My Trick or Treaters

Friday Confession

Today I'm starting a new Friday entry for my blog. I'll at least attempt it for a while. I am going to make a confession each Friday about some of the things that I tend to struggle with. Hopefully it will serve to promote authenticity as expose instead of hide the real Mark Ayers that Jesus loves wholly and completely. So here is my first confession....

I Confess: I get unusually mad in traffic. I'm not talking about the kind of mad that makes a snide comment then gently moves a long. No, I'm talking about the kind of mad that causes me to want to ram a persons car off the road, yank them out of the car and teach them a good "driving lesson." It's not pretty. I am super aggressive in traffic and I wear a my game face. Sometimes I get out of control. It's an area of growth for me. Pray for me as I progress in my sanctification process.

How about you?

New Friends

Lately God has given me the privilege of meeting new people that are becoming my friends. The other day I told you of Austin. This week God allowed me to hang out with another new friend. A few months ago just after moving to Flowery Branch I saw an add in the paper that a church was doing a gas buy down. It was the heat of the gas crisis and we have one of those gas guzzling SUV's (I'd love to rid of it for those green people who are mad at me for having an SUV). It was a no brainer for me to hop in the Xterra and roll just down the road to get some cheaper gas. When arrived I met the pastor. Turns out he is a church planter who started just over a year ago in the Braselton area...basically the same area as Flowery Branch...kind of. His name is David Walters. He is a rocking church planter that God is using to lead a dynamic new church that is unquestionably reaching people for Jesus. The name of the church is The Vine. The other day I finally had the privilege of sharing coffee with David. The camaraderie that is almost immediate with church planters is amazing and was no exception between David and myself. I am looking forward to getting to know David a lot more in the future and am excited about how God is going to continue using The Vine and begin using Reveal Church to transform this area with the gospel!!

The Shack

Over the weekend I read The Shack. I cannot stress to you enough how much I recommend that you click on the link and order this book. YOU must read this!! Once you open the book and start reading it will suck you right in. It has the potential to revolutionize your relationship with God. Hands down the best fiction book I've read in a long time. So go now and get it...times a wasting.

Encouragement

As I am doing this church planting thing I am discovering that I need all the encouragement I can get. A couple of weeks ago a new friend came into my life. He showed up at my house with the Freedom crew who crashed at my pad for Catalyst. We had some good conversations while he was here and it was great to meet him. He is a church planter who is planting a church in North Carolina. His name is Austin Porter. God is doing big things in his life and is going to use him to do the extraordinary. The other day he called and spoke words of strong encouragement into my life. I could not be more thankful to God for him. I am grateful God allowed our paths to intersect, and I'm grateful for what God is going to do through this young man who is passionate about seeing the name of Jesus made famous.

Confessions of a Bad Blogger

Ok...I admit that I am terrible at blogging. I didn't used to be a bad blogger. I was at one time or another much more intentional and consistent. I know that my inconsistency in blogging has caused many a reader to grow weary and thus turn their attention and blog-affection to other more notable, consistent and time worthy reads. I, at one time, made a point to blog at least 4 to 5 times a week. I shared, what many other consistent bloggers possess, a passion for exposing written thoughts, experiences, ideologies, or just randomness to a following world, known and unknown alike. I hoped that by some chance a more esteemed blogger might one day intersect my path of scattered thoughts and my words would send them into a state of euphoria as they become mesmerized by my breathtaking blogging abilities. Then, overwhelmed by my well articulated pontifications on a plethora of interesting topics they would do for me what all bloggers secretly hope for...the LINK. Yes, the link. Who does not dream of the link? Not just a mention of the name, but a link to a watching blogger world that sets in motion a chain of reaction, an endless wave in a blog-thirsty cosmos. With vigor they would link me to a watching world where I could be exposed to a host of readers craving to read more of what I might say. Hanging on each intriguing blog title that I could muster and thus propelling me into a blogospheric utopia...a blogtopia if you will. But then, I lost my edge. I lost my desire, that passion that once raged so intently inside of me began to fade. The flame fizzled. But still trapped inside of me is a blogger filled with meaningful and meaningless expressions alike. So today I not only confess, but I commit that I will begin afresh and anew "everyday thoughts, everyday life" for your daily amusement and pleasure...link or no link.

Monday Madness

This is a week full of madness, and today was full force. We are getting ready for our first of 3 worship experiences at Reveal Church. Our plan is to do 3 once a month experiences until the end of the year. Our first one is Sunday the 19th, and needless to say I am pumped about it!! You can check out the site for all the details....We are busting tail to get everything done this week in prep for Sunday. Fortunately, I have the right people on the bus so far and can't think of any other people I would rather be changing a city with!!

My Week

• Spent some great time with my great friend/brother-in-law JR...I asked a lot of valuable questions, got some incredible insight, and just had fun
• Had the majority of the Freedom staff crashing at my house for Catalyst
• Had a great time at Catalyst....with the staff and wives
• Connected with some old and new friends at Catalyst
• At Catalyst I was crazy challenged...and encouraged
• Steve Fee is incredible
• I know it's wrong but I really wanted to jack a lot of the AVL equipment from Catalyst...especially a couple of those flat screens around the stage...they prob wouldn't even have missed them there were so many
• Father forgive me for that last statement
• I definitely need to get some rock star clothes...wonder if I could send a support letter for that....
• Got to meet and hang with Austin Porter...awesome guy pumped about what he is going to do in expanding the kingdom of Jesus
• I missed my little ones terribly...they stayed with family while we went to Catalyst
• I have watched football all freakin' day
• I've also worked on a whole lot of stuff for next weekend
• I am crazy nervous, excited and jacked up about next weekend
• Go Dawgs!
• Great week!!