A New Year a New Direction (Part Three: The Church)

A new direction in the church.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of
three strands is not quickly broken. Ecc 4:12

This year we are also planning some changes in the Sunday School
department. I am personally stoked about the upcomming SS retreat
march 12-13. Were we are doing training in the 3Dimentional Sunday
School. A healthy SS should invite, connect, and discover. It should
be both fun and inspiring.

God is amazing and has been doing amazing things at Happy Hill. I look
forward to see what comes next.

Ps. I'm also already getting excited about vacation bible school. And
yes I do plan to ride a horse.

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A New Year A New Direction (Part Two: My Personal Life)

New direction for my personal life.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16.

I am currently preaching a sermon series on being intentional in life, living by decision instead of default. To be perfectly honest I came up with the idea for this sermon series more than a year ago, but for a couple of reasons I didn't start until this year. The main reason is because I have never been comfortable preaching about something that I have failed to get grasp of in my own life. The other reason is that I wanted to do more research on the topic.  However, in the interim I have gained at least a moderate grasp on being intentional in life. Layney and I started with our finances, that was a tough one for me but it has been a real blessing. We have also focused on being intentional in our relationships, work, joy, spiritual growth, and health. Some have needed more work than others, but all have been a blessing in our lives. (for example I've lost over 60 lbs.)

For more information on being intentional join us on Sunday morning or
check out http://www.theintentionallife.com/
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A New Year and a New Direction (Part One: This Blog)

1 God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalms 46:1-3, 7

2010  has been a hard year already for many people that I know.  In the last four weeks at Happy Hill we have lost two dearly loved church members.  While we know they are sharing eternity now with our Lord our hearts are still aching.  Yet still there are many more losses that our members have elt on a personal level.  I admit even Layney and I have experienced several deep personal losses in the past couple of months.  But even when times are hard and it seems the world is falling down around you, God is your refuge and strenth.  By leaning on Him you can get through any challenge. 

A new direction for this blog.

This year I planned several changes for this blog, however the hardships I mentioned above got in the way.  but now it is time to get started. 

While evaluating this blog and where I should take it this year I thought about all of the blogs I like to read.  Usually they are leadership blogs focused on encourageing and helping pastor's.  As a young pastor I need as much help as I can get.  So I thought about my own audience and asked what is the best thing I can share with you. 

God has instilled in me a desire to lead people to have a better life, by the practical application of God's word, helping them draw closer to God, and by sharing the wisdom God has given me through my experinces and by listening to His voice.  That is parially why I am a pastor, and the fact that I am called. 

With that desire in mind I thought it would be good to adjust slightly how I think about this blog.  So here are some changes you can look forward to. 

• I Plan to post more frequently.  My initial goal will be three times a week; sometimes they will be long sometimes short, sometimes they will be in a devotional style like I have done before and sometimes they will just be informative of what is going on for me. 
• I am going to be more candid in my posts.  Previously because I allways want to put my best foot forward I would not post a blog unless I had worked on it for a long time, reviewed it twice, and usually had my wife read it for grammer and spelling.  But since I am planning to post more often I will have to just post thoughts.
• I am going to do my best to share my passions, God's word, any wisdom I have, and lead us all (me included) to living better lives through Christ. 
• I want his blog to be relevant to where you are, and what you want to hear about, so for that reason I am listing my email address in my profile description.  I also get an email from every comment on here so please feel free to ask questions and make comments. 

My sincere hope is that you will enjoy and get a lot out of my blog this year.  I look forward to hearing your feedback.