New Home

Well, we now live in Fayetteville. We moved our stuff Thursday, moved it in Friday, and finished unpacking today (Saturday). We're excited to finally be moved and have everything unpacked. It was strange at first, but now that all of our stuff is out it feels like home. Now, we just have to get settled into a routine up here. I'll be looking for a part-time job, Britt is preparing to take her boards and eventually to begin her career, and the summer is going to be packed full of events with Pathway. The easy part is making the list. There are only two bad points about our current situation. One, we've moved away from some of the best friends we've ever had, although we've been moved for three days, but have managed to talk to them every day, which is not a bad thing. Two, we have NO INTERNET!!!!! We have to go and borrow internet from other people and not in the way that I intended to borrow it from other people. We'll just have to make due until we each get our respective jobs. I've got lots to tell you (Disney Trip, new apartment, how hard it is to be a christian all of the stinking time), but that will have to wait till later. Until then, I'll be enjoying your internet use vicariously.

We're Back

Ok, nothing real long right now. We're back and we're tired. I'll tell you more later, but right now, I'm reveling in the ability to access the internet and so I'll continue that right now. See you later.

Good Music

I went to Mardel the other day to pick up a Youth Pastor Perks Kit (free cds, t-shirts, and dvds for special people) and got what is probably my favorite cd at the moment. It's called "Glory Revealed" and it was produced my Mac Powell (lead singer of Third Day). It features Mac, as well as guys like Mark Hall, David Crowder, Brian Littrell, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Michael W. Smith. While I'm not big fans of all of these guys individually, they do really well on this album. Every song has more of a country feel (modern country, not big hair and tasselled jackets) to it. The best thing about the cd is that all of the songs are straight from scripture. My favorite is probably "Restore to Me" performed by Mac Powell and Candi Pearson-Shelton. Listen to the song and the read Psalm 51. If you want to hear some samples, check out this link http://www.amazon.com/Glory-Revealed-Word-God-Worship/dp/B000MV8D42/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-1977364-4793720?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1178119704&sr=8-1. Trust me, it's awesome.

My other new favorite is a cd that Chris Rice put out exclusively for Family Christian Stores that my friend Jonathan (check out the blog links for Jonathan's Journal) gave me a copy of. The album is titled "Peace Like a River: The Hymns Session" and is Chris' reinterpretation of some classic hymns. Ok, yeah, I hear ya. "Not another hymns cd!" If you've ever listened to any of his other albums, you will know that anything by Chris Rice is worth listening to. If you haven't, then you have been given an opportunity to experience some awesome music. Even if you're not big on his style of music, listen to his lyrics and you won't care any more. The dude is awesome. My two favorite songs from this album are "O Freedom" (it's an old slave song) and "A Mighty Fortress is Our God". If you've never paid attention to the words of that song, you need to find a copy of the lyrics NOW and listen to them. I'm not a big Martin Luther fan, but I'm a lot closer to it than I was after listening to those lyrics. This cd made me appreciate some of those really old hymns. You can listen to some samples of this cd at http://www.familychristian.com/shop/product.asp?prodID=15992.

My Last Day

Well, my last day at Meadow View has come and is in the process of going. I'm sad and glad that it has come. God is slowly removing things from my plate so that I can focus on what he has for me now. He has called and He is faithful. We made the decision to move to Fayetteville with no promise of income. It wasn't any grand act of faith, it just made sense. If we really believed what we say we believe, it only made sense for us to do this. Who has ever paid me at any job but God? Who has ever provided. I knew He would provide, I just thought He would stretch it out and make us show our faith. He's cool, He's our Father, and He didn't do that. Somehow, we were able to save 75% of what we will need for the first 2 months of being dedicated to Pathway with no other job. I have no idea how, when we brought in just barely above what we pay out, we were able to save enough to pay that much. Today, the great people at Meadow View gave and because of that giving, we now have more to pay our bills for the two months where we don't have even half of the guaranteed income we need than we have ever had in the year and a half that we have been married. God rocks. I don't really believe that it is faith to trust God to do what He has always done. We did nothing special. We just did what we were told. I'm not writing this to praise us for our great faith or piety. Is it special for a person not to get bitten by a shark because he got out of the water when the lifeguard told him to? We are nothing special, just smart enough to listen. If God tells you to do something, do it. He won't ask you to do something and then not provide what is needed for it to happen. Just obey, He knows what He is doing.

Packing and Unpacking

I'm so sick of being in more than one place at a time. My parents were divorced before I was a teenager and then I began to live in more than one place. I lived out of a bag for half of every summer and every other weekend and I hated it. I longed for the day when I would live in one place and stay there almost all of the time.

Then I went to seminary. I thought, "Now, I'll live in one place." Nope. Britt and I started dating our last semester of our Senior year of High School and there was no way that I could stay away from her that much. We went in to Batesville many weekends when she was in Conway and later when she lived in Little Rock before we were married. In between those times, she actually lived in Batesville, so I was back and forth there all of the time. I did it because I loved and missed her. It was worth it, but I still wanted to sit still for a little while.

Then we got married. I thought, "Now, I'll live in one place." and we did, for a little while. Then, Meadow View in Malvern called me as their Youth Minister. I love them and would not give up my time there, but it was an hour and a half round trip three-four times a week. Not only that, but we spent many weekends staying in Malvern. I had my oil changed on March 17th. On April 20th, I rolled over three thousand miles. THREE THOUSAND MILES in one month. I want to sit still. Meadow View was worth the time, but I want it to be the exception and not the rule when I spend a weekend away from home.

So, what? Well, I packed up my office at Meadow View yesterday. I still have some furniture, but all of my little stuff is packed up and sitting at the apartment waiting to be unpacked. Tomorrow is my last NBC at Meadow View and Sunday will be my last day. I'm sad to leave many of the people that I've come to know, but I'm ready to move on to my next phase of life. Less than a month from now Britt and I will have our Bachelor's Degrees and be ready to move into post-school work. One month and one day from now, we'll arrive back from our vacation at WDW and begin to load a truck to move to Fayetteville. I'll live in the same town where I work and go to church. It's going to be awesome. I'll finally live in one place. I hate that this has been a long time coming, but I'm happy that I'll be able to appreciate one of the simple pleasures that make life easier.

Crazy People

We are told that, in the last days, there will be many false prophets. My brother put me on to a group of them a few moments ago. There is a (supposedly) Baptist Church in Kansas that is absolutely nuts (you can check out their website at http://www.godhatesamerica.com/). They preach hate and revel in the deaths of others. They celebrate the fact that there are some who will burn eternally in Hell. One of there articles discusses someone being lost and from all signs going to Hell and at the end of the article they write in large, bold letters "HA!".

As someone who will be dedicating his life to spreading the actual Message of God, it make me sad and angry to see someone lie about God' intentions on Earth. He doesn't hate sinners, He hates sin. He doesn't hate gays, He hates homosexuality. If He did hate them, why did He put Himself through the misery of His only Son dying a painful death and being separated from Him so that they wouldn't have to burn in Hell, even though they don't deserve it. We don't deserve it.

What can we do? Well, I don't know what we can do to stop them. I've contacted them, used scripture, and asked them to reconsider their actions. Other than that, the most important thing to do is to pray for them. Pray for the enemies of God. Why? Because He loves them, too. Paul was an opposer of God. He became an advocate for God. Why could these people not do the same. God condemns sin and pleads with us to turn away from it. All we can do is what He says and tell others what He has said. Pray for the false prophets. They need Jesus.

Thank You God and Lonoke

Last night, Lonoke Baptist Church in Morrilton, Arkansas voted to take me on and become my sending church. This just means that I have someone elses credibility to back me up and help me as I seek financial support. I've talked with Bro. Dennis Holmes over the last several months and believed that Lonoke would take me on, but it's nice to have it officially decided. We'll move our membership there sometime next month. So thanks to them. Now I get to dive head on into deputation. So, thanks God. You called me to do something, now you've provided. Thanks.