Jesus at the Center

God has been doing some awesome things in mine and Katie's heart (it's cool how often He brings us to the same focus independently). We've both been dwelling on REALLY having Jesus at the center of our lives, and I am preached on it this Sunday and it resonated with many people.

I'm excited to see what Jesus wants to do this year at Peachtree.

Praying through the Psalms

I’ve been reading Eugene Peterson’s Under the Unpredictable Plant and it has inspired me to “Pray through the Psalms”. I’ve never done this before, but basically you read through Psalms as personal prayers. It seems the church fathers and the church through history used the Psalms as a “school of prayer” and it has really been cool for me. Let me know if you want more details about it.

My New Routine

I’m terribly task-oriented.

I’m the kind of person who writes the smallest tasks (i.e. put on clothes, well maybe not that bad) on my list so that I get the dopamine rush of checking it off. Sometimes, I’ll even put a task on my list after I’ve completed it.

The upside is that I get a lot done and am always working on something.

The downside is that I get going on tasks early in the morning and can go all day marking things off the list and miss developing relationships, most importantly, my relationship with God.

I’ve had some great times with God lately, and I’m going to formalize it into a routine (a daily task…hey, it works for me)

Here’s what it looks like for me:

Immediately when I get up:

5 minutes Listen to a worship song on my iPod
5 minutes Read a chapter in the New Testament
10 minutes Pray through the Psalms
10 minutes Pray and write in my journal

What’s your way of spending time with God?

Getting Away

Church planting, it has been said, is the extreme sport of ministry.

When I think about my role, I am part preacher, part leader/motivator, part business manager, part counselor, part vision caster, part boss, chief financial officer, etc.

On top of that, I’m attempting to follow Christ apart from ministry, be a godly husband, effective father, honor my parents, and have deep, meaningful friendships along the way.

As the urgent always battle for attention from the important, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the hundreds of details that make up a ministry week.

A blog I read a long time ago (I’d give anything to find that insightful post) made a convincing case for church planters to get away two days every 6 or 7 weeks.

I really do try to do that. When I just get away from the chatter and change setting, my faith is increased, I hear from God better, and I can see the vision more clearly.

God’s blessed me with an Elder board who allows me the freedom of flexibility, a church that values seeing me healthy, and a staff that fills every gap when I’m away.

I’m currently at my dad’s on Amelia Island, FL (northeast corner of FL) through Memorial Day. The fam gets to enjoy the beach, and this is a planning week for me.

Please pray for me; God has already been revealing more than I keep up with.

Peachtree, I miss you; but it’s a sweet miss. ;>)