Happy Thanksgiving

This week is a great time of year to reflect on life and the people in life that I'm are thankful for. My list is long of people who have helped make me who I am, inspired me to become better, and encouraged me along the way. But who am I the MOST thankful for? To whom do I owe everything?

My answer is simple. I am thankful for Jesus. Without Him, I am nothing. Without Him, I can do nothing. Without him, I know nothing. Without him, I have nothing. Without him, I would not be a good husband, a good father, a good son. Without Him, I would not be able to take my next breath, see my next sight, speak my next words, or think my next thought. Sounds a little extreme, you say? I say not! He is my way to relationship with God the Father. He is my escape from the tortures of hell, my entrance into the wonders of eternity in heaven. He has set my life in motion, and by His grace, mercy, love, and blood, He allows it to continue one heart pulse at a time.

In HIM, I am the righteousness of God. In HIM, I can do ALL things. In HIM, I walk in wisdom and knowledge. In HIM, I have all things.

Thanks be to God who has given for me, his one and only precious son, Jesus.
IN HIM.

WEiRD

We are starting a new series November 9th called "WEiRD (Because normal is not working)". This is going to be an awesome series that will challenge us all to walk a life that does not look like the world.

God wants us to live like Jesus. But the more like Jesus we become, the weirder we will get. If we really want to give our lives to God, then people are going to think we're weird. The choices we make, the values we have, the way we spend our time and money, even the way we think and talk will be different from everyone else. We are not supposed to be like the world. We are called to be different - set apart, holy. Jesus did not die on the cross so we could go on living like everyone else. Be different. Be like Jesus. Be Weird.

Connect - One God, One City, One Hope

Come join us for this amazing youth worship night. Several youth pastors from the local Erie area have been meeting for a few months getting to know each other. The more we talked we realized that we had one thing in common (and it was not our denomination). It was that we wanted to break down the walls of our churches and join together to worship and serve as one CHURCH. This is the first event that will Connect students and leaders together to begin to forge relationships and partnerships so that we can join together and serve our community. Don't miss this event.

Date: Sunday, November 6th
Location: Grace Church
Address: 7300 Grubb Road
Time: 5:30pm-8:00pm

Parents are welcome to stay. Food and beverages will be available at the cafe.

Man Up!

I recently read a CNN article that gave statistics about how men are disconnected from their families and our culture is prolonging adolescence. It gave a stunning statistic that 18-34 year old men spend more time playing video games than 12-17 year old boys. Wow! It said that women are taking the place of men in many areas. At the end of the article it challenged men to "Man-Up."

Seriously...CNN just told us to man up!? It is time that we, as the church, begin to take the lead in this area. The media is constantly bombarding young men with a skewed view of what a man looks and acts like. Shows like Modern Family, According to Jim, and even back to Married with Children portray men as fumbling idiots with zero leadership, lack of intelligence and a total disconnect from their family.

In Acts 2, it talks about how the local church "did life" together. They ate together, worked together, and fellowshipped together. Men, it is time to Man-Up and begin to live according to the example set by the early church. It is time for us to push back against this sad stereotype being broadcast by the current pop culture. We are able to lead. We CAN meet the emotional needs of our families and be fully engaged in those relationships. We have what it takes!! We are not perfect, we may struggle, but we never give up. We are fearless and tireless. We are able because of Him who strengthens us!!!

There are 3 things I think we can do right away to begin taking back some ground.

1.Find a Timothy - Just like Paul, we need to find someone that we can mentor - speaking encouragement into their life. This may be one of your kids, a young person in your family, church, or neighborhood, or just someone that seems like they need some help. We all have a story - areas of struggle, victory and strength that can be used to lift up someone else.

2. Find a Paul - We all need someone in our life to mentor us - helping, encouraging, and lifting us up. We all have areas in our lives that could use some outside wisdom and revelation. Stop worrying about what people think and go find someone that can help you. Don't let your marriage fall apart, don't continue to stumble through the snare of pornography, don't drown under the pressures of work. We are ALL men. We ALL struggle with the same issues. It is only pride that keeps us from sharing them openly with another. Pride keeps us from "confessing our sins to one another, so that we may be healed." (James 5:16) Let's kick pride in the butt and get on with it....

3. Be real - As men, we usually don't like to talk about deep things. We want to talk about the weather, sports, and "man stuff." Talk about our marriage? Kids? Finances? Addictions? No way!! We feel like a failure if we couldn't "handle it" or "fix it" on our own. C'mon....let's say it together....PRIDE! No one can handle it all and fix it all on their own. Some of you are drowning out there but refuse to GET REAL because of pride. Let's get over it and get real. Then we'll see real victory over Satan, our enemy, in this fight for our families, our faith, and our lives.

We are warriors. If a warrior was wounded, but didn't tell anyone and tried to just patch it on their own, that wound would begin to get infected. Eventually it would ooze and puss and stink. Such a wound would quickly end up killing him because he chose to avoid proper treatment. So, be a great and mighty warrior, but get some treatment for your wounds. Remember the Word in James 5:16 says if we confess one to another we are HEALED.

Find a Timothy, find a Paul, get Real, get HEALED and MAN UP!

Handling the Crunch - Part 3

Create a Filter

People seem to have a problem saying no. They end up saying yes to too many things and before they know it they are over booked, over worked, over scheduled, and over tired. One thing that I found is that we need to learn to say "No" and stop making apologies for saying it.

Well, you might be asking, how do I know what to say no to? All the things I say yes to are important, critical, eternal, etc. Well, I challenge you to make yourself a filter. A filter is a list of questions that you can run any decision, event, or request through to help find the right answer for you. We all have priorities, but sometimes are lives don't always reflect them, because we get distracted by good things that take us away from our "top" things, or better things. A filter helps to keep your actions in line with your priorities. It keeps you focused, and keeps you from getting "off track."

Our family priorities are:
1. Being led by the Holy Spirit
2. Family time
3. Peace & Simplicity
4. Relationship Building
5. Healthy Choices (food, sleep, restful schedules, etc.)

For my wife and I we typically use the following questions:
1. Holy Spirit, do you have direction for us in this?
*We check our spirit for any input from the Holy Spirit. We try to be intentional about including the Lord in every decision that we make. Our time = our life, so we believe that God cares how we spend it!! All our other questions come after this one. This is the biggie for us!
2. Does it involve the whole family?
* It is a huge plus if we can all stay together....what can we say...we like each other and we like staying together.
3. Is it simple?
*We value peace and nothing keeps the peace like simplicity!
4. Does it foster relationships? Will this help build friendships, accountability, intimacy, etc.?
*Relationships are worth spending time on.
5. Will we have to compromise our digestive peace? Does this interfere with naptimes or bedtimes?
* Grabbing fast food is NEVER an option for us, and we consider quality over convenience when choosing our food. Sleep is essential to good behavior and strong immune systems in kids and adults. We are protective of our health, but not to the point of rigidity (that's why it's our #5 and not our #1)

This is our filter system. It works really well for us. Each person's filter will and should be different. You cannot adopt someone else's filter - it simply won't work because each family is different. We're not all supposed to be alike. Respect your own priorities by living them out through filters and respect others for doing the same....even if their filter necessitates them saying "No" to something you consider high priority! We are all created unique and have different talents, jobs, skills, families, etc.

So, go ahead and create a filter and start using it to help guide your yes to be a yes and your no to be a no. Start lightening your load and being intentional about what you take on by running it through your filter.