In that time, our family has expanded  by the birth of our third little girl and we are having a boy in a few more months. Also, we’ve helped plant a church in Cambridge, Massachusetts called Aletheia. God is really blessing that work and he has been so faithful to give us all that we dreamed of and more as we’ve seen a church grow rather rapidly and see those who were far from god draw closer to HIm. I have to say I have the greatest job in the world.

Perhaps a schedule is forming by which I can return to writing a little bit. One can always hope!

We are also one day away from our deadline of raising the funds we needed and there is still an opportunity for you to give! We’ve reached 82% of our goal and only have a little bit left to raise.

That leaves us with $450 we need to cover our moving expenses. $450 to cover our move to this mission field in the northeast.  God has encouraged us through the generous giving of so many, but we still need to climb over the last hump.  $450. That is 18 people giving $25 each.  Can you help?

Please email me with questions.

But there is still a way to go. Our need is simple. We still need 47%… That’s 47 people giving $25 dollars each. Thats how much it will take us to reach our next mission field. With your help, we are getting closer and closer to arriving in Boston.

As always, please email me with any questions.

As many of you know, my wife Janna and I are in the process of transitioning to help plant a great church in Boston.  We absolutely have to move the first week in September because, well, baby girl #3 is due in early October! We’ve spent the summer developing the financial partnership and saving for this move that is happing in two weeks.  The problem is we haven’t been able to save and develop the entire $8,000 needed to make the move.

Here is the GOOD NEWS: we already have over 65% of what we need.  The BAD NEWS: We still need $2500 to pay for our final moving expenses, and we need it in 14 days because that is the weekend we move into our apartment.

Would you consider giving whatever you can to help us move to Boston to help plant Aletheia Church?  Whether you can give $25, $100 or $1000, your gift will go a long way in helping us reach our next mission field!

$2500 in 14 days.  God provides and I know He can accomplish this.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and MAKE disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

-Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20)

I pray FSU ENCM never becomes complacent and continues to make disciples.

Its been a whirlwind of a year, but the Spring semester is coming to an end, and with it, our time as campus missionaries. We’ve been working to see the Gospel of Jesus impact the lives of college students in Tallahassee for over six years.  Honestly, it been the most rewarding experience of my life.  These students are a part of our family and we will miss them greatly as we transition.

Love you guys.

As Christians, we know that we have been reconciled to God and we are able to enjoy a relationship with Him. Sometimes we forget that God also reconciles us to each other.  God design for the church is that all prejudices and external barriers would be removed from His people in order for Him to move through them.

The Bible teaches that Christians are to come together in a community that resembles a functional family.  Here are a couple passages to ponder:

Ephesians 2:19-22

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

God is concerned about our relationships with others.  As God changes our lives, He also joins us together relationally with other believers that He might dwell among us and allow us to not only grow in our knowledge of Him (the apostles teaching), but live life and make an impact in our city together.

God historically works primarily through communities of people. Yes, today as in New Testament times, there are leaders who serve and guide the church. But it is through the lives and efforts of the collective church that God’s truth and love are shown, catalyzing change within a culture.

Lets pray for Aletheia to be a community of Christ-followers who genuinely love God, love each other, and love our city.  Lets pray that our church would not only bless those who do not know God, but would enjoy the favor of Boston to the level that God would add to our number daily those were being saved.

A little over a year ago, our friends, Adam and Hope Mabry, approached us with the opportunity to be a part of a church planting team in Boston. God then started moving on hearts and opening doors that we could not ignore. After much prayer and tears and counsel and dreaming, we came to this difficult, yet exciting decision. Next June we will be relocating to that great city.

Why Boston?  I’m glad you asked…

• Only 2.1% or Bostonians attend a Gospel-preaching church.
• There are more than 250,000 college students attending over 150 institutions of higher learning in Boston.
• Over 25% of world leaders come to be educated in Boston.
• New England is the most unchurched region in the United States.

As you can see from this snapshot, this is a very influential city that needs to be transformed by the Gospel. We desire to plant a church full of truth and grace that impacts the city of Boston in a powerful way.

While this big transition is on the horizon, we aren’t finished at Florida State yet! We have some awesome new staff being developed as well as some amazing veteran ministers who will be taking the reigns and leading ENCM at FSU to the next level. Through the Spring semester, we will be working hard to make that transition seamless. We’ve always dreamed and worked towards the goal of replacing ourselves with amazing men and women who could take the ministry beyond our capabilities. This has become a reality and we could not be more confident in those who will be taking the reigns of FSU ENCM.

For more information on the upcoming church plant, you can check out the website www.aletheiaboston.com.

It got me thinking about what has transpired in my life over the past 10 years.  Heres a brief list of the highlights:

• God radically changed and wrecked my life when He showed up in a powerful way… I wasn’t looking for Him.
• Lost track of all but a couple key friends from high school… mainly my fault.
• God added men around me who I believe would die for me and my family… spiritual family changed my life.
• Much to my professor’s chagrin, I decided not to be a professional musician and obeyed God and went into ministry instead… that was a fight in my soul.
• I met the most beautiful woman on the planet at FSU and married her 9 months after we started dating…. I married over my head.
• I’ve moved more than 15 times… thats just stupid.
• God’s blessed us with 2 beautiful baby girls…. they must’ve taken all their good looks from me cause I don’t have any left.
• Every need has been met and bill paid… no matter how much I worried.
• Hundreds of students have been impacted by the Gospel… witnessed over 150 baptisms in 5 years of ministry.

It blows my mind how time flies. It also blows my mind how many of the major things that have happened were not intentional, but just a blessing from God. How awesome is He?