Important Notice!!!!

This is an important notice-pay attention.

Choose leaders closest to you that you enjoy being around!

As i met with my two small group coordinators this evening our agenda lasted maybe 15 minutes.  We talked about details for tomm. night, went over the vision to pass on to their coaches, execution and even talked about vision for our next semester.  Then we spent over an hour having a blast together.  This time could be considered a waste but instead it added immense value to the safety of being a team.  We laugh together, joke with each other-we have "it" (if you're wondering what "it" is read Craig's new book).  This would be another meeting that takes up part of an evening every week if these were people that i simply liked.  Instead i have chosen people that are fully competent of doing the things asked of them, trainable, teachable and most importantly loveable ha!  I walked away tonight thinking this was a great thing.  Take my advice and choose people for key leadership roles around you that you enjoy being around for me it makes one more night away from home feel a little better!

Home is Where the heart is???

Labor day Nicole and i got to spend the whole day together-man talk about a blessing.  I sometimes think we are still dating it's pretty amazing!!!  As we sat outside and talked about life we landed on something we both can't seem to shake.  Oklahoma doesn't feel like home.  We've spent many hours of our life trying to figure out the reason behind this but we can't nail it.  I often times long to be near my family, near the places i have known my whole life, near the people i love.  Nicole said it best, Oklahoma seems like a stepping stone, like something else is around the corner-whatever that means it seemed to resonate.  We have no plans of going anywhere, we aren't looking and are really content with where we are.  This isn't an issue of not being comfortable-because we are, its something deeper that we can't put our finger on.  I've struggled so much with thinking this is related to me, that im not sold out enough, that somehow in someway this is an issue ultimately of my heart desiring to deviate from the life God has called me to...and maybe it is, ultimately we don't know.  We've been blessed beyond our imagination in Oklahoma, from our relationship with each other, to friends and support, to the ministry we are doing...all the pieces fit.  If you can't read into this, everything is right-except we dont feel like this is our home.  Something doesn't click.  I have no solution to this, no great insight for anyone to gain, nothing.  Just wanted to share in the midst of God doing amazing things he is preparing something else-whether that be the lesson of the comittment to the calling, the indescribable need to trust his wisdom or whatever Nicole and i have these conversations.  Any insight?  I'll end with this thought for the night.  As i watched the movie Heat last night, the ongoing theme was-be prepared to walk out in 30 seconds if you feel the heat around the corner.  Obviously in my life i dont rob banks (that i can tell you about) so i dont have cops chasing me around, but i think its something Nicole and I are ready for, to take the step God places in front of us at any time---So Home is Where The Heart Is???  Cause i live really far away then!

-Relaxed-

This weekend was a mad dash (it's actually life for us now)!!!  We headed out for a 1,200 mile endeavor of seeing my niece Addison, my parents, my sister/brother-in-law and nephews.  We did this in 2 days!  As i arrived back home for experiences Sunday morning i experienced something amazing.  As two of our high school girls small group leaders baptized one of their students i had a moment.  You know the moments where things just stand still?  We do baptisms in an inflatable pool in our lobby with several pastors baptizing several people at once, and in the edge of the pool a high school girl came out of the water with tears in her eyes and was suddenly embraced (actually she disappeared) by her two leaders.  Two leaders that have walked with, cried with, ate with...done life with this girl who's mother has passed away tragically.  I saw two leaders in their 20's sacrificing, mentoring and ultimately guiding this teenage girl.  It was that moment that wont quickly disappear in my mind.  It was great!  I could say more, but i wont.