And so it begins....

The dawning of a new day.
A fresh start. 
A new beginning.

In January we left our ministry at GBBC not knowing where God would lead us or what we would do.  In the last 6 (nearly 7 months), there have been many dark days full of anxiety and fear.  There have also been many days of personal and professional examination of who God called me to be, and how he wanted me to serve.  I have enjoyed time with my family.  We have spend an enormous amount of time in prayer together, read the Bible together, and did devotions together.  Though there where many dark days, there where also many great days and great times together.  I could literally say that since January 18 our lives have been a roller coaster ride.

I have heard my whole ministry career that God will provide for our needs.  This time in our lives we have learned that.  God has provided everything we have needed.  Financially He provided (through all different sources), emotionally He has provided (a person can feel really low when they are unemployed), physically He has provided, and He has provided us some great times of worship and fabulous church families that have loved on us when we needed it (Antioch, Starnes Cove, Pole Creek, and New Bridge).

Though I have learned a lot about myself, my family, and my calling, it is a six months I would never want to repeat again.

 I have learned that I have some really amazing friends (Stephen Conard, Kevin Burns, Ericksons, Ingles, Watsons, JPM, my neighbors and Bo,  and those who don't wish to be mentioned but you know who you are) that have been so precious to me, and some that checked on me virtually every day.  I have learned that I have some of the greatest family (my parents and sisters) that constantly prayed and my precious mom who has just supported me and loved on me.  My dad who sent me texts and called to encourage me.  My in-laws who are just fabulous. 

My biggest cheerleader being my wife and kids.  My wife who believed in me even when I didn't. My children, whom would pray for me like this:

"God I pray for my daddy to get a job, not just any job but as a pastor, because its what he is really good at".

What a journey it has been, but now this journey has ended and the new journey begins.

Those of you who know me, by now you know that on June 14, 2015 Enka Baptist Church extended an invitation for me to become their Pastor.  To which I have accepted and will officially begin on July 1.  I have deep emotions of excitement as well as nervousness.  Excitement because this has been prayed over for six months, but yet also nervousness because even though I have been in full-time Christian ministry for over 10 years, the last 6 was in Student/Children's ministry.

Being called someone's pastor, is an office of honor and dignity.  It's not a power position.  It's a leader position.  It's a position where the requirements are to be humble, be teachable, be honest, and be available.  It's a position that requires an overwhelming amount of time, energy, and vision.  It's a position that requires the ultimate servanthood to the Almighty Creator.

⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve   (Mk 10:45., NIV)

And so it begins...

As this new journey begins in leading Enka Baptist, I ask that you pray for not only myself, my family, and my new church in the following way:

• Pray that we, well Pray.  One of the biggest concerns that has been brought to my attention with our new church has been they felt like they hadn't prayed enough.  Pray that we bathe everything we do in prayer.  Pray that I pray and lead as I should.  Pray that in our prayers God will give us, specifically me vision.  Pray that prayer will stay at the heart of what we do.
• Patience.  I am already chomping at the bit at things I want to do at Enka.  I believe that God is already giving me guidance and vision on future changes.  However, with anything, timing is essential.  I am not the type of person that likes to "sit" on something and be patient.  However, for anything to be successful and be received well, I must be patient.
• Persistence.  I want to be in this for the "long haul"  I am looking to be here 10 years or more.  I know hard times will come, I know there will be "pockets of resistance", and I know things will not always go my way or smooth.  However, I want them to know I love them enough to work through the tough times, and enjoy the great times.

To God be the glory for this new journey that has begun

And so it begins....

Father's Day

 

 

 

There is no greater title, or more scarier one that to be called "Dad".  I love being called Dad.  I would have never imagined a greater feeling, or privilege, of being a parent of 4 kids on earth and one in heaven.

 

June 27, 1994 was the first time I became a father.  I remember that day like it was yesterday.  I remember the excitement of anticipating the birth of Virginia "Ginny".  I was so pumped I just about couldn't stand it, then it hit me:  Your about to be a father.  It's no longer going to be about you, it's going to be about this little one.  You will be responsible for taking care of her, teaching her, helping her grow, and she will look up to you for the rest of your life.  I began to go from excitement to fear, I began asking myself "can I do this"?

 

June 30, 2003 was the next time I became a father.  This child was born on Brandy's birthday.  This is the child that we met but yet will not know until in heaven.  It's hard even today to think about that this one would have been nearing teenage years now.  This precious one we where able to hold, but unfortunately they didn't make it.  My oldest daughter knows of this child but our others do not.  This is my baby that I never got to feed, see crawl, walk, or talk.  We do not know whether it was a boy or girl, but it was irrelevant.  One day I will meet this child again, and I will know them then.

 

November 10, 2006 was the year the twin where born (Rebekah and Samantha).  If you think it is scary when you find our your going to be a parent, it's even scarier when you hear, "hey, there is two in there".....  Father of twins.  What a journey it has been to have twins.  I remember the first night we took those two home, brandy or I neither one slept a wink.  We had bracelets made to put on their ankles because we where afraid we would not be able to tell them apart (even though they where fraternal and not paternal, in other words they where not identical).  There where days when two infants seemed like too much, and yet there where days when I beamed with pride in having twins.  Two learning to crawl, two learning to talk, two learning to walk, two learning to feed themselves, and two loving on you at the same time.

 

March 3, 2010 was the year of my last child.  On a snowy march morning we went to the hospital to welcome Olivia into the world.  My little "mini-me", my little shadow.  I remember this is the year I lost my Grammy and gained my Olivia.  Grammy was in the hospital with what they thought had been a stroke at the time.  The released Grammy to go home while we where in the hospital after Olivia's birth.  You would have to know my Grammy to appreciate this, but she refused to leave the hospital until she saw her "Katie".  Don't ask me why, cause I'm not sure but she wanted to call her "Katie".  Olivia's full name is "Olivia Kate".  So, I loved my Grammy so much that I allowed her to... of course.

 

As I sit here and write this blog I can reflect on how great it is to be Dad.  I can hear my 4 Girls upstairs doing "who knows what" but it is definitely loud, and all I can think about is how great it is to not just be called their Dad, but to actually be their Dad.

 

Anyone can be a father, but it's another thing to be their Dad.

 

 

Psalms 127:3-4            

 

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them

I am a blessed Dad of 4 beautiful daughters, of whom each one of them are so special to me.  God has granted me the privilege and responsibility of raising 4 daughters for Him.  I love to get a text from the oldest saying "I love you miss you or I miss you", I love to come home and have my girls run up to me and wrap their arms around me and say "I love you" or "I missed you", I love getting together with my kids at night and doing our little Bible study or prayer time, I love summer afternoons of taking my children to the river to play, going on a hike, or going for a swim.  I love my nightly hugs and kisses from my children.  I love coming home after a long day and seeing those beautiful and innocent faces that love me just because they want to.

I could have never imagined being a Dad would ever be so great.

Happy father's day and happy father's day to my Pops!!

Chris

Schools out for summer

Even though it has been 25 years I remember vividly the feeling of the last day of school.  The excitement and anticipation of what the summer would hold.  

Everything from sleeping late, playing in the creek, going to the pool, water gun fights, family vacation, to staying outside late to catch lightning bugs.  Hanging out with our neighborhood friends and trying to not get into trouble, or at least not get caught.

I love summer.  I am a shorts and tshirt kind of person. 

It seems as we grow older we lose the excitement we had when we where younger.

I loved summer as a kid because it was a change, it was something different.  You do the routine of school for 9 months and it gets monotonous, quite frankly it gets old.

Change is not always bad.  Change could and should be welcomed.  Change stops the monotony.

19 See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19, NIV)

When someone mentions the word "change" in church we tense up, we get worried, we may even get angry. 

God is doing a new thing.  He is making a way.  

We should look at a new thing, a new way as exciting.  We should see it as a child sees their summer break.  As a time of refreshment, as a time of rejuvenation, and as a time to experience something new. 

Resist change and make yourself miserable, as well as others or welcome change and watch God do His amazing work.

Don't fear change but enjoy it.

Don't fight change but embrace it.

don't challenge change but accept it.

Don't question change but answer it.

Don't ignore change but acknowledge it.

Enjoy summer break and enjoy a new thing!

Chris

Media is so messed up

So much has been in the news recently about Caitlyn/Bruce Jenner.  Normally I stay so far away from this type of hype in my blogs, however this one is quite different.  Over the last several days I have listened to media talk about Jenner and use words like "Courage" "Bravery" "Hero" "role-model" "Determination" "Strength", etc... and I think "What??". 

I am thankful we live in a country where Jenner has the freedom to be whatever he/she wants to be.  If he/she wants to change his/her gender have at it.  Whatever I think or believe about the moral/spiritual/faith consequences are not what I am having the biggest problem with.  He/She will have to answer to his/her Creator for the decisions made.  My issue has come with labeling a person having a "selective" surgery with all the above mentioned adjectives.

I read an article today that Jenner will receive the ESPY Author Ashe Award for Courage.  Jenner won this award over people like:

Lauren Hill:  the 19 year old Mount St. Joseph basketball player who battled cancer while staying on the university team.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Hill_(basketball)

Noah Galloway:  The Iraqi veteran who lost most of an arm and a leg fighting, but still competes in extreme sports and finished 3rd in "Dancing with the Stars" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Galloway

I understand this is "just an award", but the point being I can't even begin to fathom how Jenner was picked over those two.  I can identify them with all of the above adjectives long before I could Jenner.

I believe our definitions are messed up when we start labeling someone in Hollywood with these words over a gender change, and it causes the words to become less of what they really are.

I know people that are more deserving of these titles than Jenner, but media will never publicize them.

"Courage", is our men and women in law enforcement like Gary Henderson, Van Duncan  that keep our streets safe.  They go in every day to a thankless job and are labeled crooked thanks to a selected few.  They have courage in the face of the danger they face daily.

"Bravery", is our firefighters / EMT like Nick Robinson, Brian Meyers, Lonnie Kimbrough that run into a burning building when everyone else is running out.

"Hero", is our men and women that served in the military to keep our country and our freedom safe.  People like my dad, father in law, brother in law, people I went to school with, and in my family.  If you served my country YOU are a hero.

"Role-model", is our teachers out there, Rachel, Brian, Kelly, Melody... long hours, little pay, teaching those who don't want to be taught, filling up your classroom with items out of your own pocket.  Teachers are best role-model next to parenthood.

"Determination", is single parents like Erin, raising three kids on her own.  Trying to give her children the best possible life she can with the little she has.  She is the picture of determination.

"Strength", is people like Myjenta, Crain, and Hope who fight PTSD (which you can't begin to understand unless you deal with), who have to find an inner strength to even try to have a normal life.  Yet in the midst of dealing with it, they soar like eagles.

Media:  these people deserve those titles much more than Jenner does.

But at the same time I hear Jenner being called "lunatic" "evil", and harsh things such as that.  He/She is not deserving of those either.  Jenner is someone who has just lost their way and desperately needs to know and understand Ephesians 2:10:

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
 

It's not about being "happy" with who you are, or trying to change who you are.  This life is about discovering who you are and who God created you to be.  This verse tells us that we are God's workmanship, or His masterpiece.  Every flaw, everything we don't like about ourselves, and every blemish we have is covered in Jesus Christ.  Discover who you are in Christ, there is where you find your fulfillment.  You will never find it with any surgery, substance, or lifestyle. 

Our real heroes are the one who work 12 hour shifts just to get by, the ones who go college and hold down full time job, the stay at home mom or dad, and the ones who work multiple jobs.  These are the ones in the real world who never will get recognition.

 

The people I believe deserve the titles of courage, inspiring, bravery, hero, strength, and etc. are those who have discovered who they are in Christ and are using their gifts/talents for the upbuilding of His Kingdom.  You will never find the media publicizing that or see it in a reality show.

 

I make no apologies if this blog offends you, it's my blog and you didn't have to read it.  Please note I will also delete any negative comments.

 

Chris