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Nerdy Stuff and Heartfelt Words

October 3, 2010 in Personal Stuff, Shameless Self Promotion, Thoughts, Unspecific Ramblings with 0 Comments

September was a huge month for me.  At the end of August, I transitioned from a Blogger hosted site to a self-hosted WordPress site.  Since April 2007 I had been writing posts at my Blogger site and was very hesitant about attempting to transition over 600 posts to a new location as well as learn WordPress.  However, a month with WordPress has convinced me that I made the best decision.  As a side note, I discovered that choosing a good theme is extremely important to WordPress and I must say that choosing the Standard Theme was the absolute, right choice for me.  If you are looking for a top quality, but simple theme to use, Standard is awesome!

One of my other worries was losing all my previous comments (even though many of you leave them on Facebook), google links, and readers, but although I lost all my comments and google links, September brought record traffic to my blog.  Nearly 7,000 people stopped by during the month of September and I have gained many new friends/readers.

That was the nerdy part, but I also wanted to give you some words from my heart.

I say all that to say this…thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  I write with you in mind and my goal is to help you take small steps in your faith.  I believe in the power of words.  If I didn’t, I would stop writing.  Thank you a million times over for reading.  If you have any ideas or things you would like me to write about, feel free to send me a message.

The Posts YOU Read Most in September 2010:

What Happened on This Date?

September 24, 2010 in Celebration, Family, Personal Stuff, The Church, The Summit in Green, Thoughts, Unspecific Ramblings with 1 Comment

This weekend will mark my twelfth year working at Canton Baptist Temple.  Looking back through the years, I have learned so much about myself, others, church, and my relationship with God.  There have been many good times and numerous struggles, but I don’t regret one moment.  Even though my wife never planned on marrying  a pastor (I wooed her), I believe she has been everything I could have ever wanted and we have shared countless memories of our experience at CBT and, now, The Summit in Green.  Sometimes I think people like her better than me!  I cannot say enough good things about my two kids.  I hope they know how proud I am of them.  I hope they are proud of me.

I would like to thank all of you who have become our friends and have allowed us to share in your lives.  I pray that God would continue to use all of us to reach out to people who are far from God so that they can experience hope, the forgiveness of God, and a changed life.  I know that God has something special in store for our future!

My New Look

August 22, 2010 in Family, Life, Thoughts, True Stories, Unspecific Ramblings with 1 Comment

My blog has a new look.  Take a minute to stop by and let me know what you think.  I’ve been a long time user of Blogger and recently decided to switch over to WordPress.  I’m already enjoying it, but there has been a learning curve.  Now that my life is back to normal (after a very crazy and busy summer) I plan to write more often.

If you are wondering what I did this summer, here are a few highlights:

  • Started working full-time as the Campus Pastor of The Summit in Green
  • Went on vacation with my family to Lake Huron
  • Visited Ireland (see some of my pictures here)
  • Re-joined Twitter (I’m trying it again from scratch)

I’m sure there are other things I missed.  My wife will let me know and I’ll add to the list.

An Old Song

July 20, 2010 in Thoughts, Unspecific Ramblings with 0 Comments

The main campus of our church, Canton Baptist Temple, is having a special few days at our church’s camp.  Last night we sang an older song, that I have not heard in many years, called Because He Lives.  I have always loved these lyrics so I thought I’d display a few lines here for you to read:

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

My Test Results Revealed…

April 21, 2010 in True Stories, Unspecific Ramblings with 0 Comments

A few weeks ago I had to undergo some psychological testing as part of our adoption process.  The country we are considering requires that both parents be screened and tested to expose any potential dangerous characteristics.  When we met with the professional counselor to discuss the results, she pointed out two issues the testing revealed.  First, it showed that I have obsessive compulsive tendencies, which was no surprise to me.  I’ve known that for years!  Secondly, the evaluation also showed that I probably have some form of ADHD.  Now, THAT, was a shock.

The good news is that I have an excuse when my mind wonders off…

iQuit

April 14, 2010 in Random Thinking, Unspecific Ramblings with 0 Comments

Feel like quitting today?  Does giving up seem easier than facing another day?

You may want to try changing your attitude about today.  Instead of seeing this day as an obstacle, embrace it as an opportunity and maybe, just maybe, the day’s conclusion will overshadow its’ conception.

The Last 90 Days of My Life

March 23, 2010 in Personal Stuff, Random Thinking, True Stories, Unspecific Ramblings with 1 Comment

It’s been almost two months since I’ve posted here and in case you are curious, it was on purpose.

I determined to accomplish two goals by April 2010, so this meant that some “things” would need to be set aside for a couple months and this blog happened to be one those “things.” What two things are more important than my readers? Great question…if you were asking. This year I set out to read the Bible from cover to cover in 90 days and also drop 20-25 lbs. off of my weight. So how am I doing? Although the last 90 days have been very challenging in many ways, I am on track to finish the Bible by March 31 and have already lost 20 lbs.

Believe me, I am not informing you of these goals for the sake of my pride. I’m ashamed to say that I have not read the Bible all the way through in a couple years and over the last decade, I have ignored my health and eating habits.

There are many experiences I’ve had over the last few months that I wanted to share with you through this blog, but I was determined to finish what I had started without distraction.

As my 90 days draws to a close, I want to challenge you. Was there something you set out to do during 2010, but have already quit? If that unaccomplished goal was important to you a couple months ago, it is imperative for you to begin again. With a little determination and discipline, you can do it.”

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

Update on My Life

January 20, 2010 in Random Thinking, True Stories, Unspecific Ramblings with 0 Comments

As most of you can tell, I’ve been on a long hiatus from blogging. I just thought I’d give you a quick update on my life and why I’ve taken a break from writing. During the months of November and December, I was able to take a couple weeks off for vacation, which I really needed. Things seemed a little out of control with my schedule over the last several months, so it was nice to “withdraw” for a couple weeks.

Over New Year’s weekend, I was able to speak at a youth retreat in PA. It was awesome in every way and I believe God used that time to revitalize me. While I was at the retreat, I also began a plan to read through the Bible in 90 days, which is why I have not been blogging through the Bible over the last few weeks. After the 90 days are up (at the end of March), I plan to finish blogging through the New Testament in 2010. I only have two more books to go – 1 and 2 Corinthians, and I will have logged over 500 posts with more than 800 hours invested since April of 2007.

Another contributing factor to my crazy schedule has been the location change of our church’s second campus, the Summit in Green. I have served as the campus pastor at the Summit since September 2008, while also continuing my role as high school pastor at the main campus. As of January 17, 2010, the Summit moved from Regal Cinema to the Green YMCA. It was a GREAT move for us with numerous benefits. We were excited to see almost 100 people attend our first gathering at the YMCA.

Last, but certainly not least…I have been attempting to eat right and exercise in 2010. Although I’m only two weeks into it, I’ve lost 5 lbs. and feel better already. It’s probably all mental. I have been using an iPhone app called Lose It to keep track of my calories. Talk to me in April to see if I have reached my goal weight!

Other than this, I have been enjoying my family. Leah is an awesome wife who works hard and takes care of our family. She is my biggest fan. My kids are the best. They both started their own blogs – we are encouraging them to write, even though I think Lexi has written more than Ty. Stop by their blogs and leave a comment – they giggle like schoolgirls (and boys) when someone leaves a comment. Of course, I like comments too, but I’m pretty sure I don’t giggle like a schoolgirl when someone leaves me one, at least I don’t think so.

Peace out.

New Favorite Song

January 4, 2010 in Unspecific Ramblings with 0 Comments

I spoke at a retreat for a youth ministry in PA this past weekend and they sang a song I’d never heard before called How He Loves (it is written by John Mark McMillan and is performed by David Crowder Band). The lyrics are powerful.

Listen to the song (track 10) while reading through these lyrics.

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If his grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

That He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

IMPART at Elevation Church

October 28, 2009 in Leadership, Motivation, Random Thinking, The Church, Travel, True Stories, Unspecific Ramblings with 1 Comment

On Tuesday, October 27, 2009 I had the opportunity to attend IMPART at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. The eight hour trip from Ohio was well worth it for the “conference” as well as the time I was able to spend with my parents and both brothers who also live in Charlotte. This one day event was full of surprises, stories, staff, and stirring of the soul. Let me break it down.

Surprises:
Steve Fee showed up and played a few songs and then gave everyone a free copy of his new CD, Hope Rising. That was an unexpected surprise! I must say…hearing Glory to God Forever live was inspiring. The third session with Pastor Steven Furtick included a very special guest, Perry Noble from NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. Hearing them interact about ministry was very helpful.

Stories:
Throughout the sessions, Pastor Steven shared the story of Elevation Church and how God has used their ministry in the city of Charlotte. His stories were especially near to my heart since I grew up in Charlotte. In just three and a half years, God has done some incredible things through Elevation and those stories were invigorating for me.

Staff:
The volunteer staff was AWESOME and the paid staff were available throughout the day. Those who attended the event had full access to the people who make Elevation what it is. You probably don’t get that at many other conferences.

Stirring of the Soul:
There is so much I could share here, but I’ll only highlight a few of the things God hit me with during the four sessions:

  • Three essential core values which should be a part of the church: Audacity (faith), Honor, and Generosity
  • “We want to be known by what we are for, not what we are against”
  • Act on the vision God has shown YOU.
  • Say it until you see it
  • True vision is holding onto what you cannot see yet
  • Don’t think too small
  • Our generation must restore honor to the church and that starts by honoring God
  • Honor men of God, the word of God, and other ministries
  • Respect is earned, honor is not
  • Excellence is custom designed
  • Simplicity enables excellence
  • Build for what God is going to do
  • Momentum – you don’t create it, you just ride it
  • I prepare, God blesses
  • Embrace the pain that lies between you and God
  • There is an emotional, physical, and relational cost to your calling
Of course, there is much more, but those are a few of the things God impressed on my heart as I listened. Now, I pray that God would help me to apply these things!

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