God has called us to help plant a church!

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.

I had the fun experience of attending my wife’s 10 year high school reunion over the weekend. I had a blast hanging out with some of her old friends and sitting on the sidelines as many people reunited, rather awkwardly at times, after 10 years.

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?

I came across this Gallup Poll article via the Drudge Report yesterday. In it, there is a positive trend reported for those of us in the pro-life camp. Here is the graph of the basic stances of people over the past decade or so:

Now the article. which is a great read, goes on to define more clearly the breakdown of opinions in our nation. But from it, we can find encouragement in the fact more people value the life of our unborn children. Ultimately, I believe the battle will not be won in the courts in this issue. (even if abortion is banned) The mind will always justify what the heart desires. Our depravity will only change when it come in contact with our pure and holy Creator. My prayer is that God would change the heart of our entire nation to first love Him and ultimately value the lives of everyone. Then we will see the value all all life elevated to the place that resonates with the heart of Him.

To read the entire Gallup article. click here.

I finished Craig Groeschel’s book recently. Phenomenal book really. In It, Groeschel tries his best to describe how ministries can get and keep it. You know, it. That in-categorizable thing that some ministries and leaders have and others don’t. The it factor that helps some groups explode with growth. No matter what they try, when leaders have it, it works. So many times, we as leaders like to look to cool graphics, great communicators, big budgets, buildings, etc. as the catalyst for it. But that couldn’t be further from the truth and Groeschel breaks it down in an easy to read manor that puts a spotlight on key areas in ministry. (including several key areas i need to help fix in my sphere of influence.)

What really pushes this book over the top for me occurs in the final 2 chapters (don’t skip to them, just keep reading). Groeschel makes it personal at the end and lets just say I felt quite a bit of conviction from the Holy Spirit as I read through some of his experiences and challenges in his own life. 

I eagerly recommend “It” for any church or ministry leader- lay or vocational. It is a challenging and practical, yet quick read (read most of it at jury duty) that God may very well use to impact you in a powerful way.

Congrats Craig, your getting added to the books page!

Funny story. Yesterday night, I was cleaning my desk and found a letter I received in the mail awhile back. A letter summoning me to a jury selection… on Friday, May 1st!!!!

So, today I attended my first jury selection. It was an interesting experience. For those who haven’t had the opportunity, I hope you get the chance. While I was waiting for four hours, I had the chance to ponder our judicial system and I have to say the fact that we have a right to be tried by a jury of our peers is amazing. Cuts way down on the opportunities for corruption to sway court decisions. And the fact that average citizens do their duty and take part in this process makes me glad, yet again, to live in this nation.

For the record, I never even got interviewed to take part in a trial, but I did get a lot of reading done!

So stay tuned for a book review on “It” by Craig Groeschel.

Its over folks! After eight grueling weeks of intense competition, the weightdown throwdown came to a nail-biting finish yesterday morning. Getting in shape sure aint that fun, but trashtalking while you are doing it is. Mad props to Clayton for organizing and Chris for instigating the competition.

For those wondering, Ross and I had a photo finish that resulted with me narrowly edging him out for the victory by less than a pound. Jen Herrick came in third with a great push to surge ahead of the rest of the pack. To see the complete results of the competition, click here.

Lastly, here is a pic Clayton snapped from his phone as he, Ross, and I went to celebrate at the most glorious fast food restaurant on the face of the planet:

Not sure what made me happier, winning or finally getting to have a Chick-fil-a ice dream cone.

I was listening to a leader speak last week. While listening to him, I found myself becoming angry. Those who know me could attest that I am a pretty laid back guy, so this was something out of the ordinary. It takes a lot, and I mean A LOT to make me angry. More than just disagreeing. More than just feeling slighted or wronged. As I really thought about and analyzed where my anger was coming from, I realized it was because this man contained a massive amount of a certain, easily identifiable, character flaw.

Arrogance.

As leaders, we need to understand our job is to serve. Any position you ever have in leadership is there for you to serve others. To serve them with all the humility you can muster and understand you aren’t perfect, you’re not the smartest person on the planet, and I promise no matter what the job, there is someone who can do it better.

So please, leaders, be humble. Understand with leadership comes less rights and more responsibilities. And please, please, please do your best to eradicate arrogance from your life, lest this promise of Proverbs becomes true in your life:

Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.

 

I blogged a few weeks ago about this little competition I’m in. After pulling out to an early lead, the consummate bachelor, Chris Tavalare, was holding strong in first place while a few of us were jockeying for position behind him.

But this week, my friends, we have a new leader. Yours truly has moved into first with a total weight percentage loss of 6.8807%. Ross Middleton nipping at my heals though and the last 3 weeks are gonna get interesting.

You can follow all the action with all 22 contestants over at Clayton’s blog.

It is February. Love is in the air and at ENCM we are not shying away form the issues. We like to take this time of year and discuss how to have quality, functional relationships with the opposite sex.

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to minister on the topic of relational baggage and how to overcome it. The scripture that rings in my ears on the subject is in 1 Corinthians 6:

For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

There is a reason people walk around with so much baggage after having sexual relationships before marriage. Spiritually, as scripture teaches, people become are united during sex and when the relationship ends it is literally like ripping your heart out. And when that happens, we walk around until we find another unfortunate soul with our heart still bleeding and then bleed all over them. 

This goes on and on until we believe its normal and let our heart become callous, and perhaps totally jaded, or, by the grace of God, we discover the way to have functional relationships the way we were created to.

But first, before we can even thinking of having a great relationship, so many of us need to deal with our issues and receive healing from the wounds of our past.  Of course, the only place to find that healing is in Christ alone. And the only way you can have a relationship with Him is through repentance.

Malachi 4:2

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.

Righteousness (right standing with God) lays the foundation for the healing of God. Let us be a people who hold up the standard of Truth given to us in the Word of God, but also compassionately point others to Jesus as he is the only one who can restore the broken hearted and bring the healing they need. 

Five years ago this past Saturday, my wife and I got married. Half a decade. Utter craziness.

In that time, Janna and I have been on an amazing adventure. Ten moves. Long seasons away from home being trained for ministry. Everybody thinking we are crazy for leaving jobs and raising support to minister to college kids. Learning to live life dirt poor. Witnessing the miraculous provision of God. Seeing lives forever changed by the Gospel. And, of course, our two gorgeous daughters in the past two years. 

Here is a pic from our 1st anniversary. (Our cake actually made it a year in the freezer):

And here is one from our date on Saturday night:

As you can see… Not much has changed except for the size of my head. 

Life hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park the past five years, but through it all I’ve had an awesome wife to go experience it all with. I count myself a blessed man in large part because of the woman God brought me. These past five years have been the best of my life and I’m looking forward to the next 60.

Thanks Love.