Sunday, March 14th, Sarah and I will celebrate 18 years of an incredible life together as husband and wife.  Add to that the 4 1/2 years we dated and you will see that we have been together for over 22 years.  I wanted to take time this week to just give you some reflections on what I think about the gift that God has given me in Sarah:

1.  She is the best Christian woman I know.

2.  She is an incredible Mother who works outside the home and still has time for her kids and simple things like family meals.

3.  She is the best Ladies' Minister I have ever seen.

4.  She knows her role as a Pastor's wife...her job is not to control & run me or the church...she is my partner but understands her role. (Believe me, this is so important in ministry.  Nothing is worse than a Lead Pastor's wife who runs the church!)

5.  She is my best friend.  When the dust settles and everyone else is gone...she is always there.

6.  She is SMOKIN HOT!

7.  She sacrifices like no one else.  Willing to always let others shine...including me.

8.  She makes the best Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole.

9.  For those who really know her...she is so stinkin funny.

10.  She is confidential....so important in the life of a Pastor's wife.  If you tell her something, it stays with her.  Incredible quality to have.

So as Sunday approaches, here's to you my wife, best friend and lover.  I am convinced more and more everyday that I am what I am because you love me.  Thanks for the 18 years of marriage, the 4 1/2 years of dating and for our two awesome kids.  Here's to many more incredible years and fun to come.  You are the, "Wind Beneath My Wings."

It seems as though every Sunday at COC Metro God shows up in some new and fresh way.  This past Sunday was just that kind of day.  To put it into one word, it would be:  BLESSED!  I am blessed to be the Pastor of such a wonderful group of people who truly have a desire to worship God and serve those in their communities.  We are absolutely celebrating Jesus with every breath of our lives.

Sunday was just a God thing.  First of all, Pastor Dane had been lined up to preach for over a month and, well, I guess God wasn't ready for him to deliver his message.  Pastor Dane was hit with a kidney stone attack late in the evening on Saturday night and ended up in the Emergency Room by 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning.  So with about 5 hours of lead time, I prepared to preach a sermon in which I was no where prepared to preach.  That is where God took over.  When I stepped on the platform I said to God, "I got nothing but I know you have everything....it's time to do YOUR work."  And He did it.  I can't tell you 1/2 the things I said but I know God led me to go back to the basics.  Go back to John 13 and tell His people to get their knees dirty and wash some feet...that is why He did it that night in the Upper Room; as an example of what not only the disciples should do, but I believe and example for His church.  Since Sunday I have had many people tell me that it was one of the best sermons I have ever preached to which I can only say, "GOD did it!"  That's just the way HE likes it.  HE did it!

Now the icing on the cake Sunday was the eight baptized at the end of either our first or second service.  Congrats to Keith, Trevor, Matthew, Gracen, Alison, Kerry, Kristian and Fronzell.  Your step of faith to follow the Lord by obeying Him to be baptized is incredible.  I am proud of each of you very much.

We were blessed again by two full houses in both services.  Our attendance Sunday was just shy of 400.  Not bad for a church that is only 19 months old!!!  Again, a GOD thing!  I totally believe when a group of people sell out to HIS calling and do things with the highest degree of excellence...the sky is the limit for HIM.  I never want COC Metro to get caught waiting on God to do what He is waiting on us to do.  We will move forward with excellence, and by faith we pray for Him to guide those steps.  Wow, that was a pretty cool statement.  Someone ought to steal that and use that somewhere.

We are now in full gear with Upward Soccer with over 100 kiddos kicking the ball up and down the field every week and on Saturdays.  Only God knows how many souls will be added to HIS Kingdom because of a soccer ball and two goals.

Transformed Student Ministries is now in full gear with our new leadership, Kaleb & Kaci McMillan and Tyler Kelso.  Sunday night's Youth Worship, "The Edge", is rockin with right at 50 each and every weekend.

CCity and Little City are the best they have ever been and of course the worship at COC...well once again BLESSED.  Ryan Oliver and the band just get better and better every week.

One word sums of up the blog this week:  BLESSED!

Normally on Mondays I try to rest in the morning hours and eventually get into the office in the afternoon to clean things up from the weekend and lay out plans for the week to come.  Well this morning was quite different.  It was an early start this morning getting to the office at 7:45 a.m. and working like a mad man to get a lot of my churchy duties done or layed out for our staff to do.  It was a necessary plan today because once 11:30 a.m. got here I was going to be down and on pain meds for at least the next 48 hours.  That's right I said pain meds and down.  So right about now you are maybe starting to put the title of this blog together in your mind but if not, let me help reveal the secret.  Today all wisdom was taken from me by a guy named Dr. Rossen.  Dr. Rossen is my oral surgeon and he for a small fee (sarcasm) removed my wisdom teeth today.  Now you know I am on pain meds and feeling quite high if I am writing my blog six hours after a little oral surgery but that is exactly the situation I find myself in.  So right before they started the process I asked the Dr. if I could have my teeth.  He's like, "Why?"  To which I said, "Hey, I am a Pastor, and I am always looking for visuals to use in a sermon or even ideas for  sermons or message series.  So here is one of my spiritual applications from my most dreaded and amazing day:

Sometimes pain that you are experiencing in life requires a greater pain to be get relief.  Sometimes that which is causing us pain and we think is going to spiritually kill us requires a possible very painful removal of it in our lives before we can get final relief.  Sometimes removal of things such as relationships, habits or addictions can really be painful but once those things are removed we then can rise to the level God has called to live in.  I think one of the most dangerous things in the church today is people who want to try to serve God without removing the HELL from their lives first.  It's as though we've bought into this thought that everyone deserves a CROWN just for showing up, singing a few songs, putting an offering in the basket when it passes by and even saying a prayer or two.  However, when I read the WORD, I can't find that kind of teaching.  CROWNS are only given to those willing to pay the price...removing those things in our lives that don't look like Christ...and sometimes that is very painful.  Simply said, "You cannot have a CROWN until you pick up a CROSS."  Stop asking, "How much HELL can I have in my life and still go to HEAVEN and ask, what do I need to do to be more like Christ."  Just know when you ask the latter question...God is going to start cutting away and pulling things out of your life.  But here is the beauty in the pain, once you get through the surgery and the pain that goes along with it, you come through on the other side looking more like God.

My challenge, "Don't choose to live with the constant pain from a Godless life."  Pay the price, have the surgery and go through pain of removal to finally live in God's peace and really be a candidate for a CROWN."

Well being that you are reading this and being that I wrote it on Tuesday, it is safe to say that I lived through Black Friday and my 40th birthday.  I had so many wonderful birthday wishes and jokes that the day turned out to be not that bad.  It seemed as though I partied all weekend with dinner on Friday night with the Staff/Elder team of COC and then lunch on Sunday with my family.  It was like a 3 day long birthday.  Can't beat it.  My wife, Sarah, was so kind to me and put all kinds of things together for this great event in my life!!!  I appreciate your thoughtfulness, love and graciousness to me.  She gave me a glass that had written on it many of the signs that you are 40 and most are pretty hilarious.  So, I thought I'd share them with you this week in my blog so you can fully understand where I am in my life!  You Know You Are 40 When:

1.  Your knees buckle but your belt won't.

2.  Work is a lot less fun and fun is a lot more work.

3.  Your back is hairier than your head. (I resemble this one too well)

4.  You suck in your gut and it doesn't go away. (Don't say a word)

5.  Your back goes out more than you do.

6.  You're in an elevator and your favorite song comes on.

7.  People call you at 10 p.m. and ask, "Did I wake you?"

8.  Everything either hurts or doesn't work anymore.

9.  You are told to slow down by your doctor, not the police.

10. You remember when a dollar was considered a generous allowance.

If you are over 40 you can relate.  If you are under 40...see what you have to look forward to!  I just keep telling myself 40 is the new 20.

As most of you know, last week I was in San Diego, CA.  Now before you go feeling bad for me since I was suffering for Jesus in the beautiful Southern Cal weather, please understand, I saw the outdoors about 6 hours the whole time I was there.  Of course, I'll let you guess what I did during those 6 hours.

So, I was really out there for some pretty serious stuff.  I was an Assessor at the CovergeUSA Church Planters Assessment Center.  There were right at 25 Assessors assessing 47 perspective church planters who have a great vision and dream to do exactly what we have done here at COC Metro.  So us church planting gurus were spending a week with these folks poking and testing them to see if they have the right stuff to get the job done in this post modern era we are living in.

In one of our assessors meeting one of the assessors asked me to ask the candidate I was representing this question, "What will you have to unlearn before you can learn what it takes to be a successful church planter in the 21st century?  

After thinking about that question, I must say, it is a brilliant one.  I find myself having to unlearn things everyday.  Not that the things my mentors and heros have taught me are bad but I must evaluate them everyday to make sure they are applicable for ministry in the post modern culture that we are trying to reach.  

So my thought for you this week is this, "Is what you learned as a kid about church and God actually helping or hindering you in seeing HIM every time you gather with the church to worship HIM."  Make sure you never turn tradition into doctrine.  Tradition is fine just make sure it is causing the death of something.

Remember, fall in love with the "Vision" of the church not the "Programs" of the church or a denomination.  Remember, people are drowning in the Lake and Jesus says get them out of the Lake and use whatever means necessary!!!!

Have a great week and unlearn something this week as you approach God.

I remember growing up in a traditional Baptist church and hearing the Pastor always cast and sell the vision for a vibrant Student Ministry with this thought, “We have to invest in our teens, they are the church of the future!”   While that was true back then and a wonderful way to cast this vision I now debate that thought process.  Now before you go emailing me while blowing your top thinking I don’t see Student Ministry as a priority let me explain.

 As I participated in THE EDGE Student Worship service this past Sunday night I was hit by an overwhelming thought.   As I watched 50 teens worship God through music and the presentation of His Word, I realized something as a Lead Pastor.  Here it is:  “The teens of COC Metro are not the church of the future, they are the church of NOW!” 

Thinking of them as future leaders and future faithful worshipers is just not a correct evaluation.  Maybe seeing them as the future is why an astounding 75% leave the church after high school graduation with no intent to ever return to their roots.  

We must see the teens of COC Metro and our community as the church of NOW.  My prayer and my vision as we have a fresh start to our Student Ministry, is that the teens of our church, including my 15 year old, would see themselves as a vital, valuable part of our ministry.   My prayer is that when they attend worship they don’t see themselves as an afterthought or just another ministry to keep them busy while the adults have worship, but rather, a PRIORITY!   My prayer is that they would actually feel they are the church now with just as much influence on our vision as a 25, 35, 45, 55 or even a 65 year old. 

I am committed to our teens and their value in the church.   I am proud of our new Directors of Student Ministries, Kaleb & Kaci McMillan (High School) and Tyler Kelso (Middle School) and the entire team of volunteers.  I am excited about the days to come at COC Metro and the days ahead for our teens.

Keep your eyes open COC Metro.  You’ll receive a blessing from one of our teens if you just look around you!

I follow a few blogs and thought I'd share one in particular that caught my attention this week.  It's from Mark Batterson on Evotional.com.  

I was reading II Corinthians 10:10 today: "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing." That text triggered this thought: some of us are very different people "in person" than we are "behind the computer." And I don't think that is healthy or holy. 

I'm not just talking about bloggers who write irresponsibly about that which they do not know. I think it's easier to slander someone or spread gossip from the comfortable confines of your computer. Somehow the medium excuses the sin. It doesn't. All it does is a keep a written record of what you've done wrong. I'm not trying to get on a soapbox. I just think communication mediums can be used for good or evil. They can help us grow spiritually or become a spiritual snare. 

To redeem an old saying: be careful little thumbs what you text. That goes for blogging, twittering, and emailing too! Keep it righteous! After all, God is blind copied (BCC) on everything we write! 

Mark Batterson, evotional.com, January 14, 2010

So a few years ago I was reading an article by the great leadership and motivational speaker, John Maxwell, where he said, "If you want to paint a few rooms in your church next year, God will send you a painter but if your vision is to accomplish God sized dreams, God will send people who can help accomplish those goals, visions and dreams."  Now I have nothing against painters as well as I am sure that Mr. Maxwell doesn't but it is a great point.  The point:  when God has a big dream and vision to accomplish He sends some big equipment to get the job done.  

That is the way I feel right now as the lead pastor of this incredible church called COC metro.  When I look around at our team of Staff Pastors and Volunteer Ministers I see some huge equipment.  I don't see hand saws, hammers, drills or tape measures.  I see huge pieces of equipment:  Backhoes, Dump Trucks, Earth Movers, Cement Trucks and Cranes just to name a few!