Eight Months

Here are a few things I have learned in the past eight months or that I already knew that has been reinforced.

- I am called to be faithful to Jesus Christ and to my wife! It’s easy to think that your success depends on numbers and growth and not a relationship. Seriously, if I am successful in life it will be because I am faithful to Jesus and to my family!


- Your circumstances cannot determine whether or not you’re successful! There will be weeks when numbers are good and lives are being changed. Then there will be weeks when nothing is happening. If we let our circumstances determine our emotions we will be a roller coaster.


- We will go as high as we can take it! Jeff Appling, the pastor at The Grove, told me several months ago that “I would go as high as my pain tolerance would go”! At the time it was a good statement and now it’s a great statement.


- This church doesn’t need me! I have heard this over and over throughout the past nine years and then it became reality in January! I haven’t told anyone this so here goes. I asked a friend of mine Andrew Eberhart to come and speak one Sunday when I was gone. When I am away from Shoal Creek I worry so much. So it was not a shock when I was thinking “oh I hope he doesn’t mess everything up.” That’s always an open door for God bring you down a little bit, because since then I have probably heard 20 times a quote of something he said. Shoal Creek doesn’t need me, Andrew, or anyone else! They only need Jesus and when I am not pointing people to Jesus I need to quit.



- Abby doesn’t need me! That will scare the crap out of you. When you realize that your spouse can live without you! Abby could make it fine, if not better without me. So I never want to take what we have lightly. I must thank God for her every day and protect what we have with all my heart.



- God doesn’t need me! That’s right He don’t need me, but He wants me! That’s a huge difference! To think that God couldn’t get by without me that’s pretty dang funny! He wants me! He wants everything I am and everything I have!