Borger Here We Come

This morning, the girls and I got up to get ready for our flight back to Borger to pick up the last of Katie's things and move for the final time.  For those of you that don't know, when we moved at the end of August to Georgia Katie decided she wanted to finish out her senior year of high school in Borger.  Who would blame her right?  Kellie had already moved to Atlanta to start school and Kim and I were pulling out of Borger after a great 12 year ministry at Fellowship Baptist Church.  On Halloween Katie hopped a plane to surprise us and it worked.  We had no idea she was coming.  We knew that she was struggling being away from us as we were being away from her.  But I was taken back, when in the middle of trick-or-treating she looked at me and said, "Dad I'm ready to move here."  We worked it all out the next registered her for school and she started the next Monday.  While we were in the counselors office getting her classes arranged to coach of the girls basketball team came to meet us and began recruiting Katie for he girls varsity team.   I was so glad because this was the one thing she was leaving behind in Borger: the comfort of her team.

Because the move wasn't planned she left her car and clothes and everything else in Borger (not to mention the airline lost her bag that was never found).  So we needed to fly back on last time to get all our stuff.  We decided we would take the Thanksgiving holiday to make the trip with the Church office closed and the girls out of school.  Kellie and I had a credit with Southwest so our tickets were paid and we just changed Katie's flight.  Kellie was so excited to go because she has has been dieing to see all her friends in Borger.  So tomorrow we will pack up all Katie's stuff in her car and Thanksgiving we will head to Arkansas.

Kim had already planned to fly to KC and take her mom to Arkansas to be with her family in Ozark.  So, we will meet up with her in Arkansas and have Thanksgiving dinner together.  I just love it when a plan comes together.  Then the girls and I will drive on to Memphis to spend the night and then home to Atlanta.

Choose Your Primary Care Giver

In just about any health insurance plan there comes a time that you must choose your "primary care giver."  At New Season Church we are about to enter into a new series if not a new campaign on stewardship.  As soon as you read the word stewardship, I'll bet you immediately started thinking about your responsibility to give to the work of God and do your part.  This would be a correct direction of thinking because the word stewardship is all about your responsibilities to God, your family, and the Church.  The problem with this thinking is it puts you in the drivers seat instead of just along for the ride.

In Matthew 6:24 through the rest of the chapter, Jesus says that in this thing called life you must pick your primary care giver.  There are basically two options in front of you.  The most popular doctor that people choose is money.  The interesting that about the doctor of money is that he has no brain and can't make a decision to save his own life much less yours.  So, he always turns the questions and responsibility back on the individual to make all the choices.  Therefore, when you choose the money doctor you are the one that's in control and in charge of your own destiny.   

The other doctor is the Lord God Almighty, the Alpha and Omega, the King of Kings, the Great Physician, and the Lover of our souls.  He has all the resources and all the know how to provide all the care we need.  Not only does he know the struggles your going through, but has already prepared for it.  He doesn't practice medicine He is the medicine.  Money is something he plays with.  He can put it in a fish's mouth or throw it in a mailbox.  He is not governed by it, but is the Governor of it.  When he directs your path you don't have to worry about anything.  You can have faith that God will take care of you.

So, why don't people choose him?  Why do we, the patients, think we know better than the Great Physician?  He has all the knowledge and all the skill to properly diagnose and set us on a path to recovery.  All we need to do is trust Him, believe Him, put our faith in Him, and everything will work out right.  When we put the responsibility on the Lord all we have to do is be obedient to his commands.  We don't have to manage the process because we don't even have enough understanding or information to make the right choices in the first place.  Obedience is our stewardship.  When the Lord says give, you give.  What the Lord says give, you give.  He will manage your money, if you will just turn it over to Him and follow is instruction.

(Brought to you by the offices of J.C., G, & H) 

Vacation in Florida

I'm sitting here on the beach in Perdido Key watching the sun come up and right of the shore line there is a school of dolphins playing right in front of me.  This is a pretty place.  I was so excited to come down here and finally have a moment to relax, unplug, and unwind.  My intention was to come to Atlanta and stay with my parents for a month and do nothing but clear my mind and rest in the Lord.  But, instead I found myself in a Church planting class the first week and Global Focus training later in the week I was given some office space and was setting that up.  Needless to say, I have been going non-stop since we got here.  I have met so many people and made such good friendship.  God has blessed in so many ways with great confirmations of our move.  I am at peace with every aspect of my life right now.  The opportunities for ministry are overwhelming and in all honesty I'm just trying to keep it simple, watch, and listen to what God is showing me and saying to me.  The world can get pretty noisy at times. 

So it is nice to come and be with family for a week, chill out, and watch the sun so faithfully rise over the ocean.   No matter how bad things get or confusing the world is around me I am always reminded of the faithfulness of God because the son always comes up in the morning (or as the scripture would say, "His mercies are new every morning).  I just a little bit my nephews and nice are going to be wanting to go down to the pool and swim before we go and play in the big pool.  I love being a part of their lives like this.  This is a new life for me.  It's like I just came back from the war after being MIA for so long.  I am having to learn the family dynamics and all the characters of people.  people are different when you come to visit then when you live together.  That is not to say it is bad, but just different.  I felt it as soon as I was here for a week.  Before everyone made sure that they came to Mom's house to see me and spend time with me.  Now, everyone is living there life and doing there thing and I have to find my place in the midst of this life that is already established and happening around me.  Don't get me wrong, I love it.  But, it is interesting the way people mesh together. 

I am feeling some of this at Church as well.  We haven't yet joined a Church, so we have been visiting around (which is a first in our lives).  We don't know anybody so again we have to find a place to land in the midst of other peoples lives and begin to mesh.  This process is exciting and scary all at the same time.  If you have any insecurities (and I do)  they all surface at this time.  What if they don't like me or love me?  How do I prove myself?  How do I fit in?  I'm sure these are the same questions my freshman daughter is asking herself as she attends a brand new school in a brand new place.  But, it's not just for teens.  I think we all have those feelings when we make a life change the way that we have.  This is the third life change that I have experienced and it has always been a step forward for me.  God is faithful in all things.