The Great Marriage Experience

I must admit that I love a good conference. I really do. I enjoy the experience. Especially a marriage conference. I really do want to do well in my marriage. And, believe me, I can use all the help I can get. (Julie would say AMEN! to that one.) Julie and I were very blessed to have been able to attend some marriage conferences very early in our marriage. We also read a few books. And, we've had some excellent mentors and examples along the way. I think that in our marriage, we have avoided many pitfalls because of what God taught us years ago. Not to say that we're perfect...by any stretch of the imagination (I'm hearing Julie saying another AMEN!) But, God has blessed us by giving us a good solid foundation (our relationships with Him) and great examples and instructions to live by.

I'm excited that our church has a heart for investing in marriages. It's not an easy job. I am astounded by the ever-rising divorce rate in our society today. I believe that we, as a church, MUST make a stand. We must be willing to fight for marriages. We must be willing to provide resources, conferences, Bible studies, mentors, examples, and encouragement along the way.

So, thank you, Colonial Heights, for your willingness to make that investment.

I have a new Marriage Minstry Team that consists of Bob & Vicky Spring, Bill & Becky Thomas, and James & Leanna Lott. Together we are praying for marriages and seeking God's direction in how we can, as a church, provide help and hope to couples inside and outside of our church. If you have ideas that we should consider, email it to me. If you have a specific prayer request for your marriage that you would like for me to share with the team, email that to me to.

May God bless you and bless others through your marriage!

Cutting Trees

Want to see a picture of the church being the church?  Want to see a picture of what real service looks like?  Then come join me and I'll show you the work that our church members have been doing since the day that five tornadoes blew through the Jackson Metro area.  You know, several of us have been praying that God would help us to be used more in our own community...that God would open doors for us to get outside the walls of our church and minster to the people in our own backyard. 

Never would any of us have prayed to see the type of destruction that we have seen, but it's amazing to see what an opportunity the Lord has given us to minister in the wake of the storm. 

And I've never been more proud of our church family.  It's amazing to see the Body of Christ at work.  I am so grateful that God has filled our church with servant-hearted people. 

And you know what's funny.  Here I am organizing teams of people to go do back-breaking labor.  I'm asking them to come spend hours cutting trees and cleaning yards...to take time away from their families, to skip their much-needed time to relax after a hard day at work, and even to take their Saturday to work in SOMEBODY ELSE'S yard...and do you know what kind of attitudes they have?  They are thanking ME!  I'm trying to go overboard to thank them for their service and tell them what a great ministry they are performing...but I can hardly get a word in because they are telling me what a blessing it is to serve.  WOW!  Man, that makes my job fun!

So, church family, from the bottom of my heart...you're welcome.  And if any more of you want some exhausting physical labor to do after a long day at work that will keep you away from your family and your recliner, just give me a call.  After all, I'm here to serve.

In all seriousness...please pray for the families who were hit the hardest (some from our very own church) who have lost their homes in the storm.  As we continue to find opportunities to minister to them, I'll keep you posted.

Gatti Town Blessings

God is good! If you ever doubt it, just give me a call. I'll fill you in on how good He has been to me, to my family, to my friends, and to our church. He never ceases to amaze me!

Geno and I were talking the other day about LIFEgroups and our ever-present challenge of providing enough space. He had just recently been to Gatti Town and told me how awesome it would be to have access to a facility like that. Sensing a great idea, I turned around and called my friend Randy who put me in touch with his brother Gary, the owner of Gatti Town.

Gary, having a wonderful ministry heart, was quick to allow us the opportunity to use space for our LIFEgroups! So, this problem that we've been discussing and that I have actually been working on behind the scenes for months was solved within a couple of phone calls. Now...ain't God good!

So...starting this Sunday, two LIFEgroups (Brown & Jernigan) will be meeting at Gatti Town at 9:30am.

Join me in thanking Gary Cress and the employees of Gatti Town. But, most of all, join me in thanking God for His constant provision. He knew what He was getting ready to do even while I was still running around trying to figure it out on my own.

It's not until you get in a position where you don't have any answers that you begin to rely on the only One who does. So, church, on this issue of space...I don't think we're in such a bad place!

I have no doubt that God is already working things out...according to HIS plan.

And I'm cool with that. :)

The Cornerstone

Every day I am reminded in one way or another how God is constantly at work in our lives. We may not always realize what He is doing. We may even accuse Him of being silent at times. But I am more convinced every day that He is actively at work in our lives and that He cares about the details of our lives. What an amazing statement: to say that we know without a doubt that God loves us and that He works to bless us.

While I was on a mission trip to Western Asia this past fall, we had the privelege to sit down and dialogue with some young Muslim men about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One of their biggest hang-ups to faith was a "categorization" of the world. Everything must either be Creator or created. There is no possibility in their minds of a Creator who loved us so much that He became like one of His created in order to rescue us from hell. In fact, they argue that love is a human emotion...that God is not capable of loving His creation. That would require Him to condescend, to have human emotion. In their view, God is simply not capable of that. Jesus doesn't fit into their categories. But, I guess we shouldn't be surprised by their response to Jesus. After all, Peter says in 1 Peter 2:6-8 (quoting from both Psalms and Isaiah) that Jesus is the "stone the builders rejected" which "has become the cornerstone."

I am so grateful to know that "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16)." What an amazing promise from Creator God who, because of His great love for us (His created), was willing to defy the "natural order" in order to become like His created.  He was even to suffer and die so that we might be reconciled to Him and inherit eternal life. Wow!

Hair Cuts & Harvests

Back when I was in seminary and money was tight, Julie developed the skill of cutting my hair. That's been almost twelve years ago now...and she's still at it. What a trooper! But, now...bless her heart...she is also cutting the hair of both of our boys (ages 7 and 4). Cutting my hair is difficult enough, but I'm a breeze compared to the boys. It has always been a hassle. Tyler is definitely easier now, but Gibson is still in the throws of "freak out mode" when it comes to haircuts. I don't know what it is about sitting still while mommy holds sharp scissors up next to his head that sends him into hysterics. But, it happens. Every time. It's better now that he's four, but it's definitely not fun.

But still Julie continues to do it. Every time. She always swears this time is the last time. But, give her a month and she forgets how awful it was and finally gives in...mainly so that we can see the boys' eyebrows again. With great perseverence, she continues to cut three heads of hair and we get to pocket the money that we would have spent on haircuts (and use it for something else).

Speaking of money...since the beginning of 2008, Julie and I have been talking a lot about our finances. We are taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University on Wednesday nights and we are in the process of re-prioritizing our financial goals. You know, making our money work for us.

All this considered, I'm reminded of one of my favorite verses. Galatians 6:9 says "Do not grow weary in doing good, for in the end you will reap a harvest if you do not give up." Looking at all of our lives, it's easy to see that doing the right thing is not always easy. But the Bible tells us that if we continue to do the right thing ANYWAY, we will eventually be rewarded. In other words, we will one day see the fruit of our labor. This applies to so many ares of life...to our attitudes, our finances, our families, and even our witness.

So, today, let me encourage you to stick with the good things that God has led you to do. Hang in there, even if its difficult and you are not seeing the immediate benefits. God will bless you as you seek to do the right things in following Him...even if those we don't see the rewards until we're in heaven.

Oh, and a little advice...spend some serious time in prayer before you make the commitment to cut your kids' hair! (Thanks, Jules! You're amazing!)

Grace for Crazy Mornings

So, this morning was one of "those" mornings.   We all have them.  But, now that I am sitting at my desk, sipping my coffee, and finally having a moment to myself, I can begin to put things in perspective. And I am reminded that God teaches us things at sometimes the most inopportune moments.

First of all, mornings are a little crazy at my house. Especially Monday and Wednesday mornings when all five of us have to fed, dressed, and out of the house by 7:30 AM. Yes, 7:30! Just when I think...hey, we're getting the hang of this whole morning routine thing, we have a morning like this.

Everything was going well, but we were running a little behind. No big deal. Julie headed out for Clinton a few minutes later than she should have. I finished making sure the boys were ready, got them loaded in the van and started on the exasperatingly long "buckling up" process. I loaded my bag, their bags, Maggie's bag...everything. Then I ran back in to grab the baby to throw her in the van at the last minute and that's when I discovered it. She had what we call at my house a "blow out." No kidding. This "blow out" meant not only a diaper change, but also a complete change of outfits (which is something a dad should never have to be responsible for when it comes to little girls!).

To make a long story short, by the time I got her changed...my oldest son, who is now in first grade, was in route for his very first tardy. He was devastated. "Why did she have to do it now, Daddy?" Needless to say, he and I had a long conversation on the way to school in which I found myself saying things that I never dreamed I would say. Things like "it's okay if you get one tardy," "you're not really goinig to be in trouble," and other things that this "structure" dad never expected to say to his first-born "structure" child. Turns out his big concern was "what are they going to do to me?" I calmed his fears and assured him that there was grace for the first couple of tardies because...just as Dave Ramsey always says..."if you're breathing, emergencies are going to happen to you."

After I walked him in to school, signed the tardy form, and then deposited the other two in their places at our church, I began to really reflect on how funny the morning had been and what a blessing it is to get to have crazy mornings with my kids.

The Lord reminded me of a verse of scripture.

Ephesians 2:8 says: "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast."

So, today I am thankful for the grace that the school offered to us, knowing that we would all face emergencies in our lives that might make us get a tardy even if we didn't mean to. And, I am thankful for a loving God who offers me grace, knowing that I am going to mess up time and time again...sometimes accidentally and sometime willfully.

I pray that God will teach you many wonderful things through your crazy mornings too!