New Role

In case you missed it, here's the first part of this post.

In case you didn't know, we moved here (Coffee Springs) because we felt that we were following God's will for our lives and transitioning into a new ministry role--Associate Pastor. Now many people may ask, "What exactly does that mean?" and I have to admit it is difficult to define. As a youth pastor it was simple: I work with youth. But as Associate Pastor, I'm more of a Utility man. Whatever role I need to fill for the church, I'm here.

God has definitely stretched me in this new role. When I moved here I have no office (just a storage closet with a desk and power outlet). There is no Internet at the church--which I found that I had become quite dependent on for just about EVERYTHING I do ministry wise. Fortunately, we've been able to get the internet at our house now, so I no longer feel handicapped by that. And I'm basically having to flesh out a job description. Like I said, Associate Pastor is the utility guy, but I'm trying to make a tangible, day-to-day responsibility for this new role I've found myself in.

But I must say that I am super happy in this new role. All ministry presents challenges. That's part of what makes it fun. It's what keeps you on your toes and makes you creative. And the people here are simply wonderful. They've shown so much love for us and have made our transition an easy one. They're excited to have us here, and we're excited to be here. Ultimately, we're all excited about what God is going to do here.

I had hoped to have some pictures to post of the church, but I guess I'll just have to post them later.

More to come...

Haven't Seen You in a While...

...and for that I apologize. Ever since the move, my Internet access has been very limited, but, no longer! Thanks to the help of one of the wonderful members of our church, we upgraded to wireless internet at the house. Now all I need is a Mac and a cup of Starbucks--scratch that, Dakota Coffee--and I'll be certifiably cool!

And since it has been such a long time since the last time we spoke, I want to catch you up a bit. Of course, it will take of couple of posts, but I promise not to make you wait two months for the rest of the story.

We now live at what I have begun to affectionately refer to as the "edge of the earth." Seriously, if the earth were flat, we'd be teetering on the edge. We are that far out. In fact, right now you're probably thinking to yourself, "It can't be any different from any other small, rural area in Alabama. Probably not much different than Vincent." You would be mistaken...ask Scottie, Janie, Robert, and Josh Sims. And I have to admit, when we first got here, I wasn't too hot on the location. I like cities. I like the life, the culture, the energy. Even though Vincent was a small town, it was so close to B'ham and the burbs that it carried a little of that vibe too. Wide open spaces and slow speed limits aren't my thing. But, in time, this location has grown on me.

The sun rising over the flat farm land adjacent to my house is stunning (which to use the word 'stunning' really cheapens it. In fact, any word would fail to capture the beauty and majesty of that view. I love how when someone comes creeping along in their truck (or tractor), that they ALL wave. I love how everyday is sunny. Even on days when it rains, it seems that as soon as the rain stops, the sun pops out. I love our little house. Its small and old, but filled with warmth and character.

So needless to say, I've grown to enjoy living here. But that's not the end of the story. More to come soon...

Back in the Swing...?

Greetings everyone. It's definitely been a while since I've sat down and written out a blog post. For that, I apologize. I know that you--like I--have jam-packed schedules. So thanks for continuing to check in. Here's some things that have been going on:

• I am LOVING being a Dad. It's still a bit surreal to me and it's definitely weird if I pause to let that opening statement settle in. [*PAUSE*]. Yep, it's weird. I am not intelligent enough to write how amazing it is to watch this little dude grow up. Couldn't be prouder of every little advancement that he makes; whether that be holding his head up, making sounds that in no way are words (but still calling it "talk"). It's all wonderful. He's going to be an awesome man of God when He's grown!
• Been coaching football at Vincent for the Jr. High. I love football. It borders on obsession at times, so I have to keep that in check. This year I've met two (new) awesome men: Shae Supri and Chris House. It's their first year teaching/coaching, so it's been fun helping them out. They even let me help call plays. Even more thrilling to me though is that through my time at the school we've had about 8-10 new guys coming on Wednesdays. Three of them have gotten saved and I can see a HUGE difference in their lives already! God is awesome, and I am so thankful that He gives me opportunities like this to impact the lives of teens.
• Got to hang out with a friend of mine from High School. Actually, we've been best friends since about 2nd Grade. He's in Pharmacy school @ Auburn (boo!). He's a super competitive, super intelligent, super funny guy. He was the person who knocked me down to Salutatorian in HS.
• I have another best friend, Allen, who goes to school in Troy. Got to meet his girlfriend Rachel a couple of weeks ago when I went down to NB. They're doing a fantastic job volunteering as youth leaders at a church down in Enterprise.
• Started a new sermon series on Wednesday nights. We're going through the entire book of 1 Corinthians verse-by-verse. This is a new experiment for me. It's going to take us about 25 - 30 weeks to finish. I am super-excited about it and believe that at the end, our youth ministry will look completely different.

Unfortunately, that's all the time I have for now. Hopefully there will be more tomorrow!

Benaiah Aiden

Wow! What a weekend. This has definitely been one of the highlights of my life (as if you couldn't tell from the pictures :)) Amanda and I both apreciate all the prayers and for all the kind words/visits and gifts over the past few days.

I'll try to recap as best as I can (which really isn't all that good because words really can't describe ow great this has been):

Abouts 2am Saturday morning, Amanda woke up. She wasn't feeling well and she was having some spotting. She waited around til 2:30, but she was still spotting, so she woke me up. For the next half-hour, we tried to see if her condition would get better. We even called the OB/GYN, and he sayed we should be ok. Of course, Amanda was worried that something had happened to the baby. I knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she was able to talk to a doctor face-to-face. So we loaded up in the car and headed to Brookwood at 3:30.

When we left the house, I fully expected to be back home in just a short while. Amanda was not having contractions and the due date was over 2 weeks away.

When we got to the hospital (at 4) and got out of the car, Amanda froze in pain. I tried to pursuade her "Come on, we're here now. Let's just get inside teh door." We got inside and they put us in a room (probably because Amanda said, "I think we may be having a baby today.") We got in and when they hooked Amanda up to the contraction monitor and then checked to see if she had dialated. When they did, her water broke. And we discovered that the pain that Amanda had experienced in the parking lot was in fact a contraction. In fact, they were starting to come every 5 minutes or so. So our "quick trip" to calm our nerves turned into "Wow, we'll have our baby today!" :)

Our doctor was on vacation, so we met Dr. Gams who would be our substitute physician. After about 2 hours at the hospital, Amanda hadn't dialated any more, so they gave her a hormone that increased the rate of her contractions. She also got an epidural, so from about 5a on, she was pretty comfortable.

When they checked Amanda an hour later, she had dialated to 7cm. Every time they checked it got closer to the goal. By 11, she was at 9 1/2 cm (or so we thought)

About 12:45, the Dr. popped in again and checked to see if she made it to 10cm. But, he delievered some discouraging news: Amanda was not at 9 1/2, she was at 7, maybe 8 at best. He said that the labor had stalled out and that we would have to have a C-section.

There's a verse in Job that sums up how I felt in the moment: "I am terrified." That's actually probably an understatment, but I don't know if there's a strong-enough word to describe how I felt. I tried to be calm and brave because Amanda was even more shaken that I was (obviously). She had never had surgery at all--or even been admitted to a hospital. So that compounded the fear. They set the time for 1:30p to do the surgery.

During the down time, we tried to comfort each other. I got to put on my surgery scrubs. They wheeled Amanda back and came back to get me a little later. It was probably only 5 minutes, but it felt like 30. When I got to the operating room, they had Amanda sliced open. I got to sit at her head behind the curtain (thank God for that because I would have straight passed out). It took only 3 - 5 minutes and we heard the most wonderful sound I have ever heard. Little Benaiah Aiden was here (at 1:47p) and he was letting everyone know about it. Because he was a C-section baby, he had a lot more fluid in his lungs, so his first yell sounded like he was under water.

Amanda's cousin Amy--who works in the NICU at Brookwood--was in the room and was one of the nurses who handled the baby. She even got to give his official weight (7 lbs. 8 oz.). Then mommy got to hold the baby for the first time. Then daddy got to take him to the nursery to let everyone else see. Amanda's dad lucked up and found our path so he got a sneak peek.

After everyone got to see him through the window for a coule of minutes, we carried him to the recovery room, were the nursing staff gave him a bath, checked his temp., gave him a shot or two, measured him (21 1/2 in.), put medicine in his eyes, etc. Then Daddy and Aiden got to wait for mommy. About 20 minutes after we got in the recovery room, they wheeled mommy in and she REALLY got to hold baby.

We stayed in recovery for about 2 hours. I know it killed our family because they couldn't come back. Then at 4p we moved into our suite and the family got to see baby and Mommy for the first time.

So many other small things happened that would take too long to explain. But needless to say, we are overjoyed (an understatement indeed) to have little Benaiah Aiden with us. Also, August 1st happens to be my late grandmother's birthday. So God gave us a little poetic miracle in that too.

Friday Update

Well, everyone is off to Costa Rica for the next 9 days. I am the only staff pastor left behind. Part of me wishes I would've went, but at the same time I know I would be miserable right now--worrying about Amanda having the baby.

It's been a great day today. Strangely quiet, but I'll take it.

Just wanted to throw a quick promo out for this Sunday. The title of the message is:

"Hannah's Prayer"

I'm believing that it's going to be an awesome day. Though many will be gone ministering in Costa Rica, I believe that God will reward us as a church for the investment we've made. Maybe 50 people will go on the next missions trip!

Update

It's definitely been a up-and-down ride the past couple of weeks. I thought going into this summer that it would be a little more calm...no teaching every week of camp; no kids camp. But, I was wrong. This summer is also filled with personal tragedy (and NOT because MJ died).

Couple of weeks ago I went to the Buffalo River. Yes, I know, I never finished telling the story. Maybe when I get caught up on all the stuff I've missed the last three weeks, I'll finish.

Had an awesome time at youth camp. As expected, God did amazing things (hmm, maybe there's something about our level of expectation and God's reaction to it?).

Then I received some bad news this past Monday. My grandmother (Gammy as I call her) had to be hospitalized. She was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia back in March. In this form, her white cell counts were extremely low (as opposed to extremely high with most types of the disease). Of course, no white blood cells = no immune system; so, she had infection set in her kidneys that soon spread to her blood. Her spleen had also swollen.

By the time I got to the hospital Wednesday morning, she looked like a ghost. Fortunately, she still had the strength to communicate with me. We told each other "I love you," and she told me to "keep loving the Lord." From then on I witnesses a rapid decline. By Thursday (she got to come home under hospice care Wed. afternoon), she mostly just slept. By Thur. night, she couldn't talk with us anymore--just grunts. That night, we all stayed at her and my granddad's (Gangy) house. At 2:40am my mom's sister, Gina, came and woke me up. By the time I got to the bedroom where my Gammy laid, she was no longer breathing.

We had a memorial viewing on Saturday night at Sorrells Funeral Home in Enterprise (Great People). Over 200 people came to visit. Even more people showed up Sunday afternoon for the funeral. And then her body was committed to the ground in Old Tabernacle Cemetery...across the street from the church she grew up in (and that I went to in high school).

Please remember my family--especially my granddad--in your prayers. For all of you who have lost someone close, you know why.

I'll hopefully get back into the rhythm of regular blogging over the next week or so.

Well, it's been a couple of days since my last post, for which I apologize. My computer at the church bit the dust (yes, it was a PC). Making matters worse is that my hard drive was completely shot, meaning I lost ALL of my files (I know, I'm stupid for not having everything backed up). I miss my iTunes the most.

I was hoping that maybe this was my chance to upgrade to a Mac, or at least get a pc laptop, but unfortunately Geek Squad can fix my computer (excluding the files, of course) for less than a new computer.

So, my posts may be a little sporadic over the next couple of days until I can get my computer running smoothly again.

District Council 09

As a member of the Assemblies of God, I am a part of a larger network of pastor's and believers. Each year people from all over our District (Alabama) gather together for several days of worship, teaching, and business meetings :(. This year's council was much different than any I have ever been to. And I must say that I am proud to be a part of the Alabama District Council of the Assemblies of God. Here are some reasons why:

• Electing Ken Draughon as District Superintendent (his role is similar to the pastor in a local congregation). Ken's a great guy, has a very successful track record--both as a pastor and as World Missions Director, and seems to have a very progressive outlook (he's on facebook for crying out loud:) I've gotten to know him a little through a program called NavNet that he mentors. Really looking forward to the new direction he'll give to our District.

• Forming a Self-Study Team. I know this seems trivial, but in a state where I would argue MOST pastors are not forward-thinking, to agree to form a team to see if what we are doing is working, AND if it's not, to figure out how to improve...it's a pretty big deal.

• Apollos and Timothy. I know Alabama is not really know for it's education system (at least not in a good way). But both of these initiatives are designed to help pastors (who don't get paid a lot) pay for the rising costs of college and continuing education. According to my sources, we are the first (or at least one of the first) districts to offer anything like this (as much 100% payment of student loans or continuing education costs). Imagine that...Alabama leading the way in education :)

There are some exciting days on the horizon for our fellowship of believers. I look forward to a newer, deeper partnership as we strive to reach a lost and broken world.

Thankful

There are moments in my life where God's grace stands out more than others:  the night I was saved, the day I was called into ministry, coming back from the hospital AFTER the gall-bladder attack and removal, and many others.  This week definitely stands out:

First, the wreck.  When I first got the calls about Tabatha and Sarah, they weren't good.  Some reports were that Tab was unresponsive and Sarah's neck was broken (teenagers tend to overreact in these kinds of situations).  Fortunately, they're both fine (banged up of course, but very much alive) and back home.  

Second, we've been waiting for Amanda's Medicaid insurance to clear through.  They sent it back to us once with "insufficient" proof of income.  They also told us that it takes around 40 days to even hear ANYTHING [which would mean we would have had to pay for the first couple of doctor's visits :( ]  Tuesday comes and we got our letter of approval.  Go God!

Third, my leg.  There's a lump on it, and to be honest I had no clue what it was.  And of course the first thing that popped in my mind was "CANCER!"  Went to the doctor and turns out it's just a ball of fat on top of a muscle.  It poses no harm (even though it will never go away) whatsoever.

So, this week has definitely been one of those weeks that I hope to make an altar so that I'll remember it forever

"Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set in up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.  He called the place Bethel (house of God), though the city used to be called Luz."  Genesis 28.18-19

Everything is Meaningless

The last 24 hours have really re-emphasized for me and for many around Vincent just how short life can be.  Thankfully Tab, Sarah, and Kara are all going to be fine and were mostly just banged up real bad...but we so often get caught up in trivial matters:

*What clothes we're going to wear

*The test coming up in class

*What we're going to eat for dinner

*What we're going to do this weekend

My mind was turned to this Scripture in Ecclesiastes:

Meaningless!  Meaningless! says the Teacher.  Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless.

--[Ecclesiastes 1.2]

During times like these, we're are presented with what really matters in our lives:

1. God
2. Family
3. Friends
4. Life
5. Happiness
6. Health
7. A Beautiful Day (this one brought up compliments of Tab)

Thank you Lord for keeping the girls safe.  Let our hearts return to you and let us enjoy all that is good in the world.  Amen.

Sermon Writing

Well, I just finished up writing my sermon for Wednesday night. This month's series has been incredibly easy for me (in a sense). Ever since I started reading the book Celebration of Discipline by R. Foster, I've been amazed at just how far of track we can be. I feel that it was God calling me back on track with Him. I've still got a LOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG way to go!

Since I had gotten so into the book, my sermon series this month, which is a series of talks about Becoming Deep Disciples, focuses on the disciplines. Sometimes though, it's not that easy. Sometimes, it feels like I can't get it write. That God desires to say something, and I'm botching up his Words. Usually this happens when I don't invest a lot of time into the sermon. Perfect world, I'd like to spend about 2 full work days prepping for a message. Usually it only translates into about 2-3 hours. On my worst days, it's one hour:( The more I've researched and allowed God to speak to me first, the better I feel about delivering a message to someone else.

So I guess a good New Year's Resolution is to make sure I invest enough time in my sermon prep!

Uncertainty or Adventure?

Well, 2009 has already come and brought with it a new set of challenges and opportunities.  To be quite honest, it's been a rough weekend (well really just the last half of Sunday).  A death in the family, new complications in the youth ministry...all these problems that demand attention.  Sometimes it can seem as if life's uncertainty is hovering over you as if waiting to murder you in your sleep [a bit dramatic, I know].  But there is another way to look at uncertainty.  Another word for it would be adventure.  And God is calling us to a life of adventure.  All of the "problems" and "concerns" are--many times--just chances for us to go on a new adventure.  

My prayer is that this year, we would embrace the adventure(s) that God sends us on.

*(The whole uncertainty/adventure revelation came from Mark Batterson's book Wild Goose Chase)

Holiday '08 Rundown

Well, this is my first post post-holidays, and I must say it has been difficult catching back up.  I've been checking emails and blogs and fantasy football for almost 2 hours now.  Once you get behind, it's difficult to catch up.  Here's a small recap of the past couple of weeks:

Thanksgiving was great.  We stayed up here, so it was my first Thanksgiving without my parents.  Almost panicked because I thought there was no Dressing--but the day was saved.

Went to Nashville for our annual Staff Planning Retreat.  Had a blast.  Nashville is one of my favorite cities.  Still think I only saw about half of the Opryland hotel (I think I read somewhere that it has around 70 square acres of space INSIDE).  

Upon returning from Nashville I was stricken with the rotavirus (see pics on earlier post).  That sucked!!!  I would not recommend the rotavirus to anyone.  Uncontrollable puking.  Fatigue.  Can't sleep.  Miserable.  (As I side note, I believe it was Jack's in Harpersville that got me sick.  Anyone who wants to join my boycott feel free to do so).  

Drove to my Grandma's (Dad's mom) in West Va for Christmas.  It took us 14 hours to get there, but only 12 to get back (I know we ate an extra meal, but that still leaves and extra hour.  Perhaps driving downhill helped???).  I love my family.  Dad's side is definitely more lively than my mother's (and louder!).  We saw a little snow, but there wasn't enough to play in.  :(  We froze our tails off when we visited D.C. (I think it was around 20 w/ 30+ mph winds).  Saw Bush's dog chasing a frisbee.  There was a U-Haul in front of the White House (I guess to move Bush out).  I got hustled by a semi-homeless guy.  When went to 1 of 5 (?) Smithsonian buildings--and didn't get to see all of it!!!  D.C. is also probably one of my favorite cities (I love the city, in case you can't tell)

Had a great Christmas with my family (though there was no Dressing).  My Grandmother fixed the SHARPEST homemade mac-n-cheese I've ever tasted.  Had a little bad news.  My Dad's brother has been given a year to live (lung cancer).  On Christmas Day, he had to go to the hospital.  The cancer has spread to his other lung and throughout his body.  Remember him in your prayers.

There was tons of other details, but right now my mind is going hay-wire (I had two cups of coffee this morning).  I am glad to be back.

Thanks to everyone who reads and posts comments.  I love you guys.  I look forward to a great 09!  

Weekend Update

It's been a busy weekend...it was the first weekend in the house as a married couple.  It was great.  I love Amanda!  We had Homecoming at church, which basically is an excuse to eat a lot of (really good) food.  Had a blast.  Then I went home and took a nap (very uncommon for me to do on Sundays>>Sundays = Mondays for me).  After that I began to work on Elvis's (the dog) kennel.  I must admit I have very little mechanical aptitude.  I finished putting up the frame and I have to go purchase some wire cutters to finish petting the mesh fencing up.

Looks like it will be another busy week.

But at least Amanda will be there with me.