devoted to sharing the gospel but instead he focused on the end result of God’s grace in our life is being zealous for good works.  Why is that? I mean if they don’t hear the gospel how can they be saved? It is my conviction that every follower of Christ should be proclaiming the gospel but in this book why is there no emphasis on this. As I ponder this I realize that could it not be because as we are selflessly invovled in good works doors for the gospel will begin to open up. If we are zealous for good works and we begin to interact with people will they not begin to ask why we do such things. In the end when the church gets outside of its walls and gets active they will begin to find many opportunities to share the gospel with people around their community and the world!

Am I zealous for good works? Are you? If not lets begin to pray that God would refine our heart to be devoted to good works.  Also go out and look for opportunites to do good in the church and outside the church! I bet each of us will be blown away by what God does!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPBCGMBmDHE

This is a great video for all teachers of the Word to watch!  Is there anything you love more than Christ?