That is, until the morning came. The night before it was dark. I couldn’t see fully what I was doing. There was one bracket holding the light in place that when moved, made the headlight one of the easiest to change I have ever experienced. I’m driving his truck this week as he drives mine, so I’m thankful for the headlight.
The founders of Grace Community Church and I have received so much grace we even put it in our name. Yesterday I was reminded how much our staff is a product of God’s grace. We’ve all needed lots of it. (Everyone we decided except for maybe Ben. Of course, he probably just hides it well.)
Last Sunday I preached a message on the difference in having circumstantial faith and in trusting God completely even when everything around us screams otherwise. (You can watch that HERE.) Cindy Winters, the widow of Reverend Winters, is a perfect example of this kind of steady faith. She takes a tragedy and uses it as an opportunity to share her faith in Jesus Christ! Wow! Listen to her story. She gives the recipe of going through the worst times of life.
Recently I wrote this post about the increase in stress as our church continues to grow. Several responded via Twitter and Facebook that said things like “You don’t seem to get stressed about anything” or “I wish you would give us details”.
Did you know Detroit is printing its own money? Karen in our office sent me an article today that made me think about our economy. Apparently Detroit, a city which has been devastated more than most by the current economy, has taken things into its own hands. They are printing their own currency.
Several years ago I decided to try this with my time. For one week I kept a journal of everything I did with my time in 15-minute increments. At the end of the week I was able to see places I was wasting valuable time and place which needed more time allocated to them.
Years ago I read a passage, which seems to give us a model of one of the ways God speaks to us. Some of the most definite ways I have heard from God have been in this model.
I was convicted again today. I can be so guilty of judging others without considering my own shortcomings. This is really not a big deal, but it at least reminded me of this principle:
I have spent so many hours with couples or individuals who come for counseling because they say they want to save or improve their marriage only to find that what they really wanted was some justification to get out of the marriage. They were hoping I would be so convinced their marriage was beyond repair that I would encourage them to end it. I would have to admit, I have encountered some seriously damaged marriages, but I have not found one beyond repair if both people are willing to try to make the marriage work.
Our church is three and half years old. We have seen God do some amazing things in our short time and we continue to stand in awe of His grace upon us. Planting a church is hard work and not for the faint-hearted, but it’s been a joy ride at the same time. I love seeing people get excited about life, and especially gaining passion for Jesus, so these have been some of the best years of my life.
