Forecast....Rain

Sixteen weeks of training.

Dozens of bottles of water and Gatorade.

Two pairs of running shoes.

Two sets of earphones.

All the running gear I could find.

Over 2 hrs of music on my iPod.

35 lb weight loss.

Literally hundreds of hours of running.


And now just days before the race..........
The Sunday forecast for my first half marathon................COLD AND RAINY!!!!!!!

I have worked tirelessly to prepare for every aspect of this race: the boredom, the pain, the mental struggles, even the hills but not the rain. Never in a million years was I anticipating that this new adventure of mine would be the end to a drought.

Prayer after prayer. Community prayers. Church prayers. Farmers brought to tears on tractors prayers. And it's not till I decide to get up at 4 am and go run 13.1 miles on a Sunday in May, that there is rain in the forecast.

So now what?.....All this preparation and now the unexpected. And then as I was working on the Day 4 devotional of our 40 Days with Jesus (insert shameless website plug here - http://www.wilbargerchurch.com/#/40-day-studies/40-days-with-jesus) I was reminded that God is in control of all this. I don't have to worry about the results and outcomes (this is where I talk about race stuff as a metaphor for life...you make the application).

I can almost hear Him reminding me,"I have set the pace in keeping with your needs and MY plans." I've done my part. I trained hard and I have to trust that God will take care of the rest. He is the ONE who blessed me with the ability to run and train and enjoy life. He is the ONE who has been with me during each struggle and pain. He is the ONE that hears and cares and answers my prayers. He is the ONE that sets my pace in keeping with my needs and HIS purposes!

So here I am. Staring rain in the face and trusting that the the ONE who makes the rain, will guide me through it.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Prov. 16:9

God you know the plans of my heart. Today, I trust the You and You alone will determine my steps!

Be Careful What You Preach

As a minister there are a lot of situations, conversations, and events that would not be appropriate for me to share publicly. So today's post is lacking a good deal of detail but that doesn't change the experience or the lesson learned.

On Sunday I preached on the idea of approaching God in prayer with a child-like spirit. The two main ways we do that are coming to Him messy and helpless. Now almost every lesson I teach is somehow speaking back to me and stepping on my own toes, but Sunday was one that I knew I needed and yet thought I had a pretty good handle on.

That thought last until Wednesday morning when I woke up to some very disturbing news and an all around bad situation. To put it as clearly as I can....I found myself completely overwhelmed, scared, and ill equipped  in a matter of seconds. I had been thrown in the deep end and wasn't certain I knew how to float let alone swim.

But then I remembered my own sermon, the one God put on my heart just 24 hours earlier. "Come to Me helpless." He says. And that's exactly what I did. As I scrambled to evaluate the situation, plan next steps, and the muster up the courage to take those steps, I stopped and began to pray. It wasn't an eliquent prayer. It wasn't worded well or even very formal. It was just a helpless child crying for his Father to come and save him once again.

And praise God! That's exactly what He did! In the midst of a terrible circumstance, God helped the helpless and began to give hope to the hopeless. Now you have to understand with some details this would be obvious but without them, you'll have to take my word for it. There is NO WAY I could have ever done anything I did yesterday, or played any kind of role in helping, had it not been for the grace and mercy and power of God.

I'm not sure what the future holds for those involved, but I know God is there and He alone is in control. And because of the hope He brings, today is brighter than yesterday.

So be careful what you preach. What you teach. What you ask for. You just might have to live it out. I echoed Jesus and invited others to approach God messy and helpless with a child-like spirit and Monday morning I got the opportunty to realize the power of that approach. Jesus did it on the night He was betrayed in the garden and God gave Him the power to overcome death and sin for all time. I did it yesterday and He gave me the power to help the hurting. What can He do through you with that kind of approach?

"The prayer of the righteous man is POWERFUL AND EFFECTIVE."   James 5:16

A Fresh Start

Well I did it! I took a personal day!

I know. I know. "What in the world do you need a personal day for? You only work one day a week."
I've heard it all before but the truth is, being a preacher while not physically taxing, can be a tremendous mental drain. Add to that a house full of girls that never stop asking questions (whether adult in nature or the standard 3 year old why, why, why questions), and I found myself struggling to stay afloat the last month or so.

So I did something I've been preaching on to others for two years now and that's taking a day of rest. A sabbath if you will. And man do I fill good today!
Let me tell you how my Tuesday went.

Woke up helped get Amanda and Ella Grace ready for school, while still finding time to snuggle and watch Mickey Mouse with Lanie. Then I dropped EG off at school and went for a morning run. Now this is big because usually my runs are last on the priority scale of time. They happen when I have finally gotten everything else done for the day or are  crammed in an already too sort lunch break.It was fantastic - cool air, warm sun, quiet of the morning and alone time with God. I trimmed a full minute off my time.

Next I got to do something I hadn't been able to do in probably two years. I cleaned my truck! I know to many this seems dumb but to me it was very therapeutic. A fresh start. A cleansing of sorts. Not to mention I don't have to worry about losing one of my kids in there.

Got EG from school and dropped her at the house for lunch.....now what.....I don't have to go run......no meetings today......having lunch with a friend but not til 1pm.....what now?

Nothing.........absolutely nothing.....I just sat still and listened to the quiet. Then I began to slowly make my way to Bara's to meet my friend, but not being in  a hurry, I found time to stop and chat with a friend at his work. We never see each other outside of church or kid events so it was nice just to spend a minute catching up.

Lunch was nice with a preacher friend of mine from Eastland, but then it happened.

I GOT TO GO PLAY GOLF!!!!

And I wasn't even on vacation or anything.

A few hours of no phone, no questions, no talking, just peace and quiet. Glorious peace and quiet! Oh how I had forgotten how wonderful you are! oh yeah and the golf wasn't terrible either!

I was home by 3 and putting together a basketball goal for the girls. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening outside learning to dribble and shoot, playing on big-wheels, and even getting dirty with dirt and rocks and water and chalk and whatever else we could find.

All in all it was a pretty great day! Now, why am I telling you all this? Because it is amazing what a little down time can do for you. No matter how busy you are or how heavy your burdens, occasionally taking a minute to rest and get a fresh go at it changes everything. Even in my running they tell you to change up the pace with an occasional walk while getting a drink, and sure enough when I do my overall time is faster. Slowly down to speed up and do more - crazy  I know, but it works. I actually got as much or more accomplished yesterday than if I had have worked. Not to mention the carry-over into today. I was in  a better mood, got more done, and spent better quality time with the family this morning than I can't remember when.

All I'm saying is - Take time to refresh and renew. God knew before time began we would need to but often we don't. He did. Jesus often did. Find time for rest. Be still and know that He is God! You'll be amazed at all the positive affects it will have not just on your day, but on the days ahead...no matter how busy you are.

Think, Eat, Exercise

So I was watching Biggest Loser last night (one of the best shows on TV by the way), and heard something that seemed very profound and yet very simple all at the same time.

As Bob (one of the trainers for those who don't know) was talking to the contestants about the process of changing their lives through what they are doing on the show, he told them:

"It all comes down to thinking, eating, and exercising. In that order."

Not bad advice for  those looking to break the weight loss roller coaster, but pretty good advice for Christians as well. As we strive to draw ever closer to our Lord, often times we struggle to take that next step. We get discouraged or distracted when we have a set back or a challenge bigger than what we think we can overcome. But if we stick to the principle of "think, eat, exercise; in that order", our relationship with Him will continually grow stronger and closer.

Think - to meditate, to spend significant time focused on a thought or idea.
How long do spend meditating on God's word? His plan for your life? The opportunities He has placed in front of you? How much time do you spend in meditative prayer (prayer in which we are not asking for blessings but seeking guidance and understanding of His will)?

Eat - to consume, to nourish, seeking to be filled
What are you doing on a daily, weekly, or hourly basis to be fed? If I'm hungry it's all I seem to be able to think about until I get something to eat. But am I that way when I'm spiritually hungry or do I just put off that hunger until a convenient time? How can we expect to be active and growing if we have no nourishment with which to carry on?

Exercise - work out, keep fit, train, apply, put in effort
You can think and eat all you want but if you don't do something with all that stored energy, it simply turns to excess and feeds are laziness. What are you doing on a regular basis to apply what you think and eat? How are you keeping fit spiritually?

All good questions and hopefully a little self evaluation will be a great motivator for you, but don't miss perhaps the most important part of the whole thing: IN THAT ORDER!

You see God has a very specific plan for us and in order in which we are to prepare for it. If we are not first consulting Him, listening to Him, focusing on His will for our lives the rest is wasted motion. So after we have begun the journey of thinking and dwelling on His plans, only then are we even ready to start eating. We all have the ability to eat anytime we want but it is not until we know we need to eat and what it is we need that we can consume the "bread of life" and "life giving waters". I f we aren't aware of what God is calling us to we are simply eating for the sake of eating or eating out of boredom. Once we know the plan, are filled with His energy giving food supply, then we are called to put it into action. He finally has us as ready as we will ever be and that's when He gives us the opportunity to exercise our faith to the world.

"Think, eat, exercise. In that order." Good advise for someone like me training to run.
Even better advice for someone like me, a christian, training to run God's race; not just to finish but to win a crown.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."      2 Corinthians 9:24-25

Evangelism is Like Spaghetti

Each Wednesday night at church, we offer a free meal. We have six different teams of people that cook in rotation. I head up one team and make spaghetti. It's easy, cheap, and even a dummy like me can make it.

But here's the funny part! Every time I make it, people (yes more than one) make some or all of the following comments.

• "It gets better every time."
• "This was the best yet."
• "What do you put in it? Mine never tastes like that."
• "What recipe do you use?"
• "What's the secret?"

Alright...here it is...my secret is...I DON'T DO ANYTHING!!!

That's right! I don't add a single thing!

Here's how I make it:
Step 1 - brown and drain the ground beef
Step 2 - boil and drain the noodles
Step 3 - add sauce and stir while heating

No added salt, pepper, or seasoning of any kind. No special sauce just Prego out of the jar.
That's it!

So why is it so good. (Their words not mine) Because I don't do anything!

Evangelism (telling God's story in your life) is just like spaghetti. You want the ratio of you to God to be overwhelmingly lopsided with God. When I reach out to people who are hurting or in need; when I share the wonderful gift that is God's grace and mercy and love; I do it more effectively when I don't do anything and God does everything!

Ever wonder why you struggle with reaching out, sharing, or telling your story? Maybe just maybe it's because there is too much YOU in it. I have been blessed a lot in my ministry; from job opportunities to open doors to lives that I have crossed paths with. As I look back I have begun to realize that my best ministry is when I am not trying to improve on a good thing. I just go with the flow.

God's message is perfect! It has been for centuries. It will continue to be for centuries. Why in the world would I think I know how to season it up? I'm not saying I don't use the gifts and talents God has blessed me with, but it has to be just that - what GOD has blessed me with. His plan is PERFECT!

So next time you think you can't say anything or don't know  what to say or do, just remember how I make spaghetti - DON"T DO ANYTHING! Just allow God to use you. God is alive and active in our lives! Be open to what He wants to do through you, and then do it! Be a tool in the hand of the Master Craftsman - clay in the hand of the Potter - the hands and feet of the body of Christ.

"LORD, you are my God;
   I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
   you have done wonderful things,
   things planned long ago."

Isaiah 25:1

Like Teaching Geography To A 3yr Old

One of the best parts of my day is taking Ella Grace to school in the mornings. The routine is usually the same: breakfast, get dressed, brush hair, attach an over-sized bow, watch a little Mickey Mouse, then (on morings like today) begin the bundlign process - see previous blogs, and finally out the door and off to school. That's where you never really know what's going to happen. Some days she all but falls asleep in the four minutes it takes us to get there. Other days she asks, "What's that?" about every single building we pass. Often she'll ask to play my chicken and pig game on my phone - "Angry Birds" for those of you out there that are addicted like I am and apparently Ella Grace is! And still other days you can almost hear the wheels turning in her head as we listen to KLOVE. Usually she waits until she hears a word she knows like "Jesus" or "God" or "love" and then giggles and asks why they are talking about whatever it is.

But today was unique because during the news report something was mentioned about the State dinner last night for the president of China, and Ella G asked, "Why are they talking about China?" Now you have to understand, while I am quite confident I have the smartest most talented three year old ever, even I was shocked that she picked up on that because I'm pretty sure she has no idea what China is. But she asked and I always try to have a good answer for my girls, so here's how the converstaion went.

"They are talking about a man that is from China."
"Where's that?"
"It way on the other side of the world."
"Is it up there?" - pointing down the street by McDonald's
"No. It is really really far away."
"Oh." - again wheels turning - "So it's by the house?"
"No dear, it's a lot farther away than that. It would take a whole day to get there, it's so far."
"Why is it so far?"
We are pulling into the school parking lot at this point - "Because that's where God put it."
"Oh. Okay. It's reaaly cold outside today."

It was right then that I realized I didn't have the words to express to her and she didn't have the knowledge to understand a reasonable explaination about China. But when I told her that was where God put it, she was completely understanding and accepting of it.

As a minister I often find myself feeling overwhelmed with the message I try to share with the world. I get frustrated that I don't posess the skills and vocabulary I would like in order to explain to others exactly how much God loves them and what He has done for them and how important it is that they give a relationship with Him a chance.

And then I get discouraged that even if I get my part out, sometimes they don't really have enough knowledge to understand anything I am sharing. It's kinda like teaching geography to a three year old.

As I came to the conclusion that God was the only answer Ella G would really get......it hit me.....God is the only answer anybody ever really gets! If I want to share my story with the world. If I am going to share His story with the world, then it has to be: God put it there.

I mean it has to be God's words, God's actions, God's love flowing through the Holy Spirit out of me to the world around me. People often don't get words but no one has ever missed kindness, compassion, mercy, grace or forgiveness.

I hope you'll begin to tell His story through the love you show one another, because loving others is a whole lot simpler that describing where China is!

"By this all men will know you are my disciples if you love one another." John 13:35

The Monster Within

As most of you know by now, I have been training to run a half marathon in May. It has been a great topic of conversation around church and so many people have been asking about my progress, my training schedule, and even about the head injury that caused me to come up with such a crazy idea (I mean what else would possess a person). For the most part I would say that everyone is quite supportive......

Except for this one particular lady who we will simply call Mrs. M. Now you have to understand a little background on Mrs. M before you can fully grasp the situation. She is the type of lady who is always helping others. She is extremely servant-minded and selfless. Often times she can be found doing extra little things for others that really brighten their day and lift their spirits. She visits nursing homes, reads to children at the elementary school, she even shows up periodically to the office here with Sonic drinks for everyone. Some might even say that she would make a great elders wife. Quite frankly I didn't know she had a negative bone in her body.

But that all came crashing down on Wednesday of last week. I know what your thinking: "Dave, why are you just now telling us about it?" To be honest with you, it has taken me this long to get over the shock of it all and finally be in a place where I could talk about it.

I thought that of all the people from church that would be supportive of me, Mrs. M would be at the top of the list. Apparently, somewhere inside all of us, lurks a monster waiting to come out. So for a better understanding of how the rest of the events unfolded, I will tell the story from what I can only assume was playing out ion Mrs. M's mind.

While driving down Pease Street (a local residential street)......."Hey, look at that! There's Dave out jogging. Maybe I should pull alongside him and offer some encouraging words. Maybe just a simple little honk or wave as I drive by. Or maybe..." and what happened next can only be described as completely and utterly shocking....(rolling her window down as she got closer)...."Hey, Fatty! You better run!" (followed by what I'm sure was tremendous cackling and howling and even some tears of joy as she sped off into the distance.

Now fastforward to later that night at church. As I'm walking accross the family room to go visit with some friends, who but Mrs. M calls me over to her table. As I approach she has this devilish grin on her face, obviously proud of her earlier display of harassment. "How was your run today?" she asked." And I swera to you the look on her face at this very moment is one I will not forget for the rest of my life. "Oh, I haven't run yet today. Today is my cross training day in the gym. I'll do it after class tonight."

Yes ladies and gentleman.........Mrs M, that sweet, kind, compassionate, insult yelling driver......screamed "Hey Fatty! You better run!" at a complete stranger!

It has taken me almost six days to be able to write this without falling out of my chair laughing!

As funny as it is, the preacher in me still sees a lesson to be learned. And that lesson is: Don't scream at people running down the street unless you're sure you know who they are!

I hope and pray everyone had a great holiday weekend. I just wanted to share a little something that might make you smile today. Even in her moment of embarassment, Mrs M is making others day brighter.

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Psalm 118:24

FREE Refrigerator for $30

While driving Ella Grace to school this morning and listening to KLOVE, I heard a story of a man who was trying to give away a refrigerator. Simply wanting rid of it, he put it out on the curb with a sign that read "FREE". For several days he had no takers. He then decided to change the sign to read "$30". That night the fridge was snatched right off the curb without a trace.

Think it's just a cute preacher story, think again. This past summer I was helping my in-laws clean out their garage and I placed several items of furniture on the curb with various price signs placed on them. Every single one of them sold except....the one marked FREE.

So I'm not really sure where KLOVE went with their story, I kinda tuned it out and got lost in my train of thought. (That's why I'm a better teacher than student.) But I began to think of how that reflects the presentation of my faith to others.

Now before I dive in to this......I firmly believe that salvation, grace, and forgiveness (among others) are FREE gifts. I'm not disputing that. What my questions is however, is "Do we treat our faith story - our relationship with Jesus - like something "valued" as FREE?"

Here's what I mean: Nobody wanted the man's fridge or my in-laws furniture when even the current owners didn't put a lot of value on them. But when there was value attached, the items suddenly appeared worth a second look or even a five-finger discount!

I live in an environment - a community and region - that is flooded with the idea of Jesus. Most everyone is aware of "church" and has even been invited a time or two, and I think that's it. That's what causes us to lose our aggressive nature of sharing our story. We assume they know that we're here and the door is always open and that our faith can be their faith: FREE get some.

But what if.....what if we lived in the world in such a way that the world began to see that we valued our relationship with Christ as more than FREE, but as worth our life! What if our relationship was so valuable to us (it might already be but are we living that way) that it changed the way we serve, act, talk, and prioritize our life. What if WE have devalued the worth of His gift? I don't mean that we have made it less than it is, simply made it appear that way. I know in my life there have been times when I downplayed my enthusiasm for Christ in order to not be perceived as pushy with my beliefs. As I evaluate my effectiveness as a servant of God, I can clearly see that my actions far exceed my words. I want to live a life that shows the world the value of my relationship with God, and then let the Spirit move them into a state of curiosity that says "Hey maybe that's worth a second a look!".

"So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 1:8-9a

So while you are willing to FREE-ly give away what has been given to you through Christ...don't be afraid to place a high value on it and see who notices, who stops and asks, who God leads your way to take a second look or to "take" what your giving away. If your actions are the price tag of your faith, how much are you telling them it's worth?

I Can't Put My Arms Down

Do you remember the scene from "The Christmas Story", you know the Red Rider BB Gun movie. The scene where the kids are preparing to go out in the snow to walk to school, and the mom has bundled up the little brother to the point that through the muffled screaming you here, "I can't put my arms down!" And sure enough he has so many layers that his arms are sticking straight out.

Well there was a similar scene at my house this morning. As I prepared Ella Grace for school, I know she would open the door and not want to go because of the lovely one degree windchill we were blessed with today. So being the prepared like a boyscout Dad that I am, I proceeded to begin the layering process. Thickest tights in the drawer - check. Long-sleeve shirt - check. Good thick blue jeans - check. Sweater - check. Winter boots - check. Michelin-man style parka - check. Ear warmer - check. Scarf - check. Gloves - check. And yes of course we topped it all of with a "fabulous" over sized hair bow.

By the time I was able to get her moving towards the car....You guessed..."Dad, I have to go potty!" Ah, yes, I knew it was coming. I mean I had only asked three times before we started and once after every new layer, but who's counting! So, ten minutes later we are re-layered and headed for the car when I realize she seems to be moving a bit awkwardly and the traps on her car seat are snug like an old mans belt after Thanksgiving dinner.

It was at this point that I began to laugh o myself and then think how crazy we start to get over a little bit of cold air. Most of the country is dealing with subzero temperatures and several feet of snow, but for us the cold air is enough to make us prepare for going out like we're going to compete in the Ididarod. (You know the big snow dog race in Alaska, come on stay up people)

As this thought stuck with me for the day, I began to question this entire idea of preparation. We are willing to go out and let the cars warm up for twenty minutes so our seats are warm on the way to work, to take an extra thirty minutes finding hats and gloves and layering up so we can be out in the cold for the ten seconds between door and car, and we would never think of letting the kids out of the house on a day like this with even a centimeter of skin exposed to the cold.

I see all this prep-work going in to simply being able to function, yet how much preparation do we do to get ready to enter the presence of God? It seems to me that we are so rushed and full of stress and anxiety that we barely have time to catch out breath before worship is over and we're right back at it.

I want to challenge all those crazy enough to read my ramblings: Take time, starting today, to prepare for worship with God on Sunday. I'm serious! Start today thinking about the offering of sacrifice and  praise that you will bring before God in five days. I have found that the times when I not only prepare to teach and preach but also prepare to worship - just the stuff between me and God - when I prepare my heart for that hour on Sunday morning - my experience is extraordinary! So be selfish this week. Ask God to be there just for you. Tell Him what you will bring and what you hope He will bring to you. Begin preparing now and let's see if on Sunday, He so fills you with the Holy Spirit that you won't be able to put your arms down either!

The Question that Changed It All...And the Dummy that Asked!

The first time I said it out loud was in the weekly staff prayer time on Monday. I said it, and I'm not entirely sure if I even know what was going on inside of me.

Let me back up and start in the beginning.......no, no, not quite that far back; just to January two years ago.

I received a phone call from Jimmy Carr a few days earlier asking for some New Year's resolution that he could put in his article for the newspaper. Not even really thinking about the accountability, I spouted of the standard: "Lose weight", "Work out more", the typical week long resolutions. And I must say for about five weeks I was awesome. But then, nobody was checking, results had slowed, it was time to rest until "Monday" or "Til it is warmer" or I really didn't need an excuse but it made me feel better about being a slacker!

By spring of that year, life became an absolute whirlwind of activity and change (more on that another time), and I completely forgot about being healthier and simply wanted to stay afloat!

Fast forward to May, 2010. During sermon prep for our Senior Sunday, I decided to go with a running theme, mainly because it fit the seniors idea of how fast to get out of town after graduation but also because I had been inspired to start running after watching yet another season of "The Biggest Loser". In my sermon on May 23, 2010, I said publicly (and yes there is recorded evidence) that I was committing to running a 5k with the hopes that some day I might run a marathon. Now by "hopes to some day run a marathon", I mean wish I could wake some day and someone else ran a marathon in my body and i got the credit for it.

Never the less, I started a mild running work out a couple of days a week and before long was actually starting to enjoy it. I got extremely distracted in the summer(again distracted means lazy). Then fall came around I began to focus once again. I was pleased with my overall progress while knowing if I wanted I could push myself more and do even better (I didn't push harder). I began to share with people my plan of running in the annual Turkey Trot in Dallas over Thanksgiving. I was prepared enough so that I thought I would do OK and seemed to outwardly be content with that. Then distraction showed up( and by distraction I am referring to my friend Arie who managed to have two extra tickets to the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game against the Saints and did I mention they were in a suite). I know right - God really doesn't want me to run!

Alright I know you are wondering where I'm going with this, but that brings me to a few weeks before Christmas when my disappointment began to get the better of me and I committed to run with Amanda and some friends in the Oklahoma Memorial Run on May first. Planning on settling for the 5k or perhaps stretch to a 10k but no way I could or would do more than that. Then by default of options, I was talked into committing to a half marathon - 13.1 miles - that's a really long way to run - surely you must be joking!

And that brings me to Monday's prayer. Somewhere inside, God had put it on my heart to ask for prayers of endurance and encouragement as I prepared for the run. But as I made my request aloud, it came out in words that were not my own:

"I just wanted to try something that I wasn't sure was even possible. Something that wasn't guaranteed that I would accomplish. It's been a while since I tried anything like that."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing come out of my mouth! Not my words but my true heart and feelings! I have thought about that for a couple of days now and am excited that I said it. Excited that I was dumb enough to ask myself the question:

"What can I attempt to to do that I can't do on my own?"

So there it is........What are you trying to do that there is no guarantees, no safety net, and no way you can do it alone?" If your answer is nothing then I truly believe that like me up until Monday, you are missing out on one of the greatest gifts God is longing to give you: HIS power, HIS Strength, HIS abilities, and HIS support.

I have no idea how this race will turn out, but I know that on Sunday May 1st, I've got a meeting with God and it won't be from my perch at Wilbarger St, but on the streets of OKC. And I can't wait to see What HE does in my body that I get to give Him the credit for!

PS All prayers appreciated!

Shootin' from the hip like J.C.

After months of urging and encouragement from my friends Sally and Elly...I am starting a blog! What has taken so long? Why haven't I done this before?
Well, to be completely honest, I wasn't sure I had anything to say that people would want to read. I mean after all I teach Bible classes and people listen to me. I preach every week and people listen to me. I lead a small group and people listen to me. At what point do people get tired of listening to me. I mean, come on. I have been married for nine years and Amanda got tired of listening to me right after I said "I do"!


And then it hit me...I have a story! Sounds kind of simplistic when I say it out loud, but that is the truth. I have a story. We all do. It's our story that makes us who we are. As a preacher, I am constantly listening to or telling stories, but rarely do I have a chance to tell my personal stories of life and what God is doing and allowing me to be a part of.


I'm not really sure what you know about the life of a preacher or what you think you might know, but let me tell you, you have NO IDEA! When I began this journey almost 10 years ago now, I had no clue what I was getting myself into. Or should I say what God was getting me into. Never had I thought of myself as the "preacher" type. I grew up going to church, believed in God, and had a relationship with Him, I even helped out at church when i could. But a minister.....really? Don't let the profile picture fool you. I know I seem nice enough. Clean cut. Big smile. Mr. Rogers' sweater even. Who doesn't seem friendly in a sweater vest? But to be a preacher you need to be a Bible major or go to seminary, not a mechanical engineering nerd. And you should have at least three or four preaches in your family tree, not farmers, soldiers, and telephone men. And you should be quiet, mild-mannered, and have lots of cheesy jokes; but me; I'm volume impaired, hyped up, and enjoy a large portion of sarcasm. By myself, I had no business even thinking becoming a minister.


However, my story, isn't just my story. It's part of God's story! He took a wandering college student and gave me a wife, a job, and a passion that has enabled me to work with people for almost a decade. Not a morning goes by when I don't thank God for the opportunity to share "our" story to everyone I come in contact with.


So thanks to a couple of friends who apparently aren't going to stop until I start, I'm just going to throw it out there and "shoot form the hip like my boy J.C. in the sermon on the mount!"


This is my story..."our" story. I pray that as you read, God leads you down a path of discovering your stories and you begin to see the details not just as byproducts but as God hard at work in you life.