What I'm Thankful For

It is Thanksgiving! Here is what I am most thankful for! #1 Relationship with Jesus Christ. I am grateful for His grace in my life. The fact that He loves me despite  of myself is amazing. He has blessed me beyond what I ever will deserve. Only through His sacrifice am I free to live for Him. I'm grateful for His love!

#2 I'm thankful for my wife! I enjoy spending time with Cassidy whether it is in our home, around town or on the road. She is an encourager to me and a teammate as we serve God. She continually reminds me that she believes in what God has called me to do in life and ministry. She also knows me enough to tell me the truth. I love serving God with her at church and on the road. We have a blast together! I never thought I'd have this much fun!

#3 I'm thankful for family! Earlier this past week, we spent time with Cassidy's side of the family in Belleview, FL. Next, we drove up to Greenville, SC to spend time with my side of the family. I'm thankful for a loving family and especially grateful for my brothers (Justin and Jeff) and my Dad for encouraging me in my faith!

#4 I'm thankful for friends that love Jesus. We had a blast serving alongside friends from college this past weekend! I spoke and Cassidy sang at the "Be Awakened" Disciple-Now in Palm Bay, Florida. Warren did a great job putting the weekend together and Josh did a great job leading worship. I'm grateful for the student leaders who pour into students every week. I'm thankful for the many college students who give of their time to encourage students to follow Christ!

 #5 I'm thankful for being able to serve in the ministry. God has blessed me to have the strength to serve Him in ministry. I'm thankful for my friends, small group, my students, staff and church. I'm grateful that God wants me to be a part of His story.

What about you? What are you thankful for? 

Empty Words

  "Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." Ephesians 4:29 (NLT).

We all communicate. We use body language, facial expressions, and words. Words are powerful! How many times have we heard, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?" Almost everyone agrees this statement is false! We all remember the words that were spoken to us 10+ years ago. The words sting just as much as the first time. Our words can be empty with defeat of filled with life to encourage others. 

God has been chipping away at me, especially in how I use my words to people. Some of the time it is not the words I'm using, but the attitude and heart of what I am saying to my friends, students and my wife. We have tremendous power with our words. We can use opportunities to speak life into others or to tear them down. I have been guilty so many times of using empty words to hurt others because of my own insecurity and self-preservation. Insecurity masks itself as a bold confidence many times. How many times have I used empty words that are filled with defeat rather than victory? My prayer is that my words will give life and grace for people to have hope in Christ. Jesus said, "And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak" Matthew 12:36. We will take an account of our words, we need to be wise in our words.

God has been chipping away at me, especially in how I use words in my prayers. Am I going to Jesus first and worshipping Him every day? Many times I focus on reading my Bible looking for a new message idea, topic or illustration. Instead God is telling me to consume my heart into His heart. Be still. Listen. Stop. Wait. The urge to do more is the tempting response in ministry when we are hurting. Those who are facing the most spiritual warfare and discouragement are the ones on the front of the battle lines. The world teaches that peace is found in surrender to selfishness. Empty prayers are saying "pre-packaged" statements that are filled with tradition. God desires honesty, transparency and humility. God desires a clean and contrite heart.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to go through life with empty words to God and others. Are you using words to build others up or tear them down?

What Every Leader Needs #10: Listen

*A blog series on what every leader needs to be effective in serving Christ* Listen up! I have heard this statement a lot in my life. If you are like me, you might struggle with listening. I might "hear" what is being said but I struggle with truly listening. One of the reasons is that I have a million thoughts flying through my mind and it is hard to throttle it down and listen. Listening it to be active in understanding the words, heart and desires of the person talking. Listening is not thinking of what to say next. My prayer is that God will change me into a better listener so that I can be a better leader for Him. In order to truly love people, we must stop what we are doing and listen. Listening in marriage is a key component for healthy communication. Me and my wife Cassidy learn that we have to put away the "smart" phones, move away from the laptop or TV and give undivided attention to one another. If we begin a bad process of being too "busy" to listen to one another, it will build an unhealthy relationship. The same applies to those in leadership. If people feel that we cannot truly listen to their needs, we will struggle to build close and trusting relationships.

Jesus was great at listening, even as a 12-year-old boy. Jesus surrounded Himself with leaders who would challenge his life (see Luke 2:52). Jesus reveals his desire to grow in wisdom, favor and stature. He wanted to find truth and not settle for the status quo. Listening is a key trait for a leader to learn at a young age in order to soak up wisdom and understanding throughout their life.

Few tips on listening:

- Give eye contact (don't multi-task when someone is talking to you) - Stay focused (don't find a "happy place", listen actively) - Wait for them to finish (don't cut them off, wait, be patient) - Ask questions (Don't assume you know what they mean, clarify by asking) - Respond with them in mind (Always focus on their needs before your needs). - Provide a safe place (Avoid saying, "Well, when I was your age I didn't struggle with that!" or "what you are dealing with is no big deal, just pray, read the Bible, trust God, no big deal.")

The heart of a leader must maintain a steady focus upon listening to God's Spirit to lead. A leader who is " upright" looks at situations with the mind and heart of God.  Leaders are to develop people into devoted followers of Christ. Listening is crucial. Listening is what Jesus did. Listen with grace, love and patience. Every leader needs it, especially me.