How It Works

Camp For A Cause: Backpack Edition goes full swing starting today!! Here is what you need to do if you want to be a part. Simply come by the Camp For A Cause site or, go by Target's service desk and pick up a list of the supplies. Purchase the backpack and the supplies. Then bring the backpack filled with those supplies to the Camp For A Cause site. It's that easy!! Look forward to seeing everyone out this weekend helping make a difference in Flowery Branch!!! BTW...You can track our progress right here everyday!!

Camp For A Cause

Tomorrow Shea and I will participate in the first Annual, first ever Camp For A Cause! This year it is themed...Camp For A Cause: Backpack Edition. Camp For A Cause is a strategic event created by Reveal Church designed to meet specific needs in our community. Backpack Edition has been specifically designed by partnering with our local Target Store to raise 50 pre-supplied backpacks for children at Spout Springs Elementary in Flowery Branch. How does it work? The staff of Reveal Church camps out during a specific time until the need is met or exceeded. This year we are camping out all weekend in the parking lot of 5911 Spout Springs Rd (Next to Rite-Aid, Across from Publix) just outside of the Target Store in Flowery Branch until we raise 50 backpacks. Camp For A Cause: Backpack Edition is happening Tax Free Weekend 2008 July 31 through August 3. I could not be more excited about the opportunity of making an impact in this city!!!

The Danger Of Comfort

This is something that has been consuming my thoughts lately. Don't settle for being comfortable. More than likely...actually...I am certain that if God is calling you to do something GREAT there WILL be a great level of discomfort that you will have to endure. You will have to do some things that are outside of your level of comfort in order for your God-Given dreams to become a reality in your life. Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing you can do in this kind of situation. You've been given one life...make it count, and never sacrifice the extraordinary on the alter of comfort!

Here Before There

In our journey of planting Reveal Church I am constantly thinking about THERE. I think this is a good thing....after all that's vision. However, I am learning that before I can get THERE I have to be HERE. I sometimes want so bad to be THERE and just skip over all the difficulty I am facing HERE. But journeying through HERE is how THERE becomes HERE. And THERE will be so much greater if I work that much harder HERE. Furthermore, I know that THERE is just a mirage...or at least it should be. Because if I ever arrive and THERE becomes HERE with the absence of any more THERE, then I have stopped dreaming, I have stopped growing and I have stopped progressing. And I NEVER want to be THERE.

Something Big

Something big is brewing...details coming soon!

6 Months

Six Months ago today God gave us this beautiful blue-eyed baby girl...who will undoubtedly make for a lot of trouble for me in the future...Happy 6 months my beautiful Hannah!



















Her big bubba Noah is pretty happy about her being here too...

Trailblazer

Trailblazer...that's what I became today. I was told by a man who owns
a running store near my house that there was a trail behind my
neighborhood that runs along a river that made for a good run. So I
decided to try it out. It made for a hard run...the trail was great
but I ran a little over a mile just to get to the trail then ran
another mile and half along the trail...then I walked another mile
back to the house. After all was said and done I was wore out...but I
plan on doing it again. It was a nice change of pace.

We are in the "no" teaching phase with my son Noah. I know that he
understands the word because he tells us "no" when he does not want
something. However, he often ignores "no" and does things we don't
want him to. This is where love gets tough because discipline results
from his disobedience. Its the hardest thing in the world to
discipline Noah especially when he looks at me with those big
beautiful brown eyes he got from his mom, but I know this is shaping
who he is and who he will become.

It reminds me a lot of my relationship with my heavenly Father. He
gave me His Word and The Holy Spirit to instruct me and guide me, yet
I often do things I know He has said "no" to. How much more must it
pain Him to enforce discipline. But He knows its vital to who I am and
who I am to become.

Church Visit: 12 Stone Church

This past Sunday we visited 12 Stone Church Hamilton Mill Campus. They are one church with 2 locations. We visited their main campus about a month ago and were blown away. This week we traveled to their 2nd campus that is a little more modest and reminds me more of a church plant...which in a way I guess that is what it is. They did an incredible job of making an office building look like a church. The environment they have created is unbelievable. They also have one of the most incredible creative teams because they always do it top notch!! The set for their new series was awesome. This is an incredible church that is serious about making Jesus famous and there is a lot to be learned from them. Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend a little time with the college pastor Miles Welch who leads an incredible Thursday night college gathering called Water's Edge at the 12 Stone main campus. He did the teaching on Sunday and did an amazing job!! We really enjoyed 12 Stone Church and I am thankful for churches like them!!

Air Conditioned

Near the end of last summer the AC went out in my 95 Honda Accord. I have been enduring the heat of this summer with no AC. I have leather interior so needless to say its been a wet summer....but no longer!!! I got my AC fixed last week and its FREEZING cold and running full blast!! I don't care how cold it gets in my car the AC is staying on....I will let jack frost start nipping before I even think of turning it off!! I endured to many hot days to not enjoy it....

New Logo

We recently had our logo redesigned....thanks to my wife (who is an untapped reservoir of creativity) and Ben over at Typical Tuesday for making it AWESOME!! Ben is also redoing our website...I have seen some of the design already...and I must say it will be incredible!!! If you need good design work at a reasonable price...Ben is your man!

Funny....

This is funny.....the blog entitle..."Hmmm"

Fusion Visit

We took the opportunity to visit Fusion Church in Suanee, GA yesterday. Had a great time. Tony McCollum is a fantastic communicator and his message really nailed me right where I was in my journey of following Jesus. I could tell his heart was full and he was ready to bring it...and he did!! We also were able to enjoy lunch on their dime because they had a "Cook-In" to celebrate the 4th and invited everyone. Yummy! Thanks for lunch guys!! I really loved the experience at Fusion. Great people and great atmosphere. We really felt welcomed!! Tony also took the time to encourage this young crazy church planter and that meant a lot!! God is doing awesome things through this church and I look forward to seeing more as they reach people with the message of Jesus!! Keep rockin' it Fusion!!

First

Saturday night at my house marked the first ever meeting of Reveal Church. Very humble beginnings, but I felt that this step to begin meeting was a must in order to move forward. Awkward as it was I am pumped that we are officially meeting weekly. Undoubtedly, church planting is a huge faith journey, but as my friend JR once said so beautifully..."incredible journeys begin with irreversible steps." Saturday night was an irreversible step forward in the life of Reveal Church. It will undoubtedly be an incredible journey!!

Cuatro De Julio (belated)

• Read this post....pretty awesome stuff!
• Hung out with my awesome family most of the day...
• Shea and his family came over and brought some awesome steaks...yummy!
• We also made homemade ice cream...i love ice cream!!
• Tried to watch fireworks from my drive way...didn't work out to well
• We did see a plane flying really low almost get drilled by some fireworks...from our perspective it looked like a missile was trying to take the plane down...it was hilarious!
• Did I mention homemade ice cream:-)
• It was a good 4th!!
• Just noticed that my last 2 blog posts have Spanish titles...didn't do that on purpose:-)

Mucho Calor (Very Hot)

In the past few months I've lost around 30 pounds. How? Working my butt off, plain and simple. I had to stop eating so much of the food I love, the junkie stuff that's full of grease and only cost 99 cents on the value menus, and I started running. Running, for lack of a better way to describe it, sucks. However, pushing myself to do these two things has made me successful at losing weight. I can't afford a gym membership so running outside is all I got....and it's hot. If I'm not careful I can easily slip back into old habits and find every excuse not to run. It takes work. It takes diligence. It takes motivation. It takes results. It takes determination. But if I am committed to all of these things I will not only be able to fit into cooler clothes, not be embarrassed to take off my shirt at the pool, look healthier, but most importantly, I will be healthier. And being healthier is my greatest desire. So even though its hotter than the fiery pits of darkness and I will sweat like rabid banshee...I will endure because I have a goal, and I desire to achieve that goal.