Hola from Mexico!

This week I am in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with my good friend, Jeff Crook, and my new friend, Jason Nave. I am having an incredible time here training pastors from all over Mexico.

My time here this week has absolutely reinforced my love for pastors. It’s true, I absolutely love the church and I love those whom God has called to lead His church.

Also, for some reason unknown to me, I have a great affinity for Central America, especially Mexico. It seems that God has given me a special burden for this place and its people. It has also reaffirmed my personal goal of speaking fluent Spanish sometime in the near future. I have spoken about this often but never really acted on it. Now, I’m serious; I would love to be able to speak to others about Christ in their own heart language.

The best part about this trip is not the Pacific Ocean (actually, I’m not much of a beach bum), not my friends who traveled with me, not the pastors or their spouses or this beautiful place. The best part of all of this is that it is all for the glory of God, the advance of the gospel and the building of His Kingdom! There is nothing else I would rather be doing.

Worship at the Pointe

We had an incredible worship service on Wednesday night. All the guys on staff who planned, prayed and prepared did an amazing job. It was a great way to kick off “Worship at the Pointe” and all I can say is, I can’t wait for this Wednesday. The bar has been set extremely high and it’s going to take a lot of effort to keep it at this level. But I have confidence in our team and can’t wait to see what this Wednesday will be like.

If you are anywhere close to Millington, you won’t want to miss “Worship at the Pointe” this Wednesday at 6:30. Invite your friends and neighbors to come with you. It’s going to be incredible.

Where I’ve Been

Wow! I know I haven’t posted in a while but there’s a good reason for that. Things have been absolutely crazy since we got back from vacation. You know how it is when you get back from vacation and need a vacation to recover from the first one.

So, since then here’s a little bit of what’s happened since we’ve been back.

1. The Kudlas family, our good friends from GA, came up for a visit the last weekend in July. It was a great time.
2. Jake fell off the bed and almost bit through his lip; very close to needing stitches.
3. I left for Atlanta with our Sr. Adults on July 30th. Stephanie called me in the middle of the night on Thursday and said that Jake woke up with an extremely high fever; so bad he was seeing things flying around his room.
4. Steph took him to the doctor on Friday and he had a severe infection and needed some serious medical attention.
5. I flew home from Anniston, AL to Millington, TN thanks to a very kind act from a friend of a friend in order to get back and take care of my family.
6. We had a GREAT day on Sunday as we celebrated 5 years for Crosspointe and our family’s first year here.
7. I woke up feeling awful on Monday and as of last night (for our Clay Crosse concert) I had no voice at all. Still nothing today.
8. Today, Stephanie and I woke up at 4:15 AM to get the boys ready for their surgery. They both had tubes put in their ears (details here). They’re both doing well but it has been an extremely long day!

So, I hope that is proper justification for my online absence. The funny thing is, that this is only the beginning. It’s going to be a crazy fall!

Vacation Time!

That’s right, this is our first family vacation this year. In fact, this is the first time I’ve been back to Georgia since Christmas. Our family drove down Wednesday night to Elko and visited with Stephanie’s family for a while. The boys love hanging out in Elko; riding the four-wheeler, playing with the cats, looking at the horses and hanging out with Mema, Papa and Papa Wayne. We are now in Jackson, GA at my parent’s new place on the lake and it has been great so far. It’s nice to have some time to unwind, hang out with the family and play in the lake.

I had a the privilege today to preach in both morning services at Rock Springs Church in Milner, GA. It was an incredible time and this is certainly an incredible church. Rock Springs is an amazing story and an awesome testimony to the hand of God. This church is in a town with the population of 500 people and they average over 2,000 in worship.

While I had a great time at Rock Springs, I really missed my folks today at Crosspointe. I got a report that we had a great day, but I sure did miss being there; I can’t wait to be back next Sunday. I found out today that I am more comfortable preaching at Crosspointe than anywhere else! That’s a great feeling.

I sure do love a week at the lake. (By the way…I am NOT a beach person. The lake is definitely where it’s at for me!) This is a great time to chill out, relax, catch some rays, wake-board a little, hang out with my family and take a break. So, if you don’t catch me blogging much this week, you’ll know why!

Great Night

We had an awesome night at Crosspointe on Sunday evening. The celtic group, High Road, was with us in concert and they were incredible! I was thoroughly impressed with their sound, their talent and ability; but most of all, I was impressed that they gave all the honor and glory to Christ. If you’re a member of Crosspointe or live in the area and missed the concert don’t worry, we will definitely have them back again soon.

We had a great crowd last night and the concert was incredible. It marked the end of another great Sunday and the beginning of our series entitled, “Unite: 40 days of life-changing prayer.” Like I said yesterday, I really believe that the next 40 days could be the most meaningful days in the history of our church. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do when His people come together and pray.