Written in Heaven

The past month or so has been a complete blur. I'm not one to say I'm busy, because everyone thinks they're busier than the next guy. But I'm sitting here in Central Illinois Regional Airport (aka the greatest airport on the planet) and realizing that all that God has done in my life over the last month. Here are some BridgeWay and personal highlights:

• May 22 - Brooke, Warrick and I traveled up to Ottawa to attend the wedding of a girl who was in the youth group when we were student pastors in Ottawa. Our first year there we held a Tuesday night Bible study in our house for all the seniors in high school. We had 4 students attend every week. The week after this girl's wedding, the last of the 4 got married! We officially feel old, but couldn't be prouder of the individuals those students have become.
• May 30 - We kicked off Celebrate Recovery. I can't tell you how proud I am of Jill and her team as they have been so dedicated and sold out to this ministry. These folks pray and meet as much as any team I've ever seen. They are always open to coaching and making the ministry the best it can be. God is already moving in big ways through that ministry. We are seeing the tip of the iceberg!
• May 31 - My family and one of the bands from BridgeWay traveled to Ottawa First Church and cast the vision for the new campus in Pekin. There's a blog post below about that wonderful experience.
• June 5 - I celebrated 5 years of marriage with my beautiful wife! I am so blessed to have a wife that loves me more than any other person ever could. She sacrifices so we can be in ministry and NEVER COMPLAINS! I'm pretty amazed by that. Brooke, I love you more than I can describe. Thanks for putting up with me and making me a better person.
• June 14 - Traveled with the same group that went to Ottawa to Kokomo First Church of the Nazarene. Completely rockin, loved seeing everyone there. Again, there's a blog post somewhere to that end.
• June 17 - Held our BEST Pekin Campus Launch Team yet. We had over 40 people in attendance, 3 new couples sign up, and you could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit all night. I get goose bumps just thinking about it! I love you guys and can't wait to see what God is going to do through you!
• June 21 - Celebrated my first Father's Day as a dad. It was pretty sweet. I got a new wallet and a round of golf! Life is good. I got to spend the day hanging out with Brooke and Warrick and diggin on some Chicken Tetrazini. Boo-yah! Gotta love being a dad!
• June 23 - Traveling to Orlando with the rest of our staff to participate in General Assembly for the Church of the Nazarene. It's going to be a lot of fun and a very good experience. I am a "delegate to the Nazarene Youth International" which means I sit in meetings and decide the future of millions of people. That's a little exaggerated, but I think you get the picture!

God's so good! I can't wait to see what He has in store. My life to this point truly is more than I could ever ask or imagine. Thank you to our BridgeWay family for being awesome and supporting us the way you do. God bless - see you soon!

Over this past weekend, we (a BridgeWay Band and myself) had the privilege to travel to Kokomo, IN to Kokomo First Church of the Nazarene. This church is my home church, so it was great to be back and see a lot of friendly faces that I haven't seen in quite awhile.

One of the best parts of going back to a church that you grow up in is seeing how it's changed. This church has changed majorly, as they put on a new addition to the building with a beautiful new auditorium and huge lobby. It's very encouraging for me to see a church that's nearly 90 years old and still has yet to see its best days.

We once again were celebrating as we had about 30 new folks join the email team and received over $1200 in financial contributions! Thanks to this church for their commitment to the work of Jesus in the world today.

Personally it was really great to see family members, friends, and so many new faces that had testimonies about what Jesus has done in their lives. It was also good to see so many people that had invested in me over the years with their time, money, and prayers. I want to encourage you all again that working with children and youth can be tough sometimes; it can feel like one step forward and 10 steps back. But, know that even though it may not seem like it, they are hearing you and they see Jesus in you. Keep doing what you're doing. I am where I am today because people kept investing in me no matter what.

Thanks again for all of your prayers. We are praying for God's continued hand of blessing on Kokomo First in the days and years to come.

It was a real treat to be able to go and speak at Ottawa First this past Sunday. I really enjoyed getting to see the staff again, be in the building, see old friends, see the students, see the parents, see my old small group, visit the Barn, and even to speak. It was a great day full of hugs and handshakes.

It was cool for me too to see my ‘worlds collide’ in a sense, in merging of our old life at OFC merge with our new life at BridgeWay. We arrived at 6:45 to at team of smiling sound guys and pastors. They were so kind, gracious, and accommodating. The BridgeWay band couldn’t stop talking about the level of professionalism and mutual respect that there was between them and the staff at the church.

I also was really proud of our band. Chuck, Kevin, Ryan, Dave, and Brit all represent themselves so well and their personal relationships with Jesus come through in the music. It’s never a performance with them, it’s always worship. I heard that from so many folks after the services. One of my favorite lines from the morning was when Pastor Brian from OFC introduced the band as “one of the best bands you will ever here.” I guess you could say he was a fan!

At the end of the service Pastor Brian came up and called for a response from the people towards supporting the Pekin Campus. From that, we had 63 people join the prayer team and 14 people committing to join us on Launch Sunday on Sept. 13! If that weren’t enough, the church also gave $2645 on the spot in a love offering!

To Ottawa First, words cannot express how grateful we are here at BridgeWay for your support. I love to see how the body of Christ is still the body of Christ no matter where you are in the world. We celebrate with you as God continues to move in Ottawa, as we know you celebrate with us as God moves here in Tazewell County.

Thank you to all who prayed for us while we were there and we’d ask that you’d continue to pray as on June 14 we are going to Kokomo 1st Church of the Nazarene in Kokomo, IN to ask for their support in this initiative as well. God is moving and we are seeing his dream for BridgeWay fulfilled!