Sorry for the short blog, but I had to share my thoughts...
A friend and I were driving home from church together today and he showed me a little short cut to bypass a traffic light to make it a little quicker to get to his house. As we drove down the shortcut, we came across a vehicle sitting on the side of the road with a guy standing next to it who looked like he might need some help. I pulled up beside him and asked if we could help out. He said his battery had went dead and asked if we could give him a jumpstart, he already had some jumper cables ready to go for such an occasion. So I pulled up in front of his vehicle, popped the hood and we hooked the jumper cables up from his vehicle to mine. While we were sitting there waiting for it to charge, I asked what his name was and he told me Donnie. My friend Josh and I quickly introduced ourselves to him, then he introduced us to his wife and his daughter. Today was his little girls birthday and he told us he had just started a new job today.
During our conversation, Donnie told us that he still owed money on his vehicle ($2000), he had a ton of miles on it and was about to let it go back to the dealer. After talking for a bit, he fired up his vehicle and thanked us for stopping to help. As he was putting away his jumper cables I heard his vehicle making a weird sound, I looked inside and his wife was on the floor board pushing the gas pedal in and out to keep the vehicle running, he jumped in and off they went.
jumper cables: electric cables having clamps at each end and used for starting the engine of a vehicle whose battery is dead.
After I dropped Josh off at his house, I couldn't stop thinking about Donnie and his family. If we hadn't taken that shortcut, we would have never have met that family and the opportunity to serve them. And why did he feel the need to tell us all of that information about him and his family? Then it hit me. I totally missed the opportunity God was giving me to invite these people to church. God even threw in the jumper cables, the way to connect with them. This dudes car battery was dead and needed a jump, but maybe so was his family's life, and I missed it.
That got me thinking, the next time something like that happens, I will not pass up the opportunity to invite them to church. To someone who doesn't have a relationship with Jesus, we can be that jumper cable to charge someones battery to his, even if they are broke down on the side of the road or we see them on a day to day basis. Just think of a set of jumper cables, on one end it has these teeth that just clamp down hard and don't let go of the energy source, in the middle there is a cord that is fully energized and on the other end awaits teeth for something to latch on to that needs to be charged. Now, think of Jesus as that fully charged battery and we are that set of jumper cables. He is waiting on us to grab a hold of somebody who's battery is dead and we have to be willing to share that power source with them. Don't make the same mistake I did, don't miss out on that opportunity to be that jumper cable for God into someones life.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
God Hit My Refresh Button
You know how your phone or computer needs to be refreshed to update you on the latest things going on after you've been idle for a while? Well, God has totally hit the refresh button in my life and he is blowing my mind right now!
Things have really been changing over the past few months since I've been back from Haiti. God is moving BIG TIME in my life right now. For example... when we returned from Haiti, some of the people who went on the mission tried talking me into signing back up to go again in October. I was reluctant to sign up again because I didn't know how I could get enough money together so soon to return on another mission. But I always knew the May trip was not going to be my last trip with Haiti Cheri, so I signed up to go again and would wait to see what happened. If you have ever doubted that God will provide you with resources to do his work, then listen to this...exactly one week after I signed up, Dan from Haiti Cheri told me not to worry about getting all of the money together for the trip, someone anonymously donated most of the cost for my return trip to Haiti. I was totally blown away, but I knew it was all God's planning, just like the first trip when I trusted him to come through.
Almost 11 years ago my wife gave birth to our son Brandon. He's an awesome kid who loves Jesus, church, Atlanta Braves baseball, BullDawg football and of course video games. We thought he was going to be our only child for a long time, but God has a different plan. We found out a couple of months ago that we will be blessed with our second child! What? We have no idea what the gender is yet but the due date is around the middle of December and we are super excited no matter what it is. This gives me proof that God has a sense of humor, 11 years apart? Really? At least Brandon will be able to drive his sibling to any ball games and babysit when we are in need :)
I work with my brother Mike and his business partner Josh (who is like a brother at this point), I've been with them from almost the very beginning of them starting their own company 16 years ago. We built a successful business together over the years through our hard work and our constant building of personal relationships with different builders and general contractors. I've also built amazing relationships with several employee's over the years (Kitty, Rapheal, Travo, Chad and BJ just to name a few), but I was recently presented with a job opportunity at a different company that God has his hands in, doing something totally different (concrete) and I've decided to take it. Some people might think I'm crazy and think I'm throwing away the last 15 years in a career, but, I'm ready to be "refreshed" and anxious to see what God does through this exciting new career.
Over the past few years I've been learning to trust God with everything in my life and submit to all he wants to do in me and through me. If it's going back to serve him in Haiti, cool. If it's having another child after 11 years, awesome. And even if it's starting a new job after 15 years, bring it on! One thing that you have to realize is that God IS going to hit the "refresh" button at some point in your life when you least expect it and even sometimes when you don't want him to.
Things have really been changing over the past few months since I've been back from Haiti. God is moving BIG TIME in my life right now. For example... when we returned from Haiti, some of the people who went on the mission tried talking me into signing back up to go again in October. I was reluctant to sign up again because I didn't know how I could get enough money together so soon to return on another mission. But I always knew the May trip was not going to be my last trip with Haiti Cheri, so I signed up to go again and would wait to see what happened. If you have ever doubted that God will provide you with resources to do his work, then listen to this...exactly one week after I signed up, Dan from Haiti Cheri told me not to worry about getting all of the money together for the trip, someone anonymously donated most of the cost for my return trip to Haiti. I was totally blown away, but I knew it was all God's planning, just like the first trip when I trusted him to come through.
Almost 11 years ago my wife gave birth to our son Brandon. He's an awesome kid who loves Jesus, church, Atlanta Braves baseball, BullDawg football and of course video games. We thought he was going to be our only child for a long time, but God has a different plan. We found out a couple of months ago that we will be blessed with our second child! What? We have no idea what the gender is yet but the due date is around the middle of December and we are super excited no matter what it is. This gives me proof that God has a sense of humor, 11 years apart? Really? At least Brandon will be able to drive his sibling to any ball games and babysit when we are in need :)
I work with my brother Mike and his business partner Josh (who is like a brother at this point), I've been with them from almost the very beginning of them starting their own company 16 years ago. We built a successful business together over the years through our hard work and our constant building of personal relationships with different builders and general contractors. I've also built amazing relationships with several employee's over the years (Kitty, Rapheal, Travo, Chad and BJ just to name a few), but I was recently presented with a job opportunity at a different company that God has his hands in, doing something totally different (concrete) and I've decided to take it. Some people might think I'm crazy and think I'm throwing away the last 15 years in a career, but, I'm ready to be "refreshed" and anxious to see what God does through this exciting new career.
Over the past few years I've been learning to trust God with everything in my life and submit to all he wants to do in me and through me. If it's going back to serve him in Haiti, cool. If it's having another child after 11 years, awesome. And even if it's starting a new job after 15 years, bring it on! One thing that you have to realize is that God IS going to hit the "refresh" button at some point in your life when you least expect it and even sometimes when you don't want him to.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
My Mission To Haiti
The mission trip with Haiti Cheri was one of the most eye opening experiences that I've been through in my entire life, it made me realize how good we have it here in the United States. I left on the mission feeling bad for those people and wanted to help, but I returned feeling bad for us and the way we take everything in our lives for granted.
We arrived in Haiti on a Saturday morning. We exited the plane and walked across the runway towards the building to check in. The atmosphere was relaxed and really quiet inside of the tiny airport building, most of us didn't know what was waiting for us on the other side of the exit. We finished checking in with customs and then we walked towards the back to exit the building, then someone opened the door. It went from relaxed to chaos in a matter of seconds. We started walking to the truck that was waiting to pick us up, I was overwhelmed with all of the noise from people yelling and the amount of vehicles driving around. The first thing I thought of was, what did I get myself in to? Some of us jumped in the back of a pick-up truck and we started driving through the city. The streets were lined with trash, you could smell all the trash and people burning their trash throughout the city. There are no traffic signs or traffic lights in the city, so you can just imagine what it was like to ride in the back of something with no idea where you are headed. The streets were congested with trucks, motorcycles, people pushing wheel barrows, people carrying stuff on their head, bicycles and people just walking. I saw one guy pushing a wheel barrow full of an entire slaughtered cow, there was no telling how long he had been pushing it or how long it had been sitting there, but someone was eventually going to eat it. I watched a motorcycle run into a guy, it knocked him down and everything he was carrying, but he got back up and picked up his things and started walking down the street again.
We finally made it to the hotel that we would be staying at for the next couple of days, it was beautiful. The hotel was right on the ocean right outside of the city, you couldn't even hear the busy noises from the city, all you could hear was the sound of waves crashing on the beach. But all I had to do was look down at the beach and reality brought me right back into the place where God had brought me. The beach was lined with trash from the city that, the waves had carried it back to shore.
The first day consisted of filling little plastic bags with medicine so that we could get a jump start on the medical clinic that we would be doing in Acul Samedi. We just kind of sat around filling the bags, listening to the ocean and getting to know each person that came on the trip.
On the second day, Sunday, we went to church. There were about 2000 people who attended and the service lasted about 3 hours. At the end of the service the preacher was talking to the church and the choir was singing, a few people started walking up to the front and brought their own chairs, I didn't know what was going on. The preacher kept talking and even more people came to the front. Some of those people didn't have a chair to bring up there with them so some other folks in the church gave up theirs for them to sit down. Then I realized what was happening, these people had just accepted Jesus into their lives. I couldn't understand a word that was said because they spoke Creole the entire time, but I didn't have to understand their language to know what God had just done. We also got to see Dan ( Pastor Oris translated) get up and preach in front of the church, that was really cool. Later that afternoon we visited a children's hospital in the city, this was such a humbling experience, just to see all of the sick kids laying in a bed waiting on medical treatment that they probably weren't going to receive. There is no way that any one of us would take our kids to a place like that, but that's all they have and all they can hope for to get well. There were piles of trash just laying on the ground outside with bloody gauze and exposed used needles, and the smell of that place was awful. Most of the children had their parents sitting right next to them, the parents could do nothing, they had no money to go and buy the medicine that their kids needed to get better. While we were there, we prayed for them at their bedside and we got a list of the meds that some of the kids needed so we could purchase them and give them some hope. Pastor Oris told me to go with him to get the medicine. We walked to a corner pharmacy to get prices and compare them with another one, we walked about 20 feet to the next one and got a much better deal. I couldn't believe that within 20 feet you could get such a drastic difference in price.
Monday we went to a town to hand out food and clothes, Haiti Cheri had not been before. When we pulled in and got out of the trucks, we were immediately surrounded by people of all ages. We grabbed the clothes out of the truck and walked into a small building to hand them out, it quickly turned into a huge group of people in such a tiny area and we found ourselves backed up against the wall. Pastor Oris started to hand out shirts to the villagers, a tall mean looking young man walked in to see what was going on, he turned around to walk out and started staring at me. He looked me up and down and asked if I had any money for him, I said no, he didn't believe me. He said " I know you got some for me, step outside with me", I was overcome with fear and said a quick prayer to God to get us out of this situation. About five minutes went by and then that same man entered the room once more, but this time he had a different attitude. He quickly started helping Pastor Oris finish handing out the shirts, at that moment I felt like God had heard me and answered that quick little prayer. WE went outside to hand out food to the children and then that same man took charge and started handing out the food to all the kids. After the food was all gone we prayed with them.
After we left that village, we started our journey towards the village of Acul Samedi. When we arrived, we were welcomed with open arms by the people. We got settled in, they showed us around and then we just chilled out for the evening. We slept in the school, some of us slept on the concrete floor with a blanket laid on it and there were no full walls or doors. The next morning I awoke to the sound of a choir singing, it sounded like angels. The village church was only a few yards away from where we slept and the choir would get to the church every morning at sunrise (5:00) to worship, I made sure I was up every morning to listen to them sing.
Tuesday was the day we started the medical clinic, word got around quickly that we were there. People started lining up early that morning as we were setting up, there were so many people that came through with all kinds of illnesses and diseases. One of the Haiti doctors that was with us asked me to help him for a minute, there was a little boy who looked like he was about 3 or 4 sitting on the bench. His face was covered with some type of fungal infection, the doctor had me pour peroxide on some gauze and then he started scrubbing the child's face until it bled. That little kid sat right there in that seat trying to be tough, but he started to whimper and started shedding some tears. I kept pouring peroxide on gauze after gauze after gauze for the doctor and he kept scrubbing on that child's face, I couldn't help but start shedding my own tears for that boy, I was so thankful that wasn't my son sitting there on that wooden bench. We saw a lot of bad things during the two days of the clinic, we saw over 600 people on Tuesday and Wednesday.
We handed out food on Thursday. We started the day off by opening 100 pound bags of rice and pouring them into individual smaller bags, we poured beans into small bags as well. Everyone gathered in the church to sit and wait for their food, when it was their turn they walked out a side door and we handed them their bags to take home. I think we handed out food to about 500 people that day
After the food was gone, we split up into 2 groups and went into the village to spread the Gospel. This was a little strange to me as I had never done anything like this before. Pastor Oris led our group to people who caught his attention, it was pretty cool to see how he just zeros in on people. 3 of us in our group are fairly new in our faith (about 2 years) but Pastor Oris wasn't about to let that stop us from reaching people. One of the first people we saw wanted to accept Jesus into her life so Pastor Oris gave Eric the opportunity to lead her in prayer, then later on we found a young pregnant lady who wanted Christ in her life and I had the opportunity to lead her to Jesus. God brought me to Haiti to have several different experiences and that that one will stick with me forever. I also got to pray over some people who already have a relationship with Christ, every time I prayed it felt like God was opening my heart more and more to him.
One of the hardest things I had to deal with was the food, but it's not what you are thinking. The people in that village live day to day trying to survive on the food that they gather, I saw a little boy in the top of a huge tree picking mangos and sticking them in a backpack to carry home to his family. But every time we sat down to eat, I felt like we were eating like kings. We had steak, chicken, rice, pasta, bread, clean bottled water, soda, etc... I could never get over that while I was there. The water those people drink come out of a well that the kids (mostly) pump into dirty buckets to take home. We should be so thankful for what we have here in the U.S.
Our last night there, Pastor Oris made me get up in front of the entire church and give a testimony, it didn't freak me out as much as I thought it would. I started out by thanking them for welcoming us into their village and then continued to tell them how God has changed my life. I explained to them how He has really put it on my heart to serve people, I even threw in Romans 12:11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to serve those people through the clinic, through food and sharing the Gospel.
On Friday I got the chance to do some electrical work. Haiti Cheri is building an office. They started it in 1995 and now I got the opportunity to wire most of it 16 years later. We were a little strapped for time so I didn't get to finish the project. Eric, Erika and Becky also helped me do the wiring (thanks yall). Who would have ever thought that I would get to wire a building in Haiti, not me. Maybe I'll get the chance to finish it someday when I go back.
There was so much more that happened while we were there but there is no way I could even begin to explain it all. You will have to go see it for yourself. If you love serving God and his people, I strongly suggest that you step out in faith and go help the people of Haiti. Haiti Cheri does mission trips there about 4 times a year and I can tell you right now that this won't be my only mission trip with them. This trip has totally changed the way I see things as a necessity and the things that are just a comfort that we take for granted in life.
I want to thank Dan Merrefield and Pastor Oris for being such strong leaders in their mission to help the people of Haiti and I also want to thank Donna, Dane, Tanner, Landen, Melissa #2, Becky, Erika, Melissa #3 and Eric for being such a strong and fun team. It was really cool to see you guys surrender and do what God called you to do.
We arrived in Haiti on a Saturday morning. We exited the plane and walked across the runway towards the building to check in. The atmosphere was relaxed and really quiet inside of the tiny airport building, most of us didn't know what was waiting for us on the other side of the exit. We finished checking in with customs and then we walked towards the back to exit the building, then someone opened the door. It went from relaxed to chaos in a matter of seconds. We started walking to the truck that was waiting to pick us up, I was overwhelmed with all of the noise from people yelling and the amount of vehicles driving around. The first thing I thought of was, what did I get myself in to? Some of us jumped in the back of a pick-up truck and we started driving through the city. The streets were lined with trash, you could smell all the trash and people burning their trash throughout the city. There are no traffic signs or traffic lights in the city, so you can just imagine what it was like to ride in the back of something with no idea where you are headed. The streets were congested with trucks, motorcycles, people pushing wheel barrows, people carrying stuff on their head, bicycles and people just walking. I saw one guy pushing a wheel barrow full of an entire slaughtered cow, there was no telling how long he had been pushing it or how long it had been sitting there, but someone was eventually going to eat it. I watched a motorcycle run into a guy, it knocked him down and everything he was carrying, but he got back up and picked up his things and started walking down the street again.
We finally made it to the hotel that we would be staying at for the next couple of days, it was beautiful. The hotel was right on the ocean right outside of the city, you couldn't even hear the busy noises from the city, all you could hear was the sound of waves crashing on the beach. But all I had to do was look down at the beach and reality brought me right back into the place where God had brought me. The beach was lined with trash from the city that, the waves had carried it back to shore.
The first day consisted of filling little plastic bags with medicine so that we could get a jump start on the medical clinic that we would be doing in Acul Samedi. We just kind of sat around filling the bags, listening to the ocean and getting to know each person that came on the trip.
On the second day, Sunday, we went to church. There were about 2000 people who attended and the service lasted about 3 hours. At the end of the service the preacher was talking to the church and the choir was singing, a few people started walking up to the front and brought their own chairs, I didn't know what was going on. The preacher kept talking and even more people came to the front. Some of those people didn't have a chair to bring up there with them so some other folks in the church gave up theirs for them to sit down. Then I realized what was happening, these people had just accepted Jesus into their lives. I couldn't understand a word that was said because they spoke Creole the entire time, but I didn't have to understand their language to know what God had just done. We also got to see Dan ( Pastor Oris translated) get up and preach in front of the church, that was really cool. Later that afternoon we visited a children's hospital in the city, this was such a humbling experience, just to see all of the sick kids laying in a bed waiting on medical treatment that they probably weren't going to receive. There is no way that any one of us would take our kids to a place like that, but that's all they have and all they can hope for to get well. There were piles of trash just laying on the ground outside with bloody gauze and exposed used needles, and the smell of that place was awful. Most of the children had their parents sitting right next to them, the parents could do nothing, they had no money to go and buy the medicine that their kids needed to get better. While we were there, we prayed for them at their bedside and we got a list of the meds that some of the kids needed so we could purchase them and give them some hope. Pastor Oris told me to go with him to get the medicine. We walked to a corner pharmacy to get prices and compare them with another one, we walked about 20 feet to the next one and got a much better deal. I couldn't believe that within 20 feet you could get such a drastic difference in price.
Monday we went to a town to hand out food and clothes, Haiti Cheri had not been before. When we pulled in and got out of the trucks, we were immediately surrounded by people of all ages. We grabbed the clothes out of the truck and walked into a small building to hand them out, it quickly turned into a huge group of people in such a tiny area and we found ourselves backed up against the wall. Pastor Oris started to hand out shirts to the villagers, a tall mean looking young man walked in to see what was going on, he turned around to walk out and started staring at me. He looked me up and down and asked if I had any money for him, I said no, he didn't believe me. He said " I know you got some for me, step outside with me", I was overcome with fear and said a quick prayer to God to get us out of this situation. About five minutes went by and then that same man entered the room once more, but this time he had a different attitude. He quickly started helping Pastor Oris finish handing out the shirts, at that moment I felt like God had heard me and answered that quick little prayer. WE went outside to hand out food to the children and then that same man took charge and started handing out the food to all the kids. After the food was all gone we prayed with them.
After we left that village, we started our journey towards the village of Acul Samedi. When we arrived, we were welcomed with open arms by the people. We got settled in, they showed us around and then we just chilled out for the evening. We slept in the school, some of us slept on the concrete floor with a blanket laid on it and there were no full walls or doors. The next morning I awoke to the sound of a choir singing, it sounded like angels. The village church was only a few yards away from where we slept and the choir would get to the church every morning at sunrise (5:00) to worship, I made sure I was up every morning to listen to them sing.
Tuesday was the day we started the medical clinic, word got around quickly that we were there. People started lining up early that morning as we were setting up, there were so many people that came through with all kinds of illnesses and diseases. One of the Haiti doctors that was with us asked me to help him for a minute, there was a little boy who looked like he was about 3 or 4 sitting on the bench. His face was covered with some type of fungal infection, the doctor had me pour peroxide on some gauze and then he started scrubbing the child's face until it bled. That little kid sat right there in that seat trying to be tough, but he started to whimper and started shedding some tears. I kept pouring peroxide on gauze after gauze after gauze for the doctor and he kept scrubbing on that child's face, I couldn't help but start shedding my own tears for that boy, I was so thankful that wasn't my son sitting there on that wooden bench. We saw a lot of bad things during the two days of the clinic, we saw over 600 people on Tuesday and Wednesday.
We handed out food on Thursday. We started the day off by opening 100 pound bags of rice and pouring them into individual smaller bags, we poured beans into small bags as well. Everyone gathered in the church to sit and wait for their food, when it was their turn they walked out a side door and we handed them their bags to take home. I think we handed out food to about 500 people that day
After the food was gone, we split up into 2 groups and went into the village to spread the Gospel. This was a little strange to me as I had never done anything like this before. Pastor Oris led our group to people who caught his attention, it was pretty cool to see how he just zeros in on people. 3 of us in our group are fairly new in our faith (about 2 years) but Pastor Oris wasn't about to let that stop us from reaching people. One of the first people we saw wanted to accept Jesus into her life so Pastor Oris gave Eric the opportunity to lead her in prayer, then later on we found a young pregnant lady who wanted Christ in her life and I had the opportunity to lead her to Jesus. God brought me to Haiti to have several different experiences and that that one will stick with me forever. I also got to pray over some people who already have a relationship with Christ, every time I prayed it felt like God was opening my heart more and more to him.
One of the hardest things I had to deal with was the food, but it's not what you are thinking. The people in that village live day to day trying to survive on the food that they gather, I saw a little boy in the top of a huge tree picking mangos and sticking them in a backpack to carry home to his family. But every time we sat down to eat, I felt like we were eating like kings. We had steak, chicken, rice, pasta, bread, clean bottled water, soda, etc... I could never get over that while I was there. The water those people drink come out of a well that the kids (mostly) pump into dirty buckets to take home. We should be so thankful for what we have here in the U.S.
Our last night there, Pastor Oris made me get up in front of the entire church and give a testimony, it didn't freak me out as much as I thought it would. I started out by thanking them for welcoming us into their village and then continued to tell them how God has changed my life. I explained to them how He has really put it on my heart to serve people, I even threw in Romans 12:11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to serve those people through the clinic, through food and sharing the Gospel.
On Friday I got the chance to do some electrical work. Haiti Cheri is building an office. They started it in 1995 and now I got the opportunity to wire most of it 16 years later. We were a little strapped for time so I didn't get to finish the project. Eric, Erika and Becky also helped me do the wiring (thanks yall). Who would have ever thought that I would get to wire a building in Haiti, not me. Maybe I'll get the chance to finish it someday when I go back.
There was so much more that happened while we were there but there is no way I could even begin to explain it all. You will have to go see it for yourself. If you love serving God and his people, I strongly suggest that you step out in faith and go help the people of Haiti. Haiti Cheri does mission trips there about 4 times a year and I can tell you right now that this won't be my only mission trip with them. This trip has totally changed the way I see things as a necessity and the things that are just a comfort that we take for granted in life.
I want to thank Dan Merrefield and Pastor Oris for being such strong leaders in their mission to help the people of Haiti and I also want to thank Donna, Dane, Tanner, Landen, Melissa #2, Becky, Erika, Melissa #3 and Eric for being such a strong and fun team. It was really cool to see you guys surrender and do what God called you to do.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Selfish
I've been a little selfish lately, but I want to share some things that have been happening lately, let me explain. As many of you know, I signed up to go on a mission trip to Haiti several months back but I didn't have the money to pay for it. God provided through a bonus check from work, but it was the minimum to go $1500 ($2000 is recomended)...this is where it gets crazy cool...
I'm not ashamed to say that I haven't been that great with money in the past, actually I was pretty bad with it and it got me in trouble. And it still haughts me to this day, or so I thought...
My schedule is extremely busy throughout the week and I have a lot to keep up with. I work a full time job as an electrician, my son has karate practice 2 nights a week, I lead an amazing Home Group on Wednesday nights, I've been put in a leadership role as the Host Team Director at Revolution Church and I serve (which I love and have a passion for) pretty much all day on Sunday at our church. Not to mention all the little things that pop up during the week. So I felt like I needed a portable device (like a laptop or some sort of tablet) to keep up with emails, schedules, and tasks during the week. Those portable devices aren't that cheap, so I was looking to build my credit back up (since its been a few years) by getting a credit card at an electronics store to purchase one of these handy portable devices. I went an applied for a card and they asked me how much I would like to apply for, I said $600...they ran it, it got declined. I was really frustrated that I didn't get what I wanted.
A couple of days went by and I attended church on Sunday like normal, but our pastor preached a message that broke me right there in my chair. He talked about how much more money we needed to raise to start building on the new land when it closes :). All I could think about was how selfish I had been about where I wanted to spend that money. I think I can stick with the old pen and paper for a while. I sat in my chair that Sunday and asked God to forgive my selfishness and I felt like He lifted it from me right there, I felt at ease.
This past Wednesday we had our 1st Wed service at Revolution. We took communion and celebrated baptisms (which is always awesome), but we did something a little different this time. Jason (our pastor) brought the entire Haiti team to the front to pray over us and invited the rest of the church to join us in the front to lay their hands on us to pray. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who came up to show their support...it was an amazing experience.
After we concluded the service, I started walking out, but I was stopped before I got out the door. I had a couple, that I don't think I've ever met before, stop me and tell me how excited they were that I was going to Haiti and they wanted to make a donation to pay for some of my trip. It was a folded up check, I didn't want to be rude and open it right there in front of them so we continued to talk for a while, I thanked them and then we said our goodbyes. As I was walking away I opened it up and was immediately overwhelmed. It was for $500. I went to the back to tell Dan (Haiti Cheri) what had happened, he just smiled. He told me that someone else anonymously donated $100 for my trip...if my math is right, that adds up to $600. The same amount that I was denied for a few days before that on something I didn't even need.
Since Sunday, we changed satellite companies and cut our home phone off (internet only) to save a bunch of money to give even more back to Him to Advance his Kingdom. There's no doubt what God's plan was for that $600. Not for me to be selfish and spend on myself, but for Him to spend it where he needed it the most...spreading the Gospel.
I'm not ashamed to say that I haven't been that great with money in the past, actually I was pretty bad with it and it got me in trouble. And it still haughts me to this day, or so I thought...
My schedule is extremely busy throughout the week and I have a lot to keep up with. I work a full time job as an electrician, my son has karate practice 2 nights a week, I lead an amazing Home Group on Wednesday nights, I've been put in a leadership role as the Host Team Director at Revolution Church and I serve (which I love and have a passion for) pretty much all day on Sunday at our church. Not to mention all the little things that pop up during the week. So I felt like I needed a portable device (like a laptop or some sort of tablet) to keep up with emails, schedules, and tasks during the week. Those portable devices aren't that cheap, so I was looking to build my credit back up (since its been a few years) by getting a credit card at an electronics store to purchase one of these handy portable devices. I went an applied for a card and they asked me how much I would like to apply for, I said $600...they ran it, it got declined. I was really frustrated that I didn't get what I wanted.
A couple of days went by and I attended church on Sunday like normal, but our pastor preached a message that broke me right there in my chair. He talked about how much more money we needed to raise to start building on the new land when it closes :). All I could think about was how selfish I had been about where I wanted to spend that money. I think I can stick with the old pen and paper for a while. I sat in my chair that Sunday and asked God to forgive my selfishness and I felt like He lifted it from me right there, I felt at ease.
This past Wednesday we had our 1st Wed service at Revolution. We took communion and celebrated baptisms (which is always awesome), but we did something a little different this time. Jason (our pastor) brought the entire Haiti team to the front to pray over us and invited the rest of the church to join us in the front to lay their hands on us to pray. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who came up to show their support...it was an amazing experience.
After we concluded the service, I started walking out, but I was stopped before I got out the door. I had a couple, that I don't think I've ever met before, stop me and tell me how excited they were that I was going to Haiti and they wanted to make a donation to pay for some of my trip. It was a folded up check, I didn't want to be rude and open it right there in front of them so we continued to talk for a while, I thanked them and then we said our goodbyes. As I was walking away I opened it up and was immediately overwhelmed. It was for $500. I went to the back to tell Dan (Haiti Cheri) what had happened, he just smiled. He told me that someone else anonymously donated $100 for my trip...if my math is right, that adds up to $600. The same amount that I was denied for a few days before that on something I didn't even need.
Since Sunday, we changed satellite companies and cut our home phone off (internet only) to save a bunch of money to give even more back to Him to Advance his Kingdom. There's no doubt what God's plan was for that $600. Not for me to be selfish and spend on myself, but for Him to spend it where he needed it the most...spreading the Gospel.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Driving Life Too Fast
When people drive, they usually drive as fast as they can (without getting caught of course) to their next destination. I'm guilty of this exact thing and probably so are you. What happens when we drive fast to get somewhere? Simple answer, we miss out on all the little details and journey's we could have seen or taken along the way. The same is true in our daily lives. We wake up first thing in the morning and are on a mad dash to make breakfast, get the kid(s) ready for school, kiss the spouse and jump in our cars to drive as fast to work as we can. This happens 5, 6 or even 7 days out of the week. We hardly ever take the time to slow down to see which direction they are driving their life.
God has really been working my heart over the last few months and telling me that I'm driving life too fast. He's been telling me to slow down, take a look at the direction my family members are driving in. I'm always in a rush to get things done and I'm not taking the time to slow down to soak in all the little details happening around me. Of course there are always memories...
Yesterday I was holding my newborn son in the hospital watching a Georgia Bulldawgs football game. I held him tight in that little blanket and explained the differences between the offense and the defense. He sat in my arms the entire game and we watched Georgia beat South Carolina together in that hospital room.
Today he came home from school, gave me a fist bump and was telling me everthing he had learned in class. He needed some help writing a one page essay on simple tools used around the house. He's now in the fourth grade, ten years have passed since we celebrated that Bulldawg victory.
I met this amazing girl yesterday at school, her name is Angie Hayhome. She loves doing the same things I do - going to drive-in movies, going to dirt track races, etc. The crazy thing is she is only 15, I hope her mom and dad approve of me, because I am just a little bit older than her. But maybe we will get married someday.
I kissed this awesome and amazing woman goodbye this morning before she went to work. Her name is Angie (Hayhome) Cain. She loves doing the same things I do - raising our ten year old son together, serving at a church together, tithing together, watching movies together and having Christ at the center of our family together. She is my wife of 15 years (we've been together for 18).
Yesterday my little brother Brian and I were playing in the snow in upstate N.Y. We were building snowmen and igloos in the front yard and trying to hurt each other with icy snowballs. Mom was yelling at us to play nice with each other.
Today my brother is upholding the law in our local community in North Georgia. He also started a police ministry to help bring other law enforcement officers to Christ. We still try to hurt each other with the icy snowballs whenever we get the chance :)
Yesterday my dad was taking me fishing in upsate N.Y. He was teaching me how to survive as a man and showing me the love a father has for a son. He also taught me how to drive a car down our old country road and stay between the ditches.
Today I get to go pay my respects to my dad at the Georgia National Cemetery. His love that he showed me holds dear to my heart. If I get hungry, I know how to fish because of him. If I'm driving a car (life), I know how to steer away from the ditch (trouble).
Yesterday was gone in the blink of an eye because I was driving life too fast. The straight path my family members were in before, all of a sudden shot into different directions. Of course there were plenty of memories along the way. Some were bad, some were great and some were even life changing in my heart. But as I get older, I forget to slow it down a bit and pay attention to the details life has to offer. I hear and see alot of things happening around me, but I don't soak it all in. If you have read my past blog posts, you can see alot has happened in such a short time in my life. But I'm trying to learn to take my foot off the gas pedal of life and enjoy these "in the meantime" moments. Life is a journey, not a race. If we have a lead foot on the gas pedal of life, then we are going to miss out on all the great things God wants us to do and all the great experiences He wants us to have with him and with others in our lives. Yesterday is gone and today will be "yesterday" tomorrow before you know it. Let's take our foot off the gas in the meantime.
God has really been working my heart over the last few months and telling me that I'm driving life too fast. He's been telling me to slow down, take a look at the direction my family members are driving in. I'm always in a rush to get things done and I'm not taking the time to slow down to soak in all the little details happening around me. Of course there are always memories...
Yesterday I was holding my newborn son in the hospital watching a Georgia Bulldawgs football game. I held him tight in that little blanket and explained the differences between the offense and the defense. He sat in my arms the entire game and we watched Georgia beat South Carolina together in that hospital room.
Today he came home from school, gave me a fist bump and was telling me everthing he had learned in class. He needed some help writing a one page essay on simple tools used around the house. He's now in the fourth grade, ten years have passed since we celebrated that Bulldawg victory.
I met this amazing girl yesterday at school, her name is Angie Hayhome. She loves doing the same things I do - going to drive-in movies, going to dirt track races, etc. The crazy thing is she is only 15, I hope her mom and dad approve of me, because I am just a little bit older than her. But maybe we will get married someday.
I kissed this awesome and amazing woman goodbye this morning before she went to work. Her name is Angie (Hayhome) Cain. She loves doing the same things I do - raising our ten year old son together, serving at a church together, tithing together, watching movies together and having Christ at the center of our family together. She is my wife of 15 years (we've been together for 18).
Yesterday my little brother Brian and I were playing in the snow in upstate N.Y. We were building snowmen and igloos in the front yard and trying to hurt each other with icy snowballs. Mom was yelling at us to play nice with each other.
Today my brother is upholding the law in our local community in North Georgia. He also started a police ministry to help bring other law enforcement officers to Christ. We still try to hurt each other with the icy snowballs whenever we get the chance :)
Yesterday my dad was taking me fishing in upsate N.Y. He was teaching me how to survive as a man and showing me the love a father has for a son. He also taught me how to drive a car down our old country road and stay between the ditches.
Today I get to go pay my respects to my dad at the Georgia National Cemetery. His love that he showed me holds dear to my heart. If I get hungry, I know how to fish because of him. If I'm driving a car (life), I know how to steer away from the ditch (trouble).
Yesterday was gone in the blink of an eye because I was driving life too fast. The straight path my family members were in before, all of a sudden shot into different directions. Of course there were plenty of memories along the way. Some were bad, some were great and some were even life changing in my heart. But as I get older, I forget to slow it down a bit and pay attention to the details life has to offer. I hear and see alot of things happening around me, but I don't soak it all in. If you have read my past blog posts, you can see alot has happened in such a short time in my life. But I'm trying to learn to take my foot off the gas pedal of life and enjoy these "in the meantime" moments. Life is a journey, not a race. If we have a lead foot on the gas pedal of life, then we are going to miss out on all the great things God wants us to do and all the great experiences He wants us to have with him and with others in our lives. Yesterday is gone and today will be "yesterday" tomorrow before you know it. Let's take our foot off the gas in the meantime.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A New Year
2010 was an amazing year in my life. Our company landed a huge job at Georgia Tech, I became an uncle (again), I had the privelage to help baptize my son Brandon, I also had the opportunity to baptize my friend Chase, I became the leader of Revolution Church's Parking Team, I went to a couple of leadership conferences with my church family, I helped another church's parking team in a different state, I developed new friendships, I signed up to go on a mission trip to Haiti in April of 2011. That just names a few of the great things I got to do last year. But there's one problem with all of these things mentioned, the word "I".
"I" had a lot of things happen to "me". God blessed me with all of those things that happened in my life last year along with all of the people "I" did those things with. 2010 seemed like it was an "I" kind of year and "I" am thankful for what God did in my life last year, He carried me through it. But "I"m going to make an effort in 2011 to take everthing "I" have learned and apply it to the lives of others. It's time to give back to God and use what I have received from him.
My first test from God started Thursday. The company I work for has been generous with my bonus check every year for the past 15 years. This year they were buying me a 3D tv, 3D Blu-Ray player and 3D glasses for my bonus ($1800). AWESOME! I mentioned earlier that I signed up for a mission trip to Haiti, I had no idea how I was going to pay for it ($1500). All I knew was that I could trust God to get me there. He really worked my heart the day I found out what my bonus was, so I sat still and listened. I asked my bosses if I could use the money they were going to spend on all that "stuff", to pay for my trip to Haiti. They said yes. I don't know how I can help the people of Haiti on the mission trip yet, but I know I'm willing to give up a "luxury" for me to spread the gospel about Jesus to them. Some people might think I'm crazy for doing this. I don't care. I know what God has done for me in my life and I want people who don't know Jesus to have their own amazing relationship with Him.
I read a book last year called "Radical" by David Platt, it is an awesome book that I recommend everyone to read. The book will change the way you see how you are impacting other people's lives. There were several things that caught my attention while reading it, but one sentence really caught my interest - "Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of hell". I want to share with people what has been shared with me. The 3D tv can wait.
2011 is "A New Year",a time for change, I can't wait to see how God is going to move in my life this year and use all the things He grew me with in 2010 to help others this year. I don't know what 2011 will bring yet, all I know is that God has a plan for my life and I trust Him to guide my steps "in the meantime".
"I" had a lot of things happen to "me". God blessed me with all of those things that happened in my life last year along with all of the people "I" did those things with. 2010 seemed like it was an "I" kind of year and "I" am thankful for what God did in my life last year, He carried me through it. But "I"m going to make an effort in 2011 to take everthing "I" have learned and apply it to the lives of others. It's time to give back to God and use what I have received from him.
My first test from God started Thursday. The company I work for has been generous with my bonus check every year for the past 15 years. This year they were buying me a 3D tv, 3D Blu-Ray player and 3D glasses for my bonus ($1800). AWESOME! I mentioned earlier that I signed up for a mission trip to Haiti, I had no idea how I was going to pay for it ($1500). All I knew was that I could trust God to get me there. He really worked my heart the day I found out what my bonus was, so I sat still and listened. I asked my bosses if I could use the money they were going to spend on all that "stuff", to pay for my trip to Haiti. They said yes. I don't know how I can help the people of Haiti on the mission trip yet, but I know I'm willing to give up a "luxury" for me to spread the gospel about Jesus to them. Some people might think I'm crazy for doing this. I don't care. I know what God has done for me in my life and I want people who don't know Jesus to have their own amazing relationship with Him.
I read a book last year called "Radical" by David Platt, it is an awesome book that I recommend everyone to read. The book will change the way you see how you are impacting other people's lives. There were several things that caught my attention while reading it, but one sentence really caught my interest - "Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of hell". I want to share with people what has been shared with me. The 3D tv can wait.
2011 is "A New Year",a time for change, I can't wait to see how God is going to move in my life this year and use all the things He grew me with in 2010 to help others this year. I don't know what 2011 will bring yet, all I know is that God has a plan for my life and I trust Him to guide my steps "in the meantime".
Monday, December 6, 2010
A Servant's Heart
I have a brother, his name Brian Cain. He is a husband, father, police officer and a pastor. Brian joined the Marine Corp shortly after he graduated highschool and became an MP while he served his country. After he finished serving his 4 years as a Marine, he went straight into law enforcement because he wanted to continue to make a difference in the community by serving the people. He went from serving a huge country, to serving a small community . He has been a police officer for several departments, but his love for serving people has never changed. As he's grown through different ranks (he is now a Seargent), he's also grown in his faith with God. He started a ministry directed towards law enforcement and started teaching cops about Jesus.
He started Code 4 Ministries a little over a year ago. The people in law enforcement are one of the largest groups in the country who don't attend church on a regular basis, he wanted to change that. Brian has been a cop for a number of years and has built relationships with other police officers with whom he has served with (let's just say he knows their biggest hurts, hangups and habits in life). He knows what their going through, that is why he started this police ministry, to show they can change their lifestyles by knowing and loving Jesus. He has created a relaxing "non church" environment for cops to come and hear how they can look to God to help them through their troubling times.
I'm not a cop, but I've attended and supported every meeting he has had to date. I'll never forget his first sermon - Ephesians 6:10-20 The Whole Armor of God. Wow. Brian used several pieces of equipment that a police officer uses on an every day basis to illustrate how each piece directly relates to The Whole Armor of God in the Bible. I think every cop in there was stunned after hearing that message. That got the ball rolling for Code 4.
But starting a police ministry was not enough for Brian, meeting once a month was awesome, but he knew it was not enough to reach lost cops. He set out on a mission to collect and distribute 500 Police Officer Bibles to the law enforcement community in Cherokee County by Christmas. That is a huge task. He doesn't have the money to buy all of them, so he has been reaching out to the community to help him reach this goal. Brian has had several donated already, but he is a long way from reaching that monumental task.
I'm proud of my brother. His walk with Christ is inspiring. The sacrafices he makes each month to share the Gospel with his fellow police officers just simply blows me away.
Christmas is almost here and I'm sure that every person who reads this has a family member or friend who knows a cop or someone in some type of law enforcement. If you or someone you know would like to make a difference in the life of a cop by sharing the Gospel, please check out his website with all of the information http://www.biblesforcops.info/
Just to get an idea of what Code 4 Ministries is about, go to code4ministries.com. When you visit the website, check out the logo, I personally know the guy who designed it (me).
Thank you for having a servant's heart Brian, I love doing life with you. Love ya bro.
He started Code 4 Ministries a little over a year ago. The people in law enforcement are one of the largest groups in the country who don't attend church on a regular basis, he wanted to change that. Brian has been a cop for a number of years and has built relationships with other police officers with whom he has served with (let's just say he knows their biggest hurts, hangups and habits in life). He knows what their going through, that is why he started this police ministry, to show they can change their lifestyles by knowing and loving Jesus. He has created a relaxing "non church" environment for cops to come and hear how they can look to God to help them through their troubling times.
I'm not a cop, but I've attended and supported every meeting he has had to date. I'll never forget his first sermon - Ephesians 6:10-20 The Whole Armor of God. Wow. Brian used several pieces of equipment that a police officer uses on an every day basis to illustrate how each piece directly relates to The Whole Armor of God in the Bible. I think every cop in there was stunned after hearing that message. That got the ball rolling for Code 4.
But starting a police ministry was not enough for Brian, meeting once a month was awesome, but he knew it was not enough to reach lost cops. He set out on a mission to collect and distribute 500 Police Officer Bibles to the law enforcement community in Cherokee County by Christmas. That is a huge task. He doesn't have the money to buy all of them, so he has been reaching out to the community to help him reach this goal. Brian has had several donated already, but he is a long way from reaching that monumental task.
I'm proud of my brother. His walk with Christ is inspiring. The sacrafices he makes each month to share the Gospel with his fellow police officers just simply blows me away.
Christmas is almost here and I'm sure that every person who reads this has a family member or friend who knows a cop or someone in some type of law enforcement. If you or someone you know would like to make a difference in the life of a cop by sharing the Gospel, please check out his website with all of the information http://www.biblesforcops.info/
Just to get an idea of what Code 4 Ministries is about, go to code4ministries.com. When you visit the website, check out the logo, I personally know the guy who designed it (me).
Thank you for having a servant's heart Brian, I love doing life with you. Love ya bro.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
