Silence, Listening, Thinking, Dreaming

It's been over 2 weeks since my last post. I would apologize for that but . . . well . . . I'm not really sorry.

A lot has happened in the past 2 weeks and it's been good to sit back in silence, listen to God, think about what He's teaching me and dream of what He has in store.

I turned 40 last week. While many people did and continue to call me old or make "Old Man" jokes, I don't feel any different than I did at 39. However this mile marker has forced me to think back on my life. What have I accomplished, what has God been able to do through me, what has God not been able to do because of pride or disobedience or distractions. And then there's the big question, What does God have in store for the next 40 years?

I've taken a lot of time, over the past couple of weeks, to really connect with God, plug into Him, ask some hard questions and listen to His response. While He's not laid out the next 40 years, He's starting to put the next couple of steps in front of me. I heard an illustration one time that God's will is like the headlights on your car. They don't illuminate your entire trip, they simply illuminate the next few steps. God is my headlight and is beginning to illuminate my next few steps. I'm excited about the next few steps as well as the next 40 years. As long as I'm connected with God and allowing Him to control the steps, it's going to be a crazy, exciting, challenging and totally fulfilling.

G3

Purse Update

I just received a call from Emily. The purse has been found and all of it's contents are intact. Another student found it and took it to the Art Room. Praise God. No More Tears.

It was a great learning experience for all.

G3

Reflections

Well, it's been an interesting 24 hours in the Wales household. I received a phone call yesterday afternoon from Jennifer telling me that our oldest daughter (Emily) had lost her purse at school today.

Well, since that call came in I've seen a lot of tears, called AT&T to disable her phone, seen lots of tears, watched a field hockey game (she won), seen lots of tears, tried to determine where the purse was last seen, lots of tears, tried to determine what all was in the purse (phone, keys, glasses, ID, wallet, money), again lots of tears, tried to explain 7th grade math between lots of tears, calculated the monetary loss if in fact the purse is gone, lots of tears, called several of Emily's friends to see if they saw or heard anything, lots more tears and went and met with the school principal this morning. . . . Still no purse! But lots of tears.

As I reflect on this experience and what lessons can be learned and taught through it, I'm reminded of what the important things are in life. It's not about the possessions we have or the stuff we acquire but about the relationships we form with God, through life in Christ, and the relationship we have with family and friends. My relationship with Emily and how I handle the "lost purse" incident is a million times more important than the cost of replacing the "Stuff" in the purse.

The same is true with our lives. Next week I'll reach a milestone in my own life. I'll be turning 40. As I reflect on that day, I can't help but think about what kind of a difference I am (or am not) making in the lives of family, friends and those around me. Am I living a life that is God honoring, Christ reflecting and Holy Spirit filled? Am I more concerned about what God wants for me and through me than what I want for me?

Perry Noble is the pastor at NewSpring Church in Anderson South Carolina. He had a fantastic blog post today about being "Nice Christian Boys and Girls." I'm going to link to that post below.
HOWEVER, I MUST GIVE YOU A WARNING!

Don't read this post. . . Don't click on it. . . Don't even look at it, unless you are a strong person. Not physically strong but mentally and spiritually strong. If you're comfortable in your life, if you are comfortable attending church on the weekend and then doing whatever you want throughout the week, then don't read his post. Click away, Click away now. He pulls no punches, he tells it like it is and he is leading one of the largest, fastest growing churches in America today. In fact, this past weekend they baptized 562 people on Saturday. He's a leader, he speaks the truth from God's word and he is black and white about how we as "Christ Lovers" should live.

OK, I think I've disclaimed this link enough. If you click on it, you're doing so at your own risk. Good luck and your live may never be the same again.

By the way, if you do click on the link, send me a comment and let me know what God said to you as you read it. Not what your opinion is of Perry or his post but what God said as you read it.

Here's the link. Enjoy!

Setting Sail

Well, the 30 foot long pirate ship is almost complete and ready to set sail for this weekends launch of "Parents of the Caribbean." We've been working on this series for months and I'm very excited that it's finally here. The advertisements hit the newspapers yesterday, the invite cards have been out for 2 weeks and the messages are getting their final touches.

If you are a part of a family; functional or dysfunctional, then do whatever you need to do to check out either the 9:00am or 10:45am services. In fact, bring a friend or 5 and play your part in their lives.

Where's the Faith

I've been reading through the book of Acts and recently read chapter 3. As I was reading the first 16 verses God seemed to convict me of my own faith.

In this story, Peter and John are about to enter the temple. They see a lame man outside the temple begging for money. They approach the man and he believes they're going to give him some money. However, rather than give him money, they heal him of a condition that he's had since birth. The man is astonished, as are all of those around him. However, Peter and John are quick to give credit where credit is due. They don't take credit for themselves but give it to God and faith in Jesus.

What's really cool about this passage is that the same Holy Spirit that empowered Peter and John, is the same Holy Spirit that is alive and well and living in us. The problem is that we don't have the faith to really believe in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Imagine what we could do if we truly had the faith of a mustered seed and believed that with the Holy Spirit in us we can move mountains. Imagine if we truly believed that what God did in Acts 2 He could do in Nazareth PA. Imagine if we truly believed that The Carpenter's Church exists to lead the Greater Lehigh Valley to Christ and that God is preparing us to do just that.

God's is working on my faith, how about you? Let's jump in the game, believe that God can do anything and take this Valley for Him.

Who's With Me?

G3

Sunday Night Mind Dump

What an amazing day! I'm not sure I've ever experienced a service like we had at The Carpenter's this morning. Here are some of my thoughts on the day.

• What a powerful worship set this morning. The congregation was singing louder than my ear monitors.
  
• The two highlight songs were "Awesome is the Lord Most High" and Chris Tomlin's version of "Amazing Grace: (My Chains Are Gone)"
• We had 9 people prepared to take the next step in their spiritual journey and follow God's command to be baptized.
• We then took a cue from Acts 2 and asked anyone who wanted to get baptized to come forward. We were totally blown away as 8 or 9 people came forward and proclaimed their faith in Christ by following Him in baptism. It was one of the most powerful times in the church's history.
• Our service was 1 hour and 40 minutes long and no one cared. In fact most people stayed around for a picnic afterward.
• Thank you for the entire staff and volunteer team at The Carpenter's. You all rock! You stepped up today. It was awesome.
• I'm so looking forward to the Parents of the Caribbean series that starts on September 9th. It's going to be amazing and the 30 foot long Pirate Ship is really cool.

Church, we're going to do what it takes to reach the Lehigh Valley for Christ. It is our focus and God is moving in that direction. Hang on tight because it's going to be a fast and wild ride.

G3

Shout Out to Tony and Renee

Last night Jennifer, Emily and I had the privilege of celebrating the 25 wedding anniversary of Tony and Renee Trinchere. It was a dinner party and a great time to catch up with old friends and celebrate what God is doing in Tony, Renee and their family.

In today's world, 25 years of marriage is amazing. Tony & Renee have reached that milestone with a commitment to God, each other and their family. If you know Tony and Renee, give them a shout out. If you don't, go ahead and visit Renee's web site (she's in real estate) and shoot her a quick e-mail. I know they'd appreciate it.

G3