Second Look @ Sunday

Some quick take-aways for me from yesterday:

• You have to get to AMC Stadium 16 pretty early to beat Marty Smith there. When I got there, he had already worked up enough of a sweat that he needed to take off his jacket (his hat).
• Thankful for Ascended. They worked hard and it clearly paid off.
• By the way guys, if you have a Twitter account, use it.
• Was surprised to see Lindy Weatherly join us. Anxious to hear her notes from the service.
• Big idea: God is always faithful and He is still in the redemption business.
• In what part of your life do you need to experience redemption?
• So sweet to see some of our people serving the residents of Riverwalk Communities. Here's the proof that I even participated.
• Had a great time at lunch hearing one of my high school friends share her heart for missions. It is amazing what God is doing in her life. Abso-freakin-lutely Amazing.
• Sad news came to me on Sunday night: another friend from the youth group I grew up (quite literally) in passed away Sunday morning. I got a chance to spend a few moments with him on Saturday evening. Not enough time in hindsight. He truly was semper fi (always faithful).
• Finally: looking forward to a great Super Bowl with two legendary teams. Now just have to determine the perfect venue to watch it at.
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Wild Goose Chase (Part Four)

Over the next week I will be posting some of my learning points from Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase. Thanks again to Billy Chia for providing me with this new read.

Within the third chapter is this amazing story of a person who decided that they would just start thanking God for the miracles that they experienced at that moment. They started with things like a beating heart and respiration. By the middle of the afternoon, they were praising God for amino acids (by name) and the process that creates those important chains. As I read this, two thoughts struck me. First, I no absolutely nothing about my anatomy and how my body works. Second, I take a lot, perhaps too much, for granted.

I experience miracles everyday as well. While I might not be able to lecture on how the hip bone is connected to the leg bone, I can celebrate the laughter of a 10 month old rejoicing in her father's attention. While I might not understand how muscles repair themselves, I do understand the power of community working together. While there is a much that I do not understand about how the world around me operates, I do know the God that makes such operation possible.

What are you overlooking? What are you forgetting to thank God for?

Healer

I believe in God moments. Let me define what I'm talking about for you. God moments are those moments that are beyond coincidence, beyond chance, but where God seems to divinely just place you somewhere, put something in your lap that has a significant impact on your life.

My latest God moment happened tonight. Right here in the basement of my mom's house. I was trolling through some blogs, catching up on some reading when I came across a song on Los' blog. As I listened to the song, I was overwhelmed. It was like a burden was placed upon me to pray. As I was praying for friends and coworkers in need of healing, God reminded me of an incredible experience that Kitten and I had where we experienced His healing.

For several years, Kitten and I desperately sought to have children. We tried and tried, but the good ol' fashion way just wasn't working. We even went to see fertility specialist. Nothing. Nada. It was like the plotline to a Seinfeld episode...nothingness. Each month we would get our hopes up; each month we would feel absolutely crushed when we realized we still weren't pregnant.

In the midst of this struggle, two friends invited us over to their house for dinner. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was filled with laughter and joviality, two things we were in desperate need of. They then invited us to their back sunroom. In that back sunroom they told us that they were praying for us and they were confident that God would provide a child for us. They challenged us to act in faith and make a purchase for the baby. Then they surrounded us and prayed for us.

Kitten and I left their house that night feeling healed, not necessarily physically, but emotionally and spiritually. We did, in fact, make a small purchase. We did trust that God was in control. A few months later, God worked through some amazing circumstances to give us a daughter, Alyssa Grace. Since that time, He has blessed us twice more. Each story is different and unique. But the healing that He has brought to us each time has been amazing.

The song that inspired this story tonight can be found here. The story and song are truly inspiring. May you experience God at work in and through you today. May He bring healing into your life where you need it. May you be an agent for healing in others lives as well.

I'm So Thankful

This past week featured Thanksgiving. During worship yesterday morning, our pastor spoke about the importance of developing a mindset of thankfulness. He mentioned that he was once challenged to write out 20 things for which he was thankful. In that spirit, I'm attempting to create a similar list. Please enjoy or feel free to comment with your own list.

• My wife, Kitten. You are the most amazing woman in the world. Thank you for your patience with me.
• My daughter Alyssa Grace. You made me laugh so hard yesterday walking around acting like Hannah Montana.
• My daughter Morgan Faith. I love it when you snuggle into my body and sleep. You have reminded me of the delight that the Father must have when we rest in Him.
• My nephews. It is so much fun to have you run up and jump in my arms and yell "Uncle Trey."
• My in-laws. You have taught me so much. Thank you for welcoming me into your family.
• My friends. (I'm not going to cheat the process and name you specifically just to get a number, but I am very thankful for each of you).
• New friends. I'm so glad that we've gotten to meet each other this year (especially Dan, Geoff, Kevin & Esther and Billy & Sarah).
• Our home. A lovely 3 BR, 2 BA ranch on Evansville's growing Northside. Want to buy it?
• Two well-operating vehicles that allow us to drive all over Evansville (at a mere $2.96/gallon).
• The past. You realize today's blessings so much easier when you look at where God has taken you in the past.
• The future. It is so exciting to look and see where God is taking us in the future as well.
• Olivet Presbyterian Church. I honestly could have never imagined staying in one place to serve for 8 years as a youth minister when I came. Yet you have become family. Kitten and I are so thankful for you. You bless us on a regular basis.
• The youth workers at Olivet. Wow! You truly are the youth ministers at Olivet. Thanks for not collecting a salary so that I can.
• Discovery Church. (Can you be thankful for a church that hasn't even had a service yet?) I look forward to growing and serving alongside you in the future.
• Discovery's Launch team. Thank you for committing to serve those who will come to check us out over the next seven months.
• Discovery's Board of Directors. Thank you for saying "yes." You have already provided so much to the process. I look forward to learning so much more from each of you.
• Tim Tebow. If he doesn't win the Heisman, they should change the name of the award to "Heist-man." You can vote for Tim to win here.

• God's sovereignty. I find it very comforting to know that God is in control.
• Microsoft's generosity. They're fixing my XBox 360 for free and extending the warranty. Now if I could just get the process to happen quicker.
• Evansville. I remember growing up thinking that I would want to live anywhere but Evansville. Now I realize just how great Evansville is. I hope that 2008 sees continued growth and development happening within the city/county.