I had a dream the other night and woke up with a leadership thought. In my dream, I had double booked myself for two different weddings. Both of the people getting married were very dear to me, and I truly loved both their families too. I really wanted to do both, so I said YES to both and agreed to officiate. I figured I'd [...]
If you live in Holly Springs NC, and if you’ve ever left a church or felt displaced from your church after being engaged for 5-10 (or more) years, then these thoughts are for you… 1. Finding a new church home is HARD. You may have moved to holly springs NC recently and while the new job & new house is exciting, you are saddened [...]
Dear Young Men, I see you posting stuff online like “I’m bored af” or “I have nothing to do” or some other whiney, complaints like “nobody ever wants to do anything with me” etc. It blows my mind seeing you up at 2am talking about being bored. Brush your teeth and go to bed! Wake up at 6am and hit the gym. Get a [...]
OK…I am PUMPED about week 3 of our teaching series entitled “Doubting.” This Sunday is going to be special. IF you missed weeks 1 & 2, you can watch here. As far as this Sunday is concerned, we are going to change things up just a little. Remember when you were growing up, and you used to have those really weird eating habits? You [...]
I have never been “exceptional” at anything. Not academics, sports, church, performing arts, music, writing, clowning, or whatever... Talent might get you noticed, but TENACITY gets you wins. Dive on the ball, practice, show up, take risks, put yourself out there. Sometimes you don’t have to be the best, you just have to give it your best. The struggle produces endurance.The hustle brings favor. [...]
I recently joined a community of men who are known by the title “F3.” It’s a really unique and powerful organization that supports men in the areas of Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith. At first I thought it was a slightly cheesy old guys club with all the nicknames and Dad jokes you could handle. But after a few months, I’ve really come to enjoy [...]
“...the main problem is, it seems like everyone wants to be great, but nobody wants to be good.” I couldn’t believe I said that out loud as I sat there among 4 or 5 other pastors talking about how to become great leaders. But I went on…. "There was a day when I was obsessed with becoming great. I watched all the great leaders [...]
You’re not that special. Your whole life you’ve been pampered, bragged about, helmeted, and bubble-wrapped. When you were growing up, the entire focus of everyone around you was building your self-confidence. Even if you had a hard life or bad parents, you still had school teachers and church leaders and possibly aunts and uncles who tried everything imaginable to convince you to believe in [...]
I was angry, exhausted, and scared. It was the year 2020 during the dog days of summer. We were a few months into this online-only church thing and we were all feeling like fish out of water. Racial tensions were high, there was literal pandemonium over a virus that was sweeping the nation, and with all the bad news headlines, it seemed like nobody [...]
To the mom, dad, or foster parent who needs grace… Rarely does anyone ever say “thank you” but you’re sill always putting others before yourself. Do you ever wonder if you’re making any kind of difference…if what you do every day really matters? I PROMISE you all these little things you are doing over and over again that nobody seems to notice are SIGNIFICANT. [...]
My phone has over 1200 “notes” in it, most of which are to do lists…but often it’s just stuff I write when I can’t sleep or when I’m up early drinking coffee in the mornings. Here are 5 notes I wrote in my phone that I can’t stop re-visiting…if we don’t embrace these 5 things, we will have a hard time gaining momentum this [...]
“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalms 27:14 NLT “Wait” We wait at stop lights, We wait in the carpool line, We wait for our paycheck, We wait for retirement, We wait for marriage, We wait for college, We wait for a promotion, We wait for the kids, As much as we hate waiting, it is not an option. The question is…how will we wait? Will we be patient, trusting God? Or will we wait impatiently, frustratedly tapping our feet? Waiting is an important part of our faith walk with God. Throughout the Bible we read about waiting… Abraham and Sarah had to wait for Isaac, David had to wait to become King, Noah had to wait 40 days and nights for the flood to end, Mary and Martha had to wait for Jesus 4 days. When reading scripture, it seems waiting is a non negotiable part of life. To wait on God means to rest with hope & confidence that regardless of the circumstances, details or difficulties we face, God is our guaranteed assurance of defense, protection, guidance and provision. Waiting produces perseverance and patience in us. It forces us to trust God if the circumstance or situation is beyond our control. Waiting reminds us that God is in control and we are not. “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalms 27:14 NLT
“For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”” Galatians 5:14 NLT How do I love my neighbor? 1- DO what you know is RIGHT, not just what feels RIGHT. Look for opportunities to help others. See a need? meet that need. Always ask the question, “how can i help?” What if you went to work tomorrow and asked “How can I be more helpful What if you went home tonight and asked your spouse, “honey, how can i help” 2- Do what is RESPONSIBLE, not just what is permissible. If you are not willing to take responsibility for the outcomes of a particular decision, DON”T DO IT Somebody has to take responsibility for your irresponsibility. 3- Do what the FEW do, not just what the MASSES do. There are only a few people who are committed to personal morality as defined by God. The masses are practicing immorality. Stop taking your moral cues from the people around you and begin taking your cues from a higher authority.
Life can bring some pretty interesting seasons. The ebb and flow of life can be both exhilarating and exhausting. Some seasons bring happiness, increase, & relational equity. Other seasons bring death, despair, pain…some seasons are just plain overwhelming. Most of the time, life happens without our permission, and time goes by faster than we are able to keep up! These are all really good reasons, in our minds, to WORRY! Are you dealing with worry today? Worrying is similar to having goals and dreams, except its the opposite. In goals and dreams, you SEE positive outcomes of your future. You play out all the possibilities in your head. You focus on it. You consider it, talk about it, and eventually your dream becomes vision. Vision becomes realized when you organize your life around it. WORRY operates the same way, except it’s negative, not positive. You see the negative outcomes and possibilities. you play out all the possibilities in your head. You focus on it. You consider it, talk about it, and eventually your worry becomes vision. That vision becomes realized when you organize your life around it. That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25 NLT
WOW! What a weekend! Here are a few thoughts: Our first Sunday "back" was awesome!!! Every team knocked it out of the park! The vibe was fun and exciting, but I reallly missed seeing my church fam in person! The worship team was 🔥 The altar was full of people praying and seeking Jesus at the end of the service. We relocated the Kids [...]
Do you want to be successful? Everywhere we go we are bombarded with advertisements and information about what success looks like. The kind of success everyone is chasing usually involves more money, bigger houses, nicer cars, beautiful people. But I’m not sure that’s what success really is. Last year I was reading about a mega church pastor who lives in a $1.8M dollar house and bought his wife a new Lamborghini as an apology gift for having an emotional affair on her. She accepted the gift! As I read about it, I thought to myself, “okay okay, different world, not my venue, not gonna judge.” But then I learned HE CHEATED AGAIN this past year! And I realized, it doesn’t matter how much money, wealth, fame and “success” you have, you still won’t be fulfilled by it! Even pastors & spiritual people are lured & fooled by their desire for worldly success. But the worldly view of success is a LIE. The #verseoftheday today is Joshua 1:8 'Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and SUCCEED in all you do. ' This was written thousands of years ago. God has always been saying Read Gods word, submit to Gods word, and you will be successful. Success isn’t about acquiring & attaining assets, knowledge, or notoriety. It’s all about listening to God & doing what he says. It’s about knowing what God says to do and the doing it. That’s success.
Psalm 91:1-2 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. The opening verse tells us that those who “live.” It didn’t say, “those who lived” or “who will live,” but it clearly says, “those who live” in the shelter of the Most High. It implies an active willingness to stay within the territory of God. It means that you can’t be living in the shelter of God while enjoying the pleasures of sin. It doesn’t work that way. You can’t be living near to God one day and other days be sleeping with the spiritual enemy. You need to make the decision to choose to be with God, not just temporarily, but for good. Actively seek God’s presence. Cultivate that burning desire, urge, and passion to be with God. This is a long term, committed relationship. Question of the day: What are the major obstacles that prevent you from “dwelling” or “living” in the shelter of the most high?
First of all....THANK YOU to the dozens of people who showed up to set up and take our first stab at relaunching in Holly Springs High School! What a night! -We spent 5 hours getting 3 trailers unloaded, cleaning everything, and learning an ALL NEW setup for church in the school. -Service starts at 10am (5329 Cass Holt Rd. Holly Springs) -There is Kids [...]
In today’s verse of the day, there are 2 things Love is & 3 things love is not. “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud” 1 Corinthians 13:4 NLT Jesus’ entire ministry was characterized by love. And the greatest demonstration ever of that love was the sacrifice He made for all of us. Love IS patient - “I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience” (1 Timothy 1:16). Love IS kind - Jesus healed the ear of the high priest’s servant Malchus even while being arrested, and I can’t get over how kind he is to me personally. “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” (Romans 2:4) Love is NOT: Jealous - Jesus never showed envy of someone in their strengths or their achievements. Boastful- Jesus never displayed excessive pride or self-satisfaction in His accomplishments, possessions, or abilities. Proud - Jesus was never guilty of an inflated sense of self, He didn’t have an odd interest in his own self-worth; nor does He possess a high or unreasonable conceit of His own excellence. “Jesus is patient and kind. Jesus is not jealous or boastful or proud” What about you? Could you insert your name into this scripture? “_____is patient and kind. ______ is not jealous or boastful or proud” 🤔
I’m about to jump out of my skin with excitement for our first SUNDAY MORNING back in church in over a year!!! And as I consider the significance of this weekend and the future our church, I can’t help but to also reflect on my own personal “pain & progress” from the past year. No doubt everyone faced challenges this past year. For me, [...]
