Monday, February 23, 2009

Monday Morning Blog

What a weekend! It seemed like I really didn't slow down. I went to bed by 9:15 last night which is something I NEVER do.

Yesterday morning was incredible. We have been talking about Spiritual Warfare. For the last several weeks, we have been talking about the different elements of the armor of God. Yesterday's message was on the Shield of Faith. The best part of the service was at the end when I got to pray with a person to receive Christ. How awesome is that!!!!!

Our faith is attacked by doubt. We need to realize that God is in control of every situation and trust him. One day, he will reward the righteous. So, we must obey him. In the end, we win. God's Kingdom will prevail. We win!!!!!

WIELD THE SHIELD!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Random Thoughts

Wow! This week has flown by and it's hard for me to think about this Sunday being the last one in February. Here's some things that captured my attention this week.

1. Prayers for those who are sick...especially my Granny, Bro. May and Mr. Stuart...Also, my mom who broke her finger last weekend.

2. Sunday's Message - I'm looking forward to communicating about the Shield of Faith. We've got to Wield The Shield!

3. The NBA All-Star Weekend - I'm a sucker for All-Star weekend. Next year, it will be in Dallas and I want to go. 100,000 people packed into the new Cowboy's stadium for the All-Star game. Plus, I'd love to be in the arena for the dunk competition. Lebron has thrown his name into the hat for next year's competition.

4. Danny Gokey - The next American Idol. He's a "church music director" whose wife passed away shortly before he tried out for Idol. I love his voice.

5. Galatians - I'm loving the Bible Study on Wednesday Night. I personally am learning so much about the churches of Galatia and those who were teaching a false doctrine. It has been eye opening. Come check it out on Wednesday Nights at 7:00 p.m.

6. Valentine's Day - We took the girls to Shreveport for our annual trip to Build a Bear to buy bears for their birthdays. We welcomed "Bunny" (Kenzie's new bunny) and "Valentine Bear" (Mady's new Panda Bear) to the family. Mady got to choose the restaurant and she chose Buffalo Wild Wings because she knows that I like that place. I also suprised Sasha and the girls with Valentine's presents before we left the house.

It's been a good week. I really am looking forward to this weekend. :)

Friday, February 13, 2009

Happy Birthday Mady!

Today is my oldest daughter's birthday. She turns 6 today. It's hard to believe that she is 6. It seems like yesterday we were in the hospital in Tyler holding her in our arms.

So, let me take some time to......brag.....about Mady. She is incredibly smart. This year, she is in Kindergarten and is reading beyond her grade level. She recently was recommended for the Gifted and Talented program at her school and has been going through testing. She loves to create. She loves to draw, do art projects, craft projects and cook with Mom. She is a Daddy's girl.....big time. :) Mady has lost 6 of her baby teeth now. She loves taking gymnastics every Tuesday.

Personality wise....she's shy when she first meets you. However, once she warms up, she is very much an extrovert. She is high strung with a little bit of drama queen. Saying that, she is very kind hearted and almost never gets in trouble at school (she gets that part from her mother). She is very caring and loves to take care of her little sister.

She is a blessing to me and Sasha. We love her very much.

Happy Birthday Mady! Daddy loves you!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Critical Thinkers Group

Last week, I had the opportunity to join 30 other sub-40 year old pastors from around the nation and Canada. It was a blessing to be among this elite group of my peers. Rich Wilkerson of Trinity Church in Miami, Florida hosted the event. They treated us to some great food, discussion and training.

Here is what I took away from the event:

1. "One God idea is better than a 1,000 good ideas." - Mark Batterson, Pastor of National Community Church and Author of In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase

2. "There's something that's inside of our skin that tells us that someone else's success is our failure." - Troy Grambling, Pastor of Flamingo Road Church, Miami, Florida

3. Be who God created you to be and believe in your calling - Troy Grambling

4. Rich Wilkerson talked about how things start on the coastal cities and move inland. Think about it. What are the most secular cities in our nation? New York, New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, etc. He said what's starts there will eventually make its way to our communities. This is what they are currently facing in Miami......Extreme Secularism, Spiritism, Sheer lostness of people, and Religious persecution. He said to get ready because this would be what is coming to our cities.

5. John Gray spoke on Tuesday Night. It was incredible. God reminded me of a dream that he had given me years ago. I honestly thought the dream had been accomplished during our time in Chandler. However, the dream is not over. It is still alive and burning deep in my soul. There was a rebirth that took place that night. We ended the night with all the pastors heading to a side room for anointing and prayer. This was a very powerful time.

I also wanted to say how awesome it was to be able to hang with a couple of friends from my college days. Michael Norman, John Van Pay (and Stephanie) and I had a blast. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Happy Monday!

1. Yesterday, we had a great day! I spoke on the "Belt of Truth." I had an absolute blast communicating yesterday's message. We had a great time in the altar.

2. Can you believe the game last night? Wow! I thought the Cards were going to pull it out, but the Steelers pulled it out. Congrats to Cornerstone's Steeler Fans, the Staleys!!!!

3. It was an honor to dedicate Lauren Wall to the Lord. Jeff and Tiffany are awesome people. Lamon and Elizabeth are incredible grandparents. What a great family! :)