Another Lesson Through Gracen

Today was a great day as my family and about 40 other people from Genesischurch.tv stormed the beach at St. George Island. The weather was great, Jeremy Williams handled the grill, the water felt great, and God taught me another lesson through my two year old son. I love it when He does that. And holding to my belief that these lessons are to be shared, here we go…

Gracen loves the water, and after a few minutes in the very shallow water running from waves he decided to go a little deeper, and me being the parent that will brave the ocean (Brenda is a little timid in the ocean although she did get in a little today) I held his hand as we went in. He quickly figured out that the waves would knock him down and under the water, but that I would always get him out of trouble. Make no mistake, he was fearless – as long as he was within arms reach. He would put his arm out to see if he could reach me, and if he could he would take a step. If he could not reach me, he would not go. Really quite intelligent for a 2 year old, I think. On a few occasions though, he would break his own rules and get too far. Now I was only a step away, but he was too far for his own good. Every time he got too far a wave would hit and BLOOP he would go under, only to have me lift him out of danger and immediately into my arms. I knew his limits and wanted him to stay within them, even when he could not see his limits. I knew how far he could go, and how far was too far. Do you see the lesson?

Our relationship is the same way. God is going to lead us to our limits, even when we cannot see them. Many times I never knew my limits, I knew God was leading me but I was scared. I was timid about going into full time ministry, scared about moving to Tallahassee, nervous about joining the GCTV team, but in the end I kept God within an arms reach. Or maybe He kept me in his arm length? I have gotten ahead of God, out of reach, and then paid a consequence. When I felt it, overwhelmed by my own choices, and being swept away, it was God that picked me up into His arms, and told me it was going to be okay.

I love being a dad. It’s hard, it’s full time, but the most rewarding thing I do. Does it hurt to let your child learn some lessons? Of course, but they will not make enough mistakes to drive me away. They will never go “too deep” in the water that I won’t come get them. Why does this feel natural? Because God is the same way. He loves being your dad, He will let you feel some consequences of your choices, but in the end, He will love you more than you could ever comprehend. Life is full of waves, and you will get knocked down, but if God is within an arms length, you will never drown. Happy Father’s Day to all.

GCTV is Storming the Beach

Just wanted to remind everyone that this Saturday June 20^th at 8:30 AM, Genesischurch.tv will be STORMING THE BEACH of St. George Island! We will be leaving the church, in caravan, at 8:30 AM and will be going to St. George Island State Park. If you want to come hang out with us, soak up some rays, play a little football, or meet some new people, this is the trip for you. Here are a few things to remember:

• The cost to get in is $5 per car for up to eight people.
• This trip is open to everyone of all ages so come on!
• There are grills there if you want to bring something to throw on the barbie!
• Bring a lunch for you and/or your family or make plans to eat something there.
• There will be some activities planned for fun, or you can relax, get some sun, or play with your kids.

So pack up your coolers, beach chairs, footballs, and whatever tools you need as Genesischurch.tv STORMS THE BEACH!

In The Hospital All Day Today

This morning I will be in a hospital waiting room. I will be there waiting to hear the news on how my Mother-In-Law’s surgery goes. I wish I could say it is a “routine” procedure (whatever that is..) It’s not, it’s a massive thing that is going to bring complete painfree living here on this earth, or on the other side. It is a decision she is comfortable with, has prayed about, and I support.

How many religious clichés will I hear today? Better than that, how many will I tell myself trying to find the same peace she is displaying? How many things that I have said to others will I now try to convince myself of? I know we say them partly because they are true, and partly because we don’t know what else to say.

Here’s the raw, honest, truth: I believe in Jesus with everything I am. I KNOW he can heal, raise from the dead, and gives the greatest peace mankind knows. If I know these things, why do I still feel “uneasy” about today. Am I worried? Yes, even though I know Christ has told me not to and that it will do no good. Am I scared? A little, even though it does no good. I know how I feel, and I know they are not “right” and I should just have “faith.” How do I shift the things I know in my head to the places in my heart they need to be. The answer is simple: I don’t know. But maybe I don’t need to.

Here is what I know and believe. At the end of the day, I will still follow Christ with everything I am. I will still have emotions that I sometimes can’t control. I will still have questions, concerns, and “discussions” with Jesus. I will love Him and He will love me. Whatever happens, I still know the power of God, even if I can’t explain it all.

Baseball Dance Off

I must give credit to Jerad Collier for posting this first, but I couldn’t resist. Priceless.

The bottom line is that these two teams were in the middle of a 5 hour rain delay, and had to pass the time.

 

Kris Allen – God of This City

Your American Idol winner. Congrats Kris!

 

G-Man’s 2nd Birthday

When Gracen was born, people always asked me if I was glad I had a boy. I really didn’t know because all I had were girls. People would say, “now your name lives on!” I never got that, I am not that great. “Now you have someone who will play sports like you did.” Again, what if he didn’t like sports or what if I was that overbearing dad that made him do things so I could live vicariously through him. 

Well, today my son is 2 and I am proud to say that I am thrilled I have a son. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I adore my daughters, and they truly possess my heart, but Gracen is different. He’s a BOY. He does things different, acts different, and I can’t imagine life without him. What are some of the main differences, you ask?

1. If he pees when his diaper is off, it is much more “projectile.”

2. His feet can actually stink. I don’t think little girls feet do…

3. He LOVES to throw a ball. His choice not mine although I do love to play with him.

4. He can go topless at the pool.

5. He is ROUGH! Seriously, when he comes running, it is like a mini-linebacker.

All joking aside, I love my little guy and I want to wish him a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Grace VS. Tolerance

Okay, I know that as I write this I am going to ruffle some feathers, but sometimes an open discussion can help bring about new viewpoints, and thoughts. So here we go…

 

Thanks to Travis Johnson’s twittering of the Exponential Conference I heard a quote by John Burke, author of one of my favorite books, “No Perfect People Allowed.” The quote was this:

“Tolerance is a cheap substitute for grace.”

 

Did you get that? So many of us really want to be tolerant of things, but are we getting in the way of people discovering true, God-given, personal GRACE that we all need? Lets look at the two definitions.

 

tol⋅er⋅ance   [tol-er-uhns]  –noun

1.a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one’s own; freedom from bigotry.

2.a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one’s own.

3.interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one’s own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.

4.the act or capacity of enduring; endurance: My tolerance of noise is limited.

 

Grace             [greys]            -Noun                        (I only have put the definitions that applied)

3.favor or good will.

4.a manifestation of favor, esp. by a superior: It was only through the dean’s grace that I wasn’t expelled from school.

5.mercy; clemency; pardon: an act of grace.

 

It seems to me that the key differences between the two is ownership and acknowledgement of an offense. If we are tolerant, we allow the offense and just agree to disagree. By allowing God’s grace to come in we teach a Godly way to live that enables them to fell the presence of a loving God to permeate their lives. So by granting tolerance instead of grace what are we robbing the people of? When we tolerate things that are against the written Word of God, do we really take away their ability to receive grace from God? Does being tolerant actually hurt the person in the long run? Please hear me when I say it isn’t about loving people, or giving them time to be discipled, or any of those other phrases that really is just an excuse to not take a stand. I think the issue is that we need to extend grace, true Godly, Christ dying on a cross, we love you but will not accept certain things, grace that is at the heart of God. Is the real problem the fact that grace is not PC therefore people are scared of it?

 

Just something to think about. What are your thoughts?

I Am a Conceited Christian

Are we conceited Christians? I think I might be. This morning I was studying Deuteronomy Chapter 4, it is a chapter centering on the themes of obedience, forbidden idolatry, and proof that God is who He says He is. In the last part of the chapter, Moses is retelling some of the amazing things God did that shows who He is. As I read it, part of me thought, “If I was there and saw all of that, you wouldn’t have to convince me!” “Those people are idiots! They saw God do so much, and still needed to be convinced? Come on, really?!?!”

            Then I felt the gentle tug of the Holy Spirit challenge me. It was almost as if I could hear him say “But you do have doubts, worries, struggles with faith, and a host of other things you don’t need to deal with. Don’t you know who God is?” I realized that I was that guy, the guy that had encountered God on numerous occasions, yet still dealt with things that God promised He would handle. I have seen the hand of God…

·      When all three of my children were born…

·      In quiet moments of loneliness that I felt comforted by something I could not see…

·      In the chaos of what happened to our church, God provided…

·      In the continued healing of my mentor, Dr. E. Bob Kuschel…

·      Do a miracle in giving me a wife that I really don’t deserve…

·      In broken people that find their way to Jesus, when all logic says they never will…

·      Comfort the widow of an amazing man the week before we launched our church…

·      In me, yes, the fact that I am alive and in church leadership is only by the hand of God. Some of you know my story and this is the last place I thought I would end up…

 

Does God show Himself in the same way He did in the Old Testament. No. Does that mean He is any less loving, convincing, or powerful? No. He is still an amazing God that sent an amazing son to a world that is in desperate need of Him.

 

 

God, please never let me be a conceited, inwardly focused, arrogant follower of you. Allow me to be changed and stretched through your Spirit. May all of us find you, in the everyday workings of our self-imposed life routines. May we seek you forever…

I’ve Been a Slacker!

I’m sorry. I have broken my word to you and I will make it up somehow. I vowed that at the beginning of the year I would write more often and I have not kept my word. Part of me thought that no one really reads this site, but after some thought and a few emails that have made me rethink this I will again try to write more. Tomorrow will be a new day, and I will try to be more systematic on my writings. Some people like it to be funny, others want ministry nuts and bolts, and others want my opinions on the Sunday Experiences. I will mix it up so check back daily, and I will do better….I will.

By the way, I blog every Monday at our Genesischurch.tv staff blog: hydrate.tv

My Little Savior Promos

For your enjoyment, Here are the promo videos for our upcoming Easter Series – “My Little Savior.”