dreamers vs. visionaries

i began preaching out of the book of Nehemiah on Sunday. this is my first shot at expository preaching (preaching verese by verse through a book of the Bible).

God led me to Nehemiah becasue our church is in a rebuilding stage. Nehemiah was a man of vision and leadership. (i am praying to model those qualitites) he wasn't just a dreamer though! in the book, Visioneering, Andy Stanley says, "Dreamers dream about things being different. Visionaries envision themselves making a difference. Dreamers think about how nice it would be for something to be done. Visonaries look for an opportunity to do something!"

these are great thoughts! it's important to have big dreams, but we have to be willing to let God use us to accomplish them. when we make ourselves available to the task at hand, we move from a dreamer to a visonary!

God has placed a vision on my heart to lead a church in Delware, OH that is leading people to LifeChange (thanks C3). would you pray with us to see this vision fulfilled?

i am praying specificially for a miracle today! it would be a huge, gigantic, enormous blessing to our church! i figure, why not? god is big enough to do it! so i am believing and praying that He will!

have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

thankful

what i am thankful for this Thanksgiving:

(1) my relationship with Jesus - it's everything to me and all i really need!

(2) my wife - she is so amazing! i love her more today than i ever have!

(3) my kids - Annie, Kaitie, and Nash - they are creative, funny, and loving

(4) my parents and in-laws - i love them so much and appreciate all they do for us!

(5) my church - LifePoint - it's a great church with a great future!

(6) my friends - i have a lot - and i wouldn't trade 'em, well, most of 'em.

(7) my health - i have been able to avoid most major issues and i am 36 days away from
turning 30!

(8) my calling - still humbled that God uses me to pastor in His Kingdom!

(9) my everyday blessings - food, clothes, shelter, breath, abilities to walk, talk,
see, hear, taste, etc.

(10) my sports teams - they can be so therapeautic! Go Steelers, Bucks, Bulls, & Jays!

thank you, God, for all of these things! help me to recognize your blessings and to learn how to appreciate them even more!

almost

i think God woke me up this morning. as i lay in bed at 6:15am, i thought, if it is God waking me up 45 mins before my alarm is set to go off, i need to get up and spend some time in His presence.

so, i tip-toed down the stairs, and was just getting ready to grab my Bible when i heard that dreaded noise, i mean joyful
sound . . . little feet hitting the ground and a door opening and shutting. you guessed it, one of the arrows from my wonderful quiver was awake. this time it was Kate. up way too early for a 2 year old by the way.

well, i almost got a chance to spend some time with the Lord before the day hit full speed. i still plan to try. time to turn on the tv and see if i can pull it off. i will let you know. wait what is that i hear, a little boy ready for the day . . . ALMOST!

serving others

i have been privileged to have people in my life who truly know how to serve. in the past month, i have been blessed more than i deserve.

i want to recognize some people who have served the Valantines recently, realizing that i risk leaving somebody out of this list . . .but here goes anyway . . .

(1) my father-in-law, Joe, spent the entire day yesterday installing our RO unit so we can have clean drinking water. he also took apart my washer and dryer to search for problems and to maximize it's efficiency. what a guy!

(2) we had many helpers in Bowling Green as we loaded our trucks and headed to Delaware, but dave and kati Thompson were amazing! they gave up two entire days to help us out. we are so blessed to call them friends! thanks, guys!

(3) Everyone from BG who helped us pack our house, watch our kids so we could pack, and those who battled the elements to load the trucks! (Thanks, Brian Johnson for driving a truck down and helping us move into the house!) (Thanks, Vicky Albrecht, for bringing the salad & organizing the clean up!)

(4) Barry & Patty Keene have been amazing supports to us since we pulled in the drive at LifePoint! We are thanking God for this great couple on our leadership team!

(5) Frank Rease, a LifePoint member and friend, gladly showed me the ropes to our gas fire place today and maximized the networking systme in our home! Thanks, bro!

(6) Aaron Sponsler, former youth ministry student, led a church work weekend at LifePoint which allowed us to get tons of work done and improved the look of our facility! Our sign is back up! Thanks, Aaron, Bonnie, Dale, and Connie!

As you can see, we have received so many blessings and we are so thankful for God's faithfulness!

We don't deserve what we receive and we are quick to recognize those who have given so much to help our transition to Delaware!

Thanks, everyone!

Peace

do over days

does anyone know what i'm talking about when i say i wish i could do some days over again?

yesterday was one of those days.

i found myself saying things to my family that did not speak life and encourage them. i was pretty short with the kids and let my emotions dictate my actions on more then one occasion.

truth is - I BLEW IT! i had the chance to speak life and i spoke death. i had the chance to create a loving, encouraging enviornment and i missed it!

can someone say mulligan!? i guess the bright side of this is that i can try it all again today. when the sun came up this morning, which it does pretty early now, i was given a new day, a new start, and new chances to make better decisions.

Lamentations 3:23 says that His compassions/mercies are new every morning.

most of us like the sun. we dread the sunset at 5:30pm this time of year! where did the day go? however, some days need to end so we can get a fresh start the next day!

yesterday i wanted a do over. today i am trying to live the life God called me to live. a life of love and one that brings life.

thanks, God, for the new day!