Wow! I can't believe 2005 will be over tonight. I am one who does reflect and make resolutions. This year is the most unusual I've been a part of. I start a new ministry tomorrow on New Years Day. I'm not speaking tomorrow but I am attending church and I begin this week. 2005 was a tough year. I'm glad to put it behind me. I learned a lot about human nature and perseverance. I'm proud that we built "the attik" in Mobile. It is a cool place for the students to meet. Being the last of 7 full time pastors at our church was tough. Cassandra and I wondered why God allowed us to stay at FBTC. We think it was to bridge the gap for Dr. Pouncey. He is a good man and will do a great job. Now he has a chance to shape the church with his people. Never have I been more excited about a new year than this year. There are many people that I will miss back in Mobile. We loved our house. Jacob and Hope had many friends in the neighborhood. Both Cassandra and I grew up in Alabama and have lived all over the South. Change is part of life. If you don't change you are left behind. Status quo leads to stagnancy. I never want to settle for getting by. I never will settle for 2nd best. I always move forward. I'm looking forward to meeting new friends. I'm excited about the ministry potential in NC. Our new church has welcomed us with open arms. Moving is tough on a family but they have made it easier. I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I pray that God will bless you and use each of you to reach your respective worlds for Christ.

We are slowly but surely un-packing the boxes in our new house. Last night I took out all of the boxes, trash and recycled stuff to the curb for pick-up today. We have been annexed by the city of Charlotte so our trash is collected by city workers. Last week I didn't do they recycling correctly but they took our stuff anyway. This week I did it the same and put out twice as many boxes but the workers today wouldn't take stuff. Today the worker informs me that I have to cut the boxes into 3x3 pieces and call the sanitation department for a special pick-up. This means I had to un-pack every box and put the packing paper into garbage bags. Then I had to cut every box. I have no problem with what they expect--I just wish they would have told me ahead of time. I didn't know any better. How can you do the right thing if you don't know what to do? Isn't that the way our spiritual life is? How can a person have a relationship with Christ without being shown how to know Jesus? How can a person grow in their faith if they aren't shown how to study the Bible or pray? I remember asking a student to read from the Bible during a study when we lived in Ft. Worth, TX. He snapped at me and acted all tough. After the Bible Study he pulled me aside and apologized. He said he was embarrassed because he had never opened the Bible. He didn't know how to read the Bible. I spent some time with him showing him how to use the table of contents to look for a book in the Bible. I spent time discipling him. Discipleship is essential to growth as a Christian. I'm not talking about Discipleship Training or any other program. I'm talking about one-on-one or small group discipleship. I'm grateful for being discipled in high school and college. I have spent time discipling others. I am convinced that if you don't know better, it is hard to do the right thing. That is why communication is important but training (discipleship) is essential!

I mentioned yesterday my tragic car accident I had in 1987. Here is what happened. I was delivering newspapers for the Birmingham News in Birmingham, AL. I was a graduate student at the Univeristy of Alabama @ Birmingham. I was paying my way thru school delivering 4 paper routes. I also had just bought an engagement ring for Cassandra (my lovely wife of 17 1/2 years). Cassandra and I were studying at my apartment with Bob Webb (my roomate) when I received a call from a customer whose dog ate their paper. I went to deliver them another one, but by this time it was dark. I was coming down one of the mountains in Birmingham (Homewood), listening to my Allies Cassette when an object slammed on my windshield. I slamed on the brakes and the object flew through the air about 15 feet in front of me. I hopped out of the car only to see a man lying on the pavement. Then a young lady yelled at me, "you've killed him." A man jumped on my car. He died a few days later. This was the hardest thing I have ever faced. But right then in the midst of tragedy God was at work. I had been attending Shades Mountain Baptist Church for years, but Cassandra was a member of Dawson Memorial Baptist in Homewood, AL. You know how it is when you are dating, you end up at your girlfriends church and I was no different. I had been going to Dawson eventhough I was a member of Shades. The first people to arrive at the scene of my accident was an outreach team from Dawson. One of them was an Associate Pastor there. They did so much that week it was unbelievable. The people at Dawson took care of me all week so I decided to join the church that Sunday. Little did I know the team from Dawson was ministering to the girlfriend of the man who committed suicide on my car all week long. Sunday morning during the invitation I walked down one isle of the church to join and the girlfriend of the man was walking down another to accept Christ into her life. The staff was crying and many others were too. God used an older couple that morning to minister to me because they had run over someone 2 months before. It was a tragic event and I wish it had never happened. But God used it to lead a young lady to Christ. He used it to shape me. He continues to use pain to shape me. I love Philip Yancey and his book "Where is God when it Hurts." He says that pain is actually a good thing. Without it we would hurt ourselves. It warns us when we need to make adjustments. God has used my pain to help others. He has used it to make me more like Him. I am grateful that God loves me that much.

Tony Dungy is the head coach of the best team in pro football, the Indianapolis Colts. Today he buried his oldest son James who committed suicide this past week. I can't imagine how difficult that must be. Tony is an awesome Christian and if you look here you will see how even in grief Tony's true colors come thru. He praises God in this tragic situation and shares with the sports world that his son had a relationship with Jesus. It is amazing how God is glorified in difficult circumstances. Pray for the Dungy Family! I'll never forget my tragic car accident in 1987. A man committed suicide on my car. I have never gotten over it completely. But even that tragic event led to a young lady accepting Christ. I have never felt so much pain and guilt in my life. I saw death first hand. I saw a life slip away. I am still haunted when I drive at night about people coming out of nowhere. I can't watch TV shows or movies that show scenes of people being run over. But that incident has given me 5 or 6 opportunities to help others who have been thru similar circumstances. In I Corinthians 1:3-7 says

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

God allows us to go thru things so that we can comfort others. I hope I never have to see death that closely again but I'm grateful for the love of God who helps us through!

What is the fascination with the news media and the Evangelical church? NBC and Tom Brokaw did an hour special on it a few months ago. Tonight Fox News is doing almost the same story. They interviewed Ted Haggard of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO, Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston, TX and a spokesman from Willowcreek Church in Chicago, IL. An Evangelical is a person who shares the Good News of Jesus Christ. Both reports attack the mega-churches for their practices. New Life is a very relevant church. It is too Charismatic for my taste but I think they are reaching people for Christ. I love their "Desperation" CD's especially the song "Rescue." Joel Osteen has had his share of criticism recently especially his wife Victoria. But I do like the positive message he presents. Willowcreek and Saddleback have changed church as we know it today. I guess anytime you become successful people come after you a criticize your practices. I for one am grateful for the great things that these leaders have shared with the world. I may not agree with everything that they are doing, but as Paul said as long as Christ is preached, I rejoice!

Tonight Monday Night Football is leaving ABC the network that invented MNF. It was a great run for 35 years. It has never been the same since Howard Cosell left in the 80's. Next year MNF will be on ESPN. It remains to be seen how it will change on ESPN but as in everything, change is inevitable.

I have another confession to make, I used to always have to be right! I am a very competitive person. I like to win. Cassandra will tell you that when we first started dating I would get in arguments with people who I thought were not acting according to the Bible. I was a typical Pharisee. I'm not sure what changed in me. I think I began growing more in my faith and realized that "LOVE" was more important than "Being Right." Don't get me wrong, we should stand for the truth. But here is the problem. People don't listen to you until they know you care about them. I'm concerned because I don't see as much love in churches as the world needs. We are too busy "bunkering" in our safe buildings to keep us away from "sinners." We have "Family Life Centers" so we don't have to see scantly clad people or the language that "seekers" use. We have "Fall Festivals" instead of Halloween but our un-churched neighbors just think we are snobs. We put corny saying on church signs that aren't relevant to anyone outside of church. We have our own Christian sub-culture. We place our Christian values on those who don't believe in our God. What we do is anger them and turn them away from the God we want them to meet. We want to be right We even have churches who fight with other churches because we feel our church is right! The song says they will know we are Christians by our love. Where is it? I am very concerned about what I am seeing. There are a few Non-negotiables that we should agree on: God is the only God. He is in the form of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus died for our sins and if we trust in Him we will spend eternity in Heaven. There is a real Hell. Those who don't accept God's grace will spend eternity there. We must tell others about Jesus so they won't spend eternity in Hell. We share Jesus not because we are right but because we love Him and those we share His story with. I Corinthians 13 tells us how important Love is. It is the most important thing. Jesus said we must love God with all we have and love our neighbor as ourselves. Nowhere do I see we should fight with others because we are right. Nowhere in the Bible do I see politics being the answer to the woes of the world. LOVE is the answer. We can argue about Inerency vs. Infallibility. We can argue over Calvanism vs. Arminianism. We can argue about "tongues." We can argue about styles of music. We can argue about Mega churches. We can argue about a lot of things, but what does it accomplish if we don't love others. I believe that Love is the Answer. Not just any love, but the love of Jesus. Jesus displayed the ultimate love when He died for our sins. That is true Love. Love wins!

Have you really ever thought about how strange the birth of Jesus was? Here was the Son of God, the King of the Universe, yes, the Savior and He was born in such a modest manner. I think that Jesus should have been born into pomp and circumstance. He should have had a scene like a Royal Wedding. He should have had a parade. He should have been born like Simba on the Lion King. When Simba was born his dad raised him up above all of the animals and they bowed down. Jesus was born in a stable and his crib was a manger. Think about how dirty that must have been. Why would God choose to have Jesus born in such a manner? I would have chosen better, but I'm not God. I think God wanted Jesus to be able to relate to everyone. People like to follow people with money and power. Jesus was none of that. So the people who really choose Him are following Him because He has called them thru the Holy Spirit and they really understand that they need Him. So as we celebrate Christmas, open presents and spend time with friends and family, let us remember why we really celebrate Christmas. Remember that God loved us so much He sent His Son to live as an ordinary carpenter's son and do die a horrible death on a cross for our sins! Merry Christmas!

Tony Dungy is a great man of faith. He was a great football player for the Pittsburg Steelers in the NFL. He is the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts who are the best team in the NFL. Today his son James died of an apparent suicide. He was only 18. Tony and his wife Lauren are followers of Christ. Tony is a outspoken Christian. He is an unbelievable man of God. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for his family. I encourage everyone to pray for the Dungy family during this horrible time. Pray that God will strengthen them and give them comfort and that God will be glorified in the midst of this.

Thank goodness our DSL is working again! I don't have to "borrow" wireless from my new neighbors. We are still un-packing and meeting more people from our church. Tonight we went to a cool fish place up in Denver. Not Colorado--NC. Anyway I had catfish and shrimp. Good! My back still hurts and we are exhausted. Hopefully we can actually relax next week. We actually braved Northlake Mall and Wal-Mart tonight. Not a good idea. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! Let's celebrate the birth of Jesus and pray that everyone has a Happy New Year.

Today our moving truck brought our stuff to Charlotte. The driver is a Christian but he had to sleep the entire time. The company brought in a local guy who caused nothing but trouble. He complained about everything. He wanted to be done the moment he got here. It gave us a real bad taste for this company. Then Earthlink did not have my DSL hooked up. (I'm picking up wireless from a neighbor). Earthlink dropped the ball and then lied to me about the cost we agreed last week. What happend to people taking pride in their work? What happened to keeping your word? We had some new friends from church bring us Bojangles chicken and fixins' plus a great fruit bowl. It was great! I hope to have more interesting things to share after we get the house in some sort of order!

An Alabama Power employee was showing Porn on a big screen TV in Mobile, AL. Only in Mobile. People actually stopped and watched like a drive in Movie Theater. I know where this Alabama Power office is. It is on a very busy street in Mobile. Unbelievable!

Hey Everybody from the Tar-Heel State! We are in the home state of Hope. She was born in Jacksonville, NC. We are barely in our house today. Thanks to several of our new friends from Durham Memorial for helping us move a few things in and for dinner. Our moving truck is suppose to be here tomorrow. Jacob and Hope are with their grandparents in Columbia. I will update tomorrow.

Now he had to go through Samaria. (John 4:4)

I was doing my Bible Study the other day and this verse just stuck in my head. This is the passage where Jesus meets a woman who has had 5 husbands and the one she is living with is not her husband. Jesus never condemned the woman. He just displayed love and told her the truth about Himself. What stuck in my mind was the fact that Jesus "had" to go through Samaria. No Hebrew would want to go to Samaria because the Samaritans were half-breeds. But Jesus was different than other religious leaders of His day. He met people on their turf. He met people where they were. That is why I go to places like Starbucks and Gold's Gym and such--so I can rub shoulders with lost people. If we get stuck in our "safe" Christian environments we don't interact with people who need our touch! Jesus "had" to go to Samaria--Where is it he wants you to "have" to go to reach people for Him?

Yesterday I mentioned I went to Unclaimed Baggage. What is funny in a small town like Scottsboro there are knock-offs of Unclaimed Baggage. Right across the street there is B & W's Unclaimed Baggage and next door there is Bags Unclaimed Baggage. But there is nothing like the original. The others are just junk. There is very little that you would actually want. At Bags you can get fake Oakley sunglasses (Fakley's). Back to my point yesterday. Jesus is our redeemer. He is the one leaves our baggage behind when we give them to Him. Unfortunately there are Knock-offs of Jesus all around. There are churches who try to convince us we can work our way into God's favor. There are churches who make us jump through hoops in order to get to heaven. There is only one God. I know that offends some people but Jesus said He is the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the father but by Him (John 14:6). Even good churches can lead people down the wrong path by being so busy that we end up carrying the baggage that Jesus told us to get rid of. That is why it is important to know the way to the real thing and avoid the knock-offs!

Today Jacob and I went the the world famous Unclaimed Baggage. It is an interesting place. Cassandra went to High School with one of the owners. Unclaimed Baggage buys stuff left on airlines and other places for pennies by the pound. You can find just about anything. It is amazing to me to see how many things people loose on their trips. It got me to thinking about the "baggage" that each of us carries. I saw Ed Young Jr speak at a conference about the baggage that each of us carry in our lives. He pulled on stage with a Mercedes 450 SL convertable. He said in relationships we all try to look like the Mercedes but if you look in the trunk -- we all have baggage. That is so true. Here are my thoughts. What if we left our baggage unclaimed. Isn't that what Jesus did on the cross. When we accept Christ into our lives - he never tries to claim it again. Maybe we should leave our "baggage" unclaimed and move on with our lives. I don't think God intends for us to dwell and carry our baggage around. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said to quit carrying heavy loads. I believe He wants us to leave our baggage unclaimed.

Hello from the land of snake handlers. I am in Scottsboro, Alabama where my lovely wife grew up. It really is pretty up here but I wouldn't want to live here. Today we spent most of the day in Birmingham. It has to be one of the prettiest cities anywhere-especially South Jefferson County and Shelby County. The mountains and rolling hills are breath-taking. Birmingham holds a special place in my heart. It is where I have 2 college degrees from. It is also where I met a young lady named Cassandra Frazier. My roomate, Rob Jackson (pastor of Central Baptist, Decatur, AL) was dating a girl named Tonya whom he is married to today. Her roomate and best friend from Scottsboro was Cassandra. They introduced us and I am forever grateful. She is my best friend. Today we went to the Gallaria today and it brought back memories of our dating. It was cool to show our children where we hung out and went to college. Jacob commented how beautiful it is in Birmingham especially around I-459. Birmingham is where I had a tragic car accident while delivering 4 paper routes to pay for grad school and Cassandra's engagement ring. That forever marked my life. Birmingham is where I met many life-long friends. I will always cherish my 6 years living in Birmingham. I don't know when we will ever get back but it was nice to visit today.

Mark 12:30-32 (NIV) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."

What would happen if those of us who say we believe in the Bible really lived it? Recently I have seen and heard people claim they are doing things for the "Best" of everyone. I have heard people say they have "prayed" about something and then they go against the greatest commandments of God.

If we really loved God would we hurt other people in the process? If we really loved God would we treat people ugly in the name of being right? If we really loved God why don't we love our neighbors as ourselves? Maybe we really don't love ourselves. I don't understand. I don't know why people who have the Holy Spirit living in them can't live like Jesus. I don't understand why I snap at my wife and kids when I'm stressed. I don't understand why I don't love more.

When will adult leaders realize when they don't love others as themselves it will come back and bite them? I would rather err on the side of love and forgiveness than to always be right and have no friends. I confess, this has not always been my way. I use to argue with people about spiritual matters. But I realized a person who doesn't know Christ doesn't believe my Bible. I realized that Christians can have differences of opinion. The only non-negotiables are Jesus is the only way to heaven. But I can worship with a 5 point calvanist and an Assembly of God jumping pew Christian. Yesterday I picked up some equipment I loaned to a UMC new church start. Right out in the open in front of an elementary school a UMC pastor layed hands on me and prayed a blessing over me. Somehow I believe God smiled.

When you treat people right, you can look them in the eye. When you treat people God's way, you have no regrets.

Thanks to Soupie, Roger and whoever else had a part in me getting this cool laptop. It does the trick. I am sitting at an Amerisuites in Birmingham writing my 2nd post from this cool laptop. We are nomads until Tuesday of next week. We are going to Scottsboro tomorrow. Maybe I will find some snakes to handle. That will get me off IMB's short list. HA! Then we got to Columbia and off to Charlotte. What an emotional roller coaster this has been. I hate goodbyes. I think I said goodbye to Neil 7 times this week. Cassandra has been crying and grieving leaving so many good friends. I felt like a knife was in my heart watching Jacob walk around his old house for the last time. It was just like Sunday night as he look at FBTC for the last time looking out the back of our van. I'm so glad to have a family that loves people. I have learned a lot watching Cassandra relate to others. She is amazing! She genuinely cares for people. She makes them feel at home the first time she meets them. I am truly blessed. Jacob never meets a stranger. I was so proud of him when we went to Charlotte last month. He stood in line talking with people like an adult. I've heard that is typical among homeschoolers. Hope is a comedian. She loves everyone. I have grown so much in my faith watching my family deal with unpleasant circumstances. God is faithful and takes care of our every need.

The movers were faster than we expected. We will be leaving Mobile tonight. We will be on the road for a few nights. Hope to check in but you never know.

Joe Kennedy wrote at a good article on Fundamentalism and Emerging churches. I grew up in a time where I thought Fundamentalism was a good word. When I was thinking about going to college the SBC contoversy was at it's height! My church had a cow when I decided to go to Samford University because they thought it was "liberal." That was ironic considering I lived in Tuscaloosa, AL where an adult magazine said they couldn't rank The University of Alabama in their annual Top 10 Party schools because Alabama was considered professional partiers. I like the fact that Fundamentalism is suppose to major on the fundamentals of the faith. There is no doubt that the SBC and other denominations were headed down a "liberal" path. At Samford I had a OT professor who was definately way left of my theology. I'm grateful for the Charles Stanley's, Adrian Rogers and others who made sure the SBC was headed back to the Bible. But I wonder if we have gone too far. Now, this whole mess has become personal. Ministers calling each other nasty names. Instead of praying for one another, we slander them. I have seen both of my Seminary Presidents fired @ Southwestern. I believe the next controversy is going to be about Calvanism. I have seen evil in my own church. We started an "emerging" service here in Mobile 2 years ago. I almost got run out of town eventhough I had the full support of the Senior Pastor. (he resigned the week before we started it though). One man literally stepped on my foot and questioned my faith and my Baptist heritage. He said that Baptists could trace themselves back to John the Baptist! I am not kidding! I just wish we could display the love of Christ to everyone. Especially in the church. The people who have hurt me and my family more than anyone are church members and usually leaders in the church. One of my seminary professors said this about Fundamentalism:

Fundamentalists are Evangelicals who are angry!

I believe that is true. I don't know how to label me. I'm just a follower of Jesus Christ. Someone asked me recently was I pre-trib or post-trib. Was I Calvanistic or Arminian? You know what I am:

I am Pan_______________ !

I'm Pan-trib, Pan-calvanist because it is all going to pan out in the end!

Well we offically own a home in Charlotte, NC. I did the paperwork via Fed Ex today. What a pain! Our house in Mobile is packed by United Van lines. They load everything tomorrow! Tim Tebow decided to go to Florida and we missed out on the local boy, Smelly, ughh!

Wow do I feel numb. This has been a very stressful week to say the least. We closed on our house last Friday and they gave us a check. My bank said they would have to hold the check for 3 days yet I was suppose to close on our home in Charlotte today. Well, Cassandra and I had to go to the bank our check was drawn on and get out cash, $$$$, greenbacks, mulah, yes the Benjamins! I felt like a bank robber walking out of the bank with all of that cash. Then I was worried about being robbed before I got the $$ in our bank. Our mortgage people tried to pull a bait and switch on us. We agreed on the interest rate and the amount of $$ I would need for closing today. We were going to close via mail. However, when I received my packet via FedEx today, they had two different amounts that we were to wire to Charotte! One was the one we agreed upon and the other was $3K higher. I called them on their tactics and they agreed to the original amount! Praise God! So tomorrow we will close on our house in Charlotte. The movers come tomorrow thru Thursday. I have learned valuable lessons about honesty and integrity over the last few years. If you don't have integrity you don't have much at all. I would rather be broke and be able to sleep at night than dishonest and tossing and turning. Being honest and a person of integrity may not seem to pay off now, but one day it will. Look at Joseph in the OT. He went thru lies and deceit yet he maintained his honesty and integrity. I just pray I can be that kind of man -- One who forgives and keeps his word. One who can look everyone in the eye and know that I have done nothing to harm them or their reputation. I feel I have accomplished that in Mobile. Last night I heard so many apologies. I have moved on. I forgive. I want others to move on. I hold no bitterness. What others meant for evil, God meant for good. I am moving on now. It is a place that God wants us to be at. I am excited about the future. I'm excited to be where being me is accepted. I'm excited to be where my family will be loved and accepted for who they are. I will have fond memories of our youth, youth workers and our true friends who showed their love for us yesterday afternoon. You will be missed! Thanks for your love and support!

Thanks to those of you who rolled our yard tonight! It was a great job. I don't know how you did it so secretly but I give you kudos! Seriously, thanks for making a very emotional night light hearted. We needed a laugh. Tonight was hard. Thanks for the great lunch and gifts! You will be missed! We love all of you!

I attended Samford University in Birmingham, AL. It has to be one of the most beatiful campuses in all of America. It is right in the valley of Red Mountain. I grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL home of the University of Alabama. Naturally I was a Tide fan! But my parents wanted to get me away from party town, USA. So, I wanted to go to a "Christian" school. I wanted to go to Wheaton in IL but that was too much money. 2nd choice was Baylor in Waco, TX but that was too much money. So we decided on the "Baylor of Alabama" Samford. When I told people at my church I was going to Samford they were concerned. This was at the height of the SBC controversy. How could I go to such a "liberal" school. Well I didn't major in religion that is how. I loved Samford. I was involved in a Fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha. I was active with Campus Outreach and made lots of friends and grew in my faith. While I was at Southwestern Seminary there were rumors that Samford was going to be like Baylor and Wake Forest and pull out of the SBC. I joked that when they did I would receive a letter asking for money. I was prophetic -it happened the next week. They have never gotten a dime since! Today I received a "Holiday Card" yes a "Holiday Card" not a "Christmas Card" and an envelope asking for money! I am not giving them a penny! For years the SBC has supported that school. There are thousands of leaders in the SBC all over the country who graduated from Samford (Howard College). Now they are becoming politically correct. The card said "Happy Holidays" and "Seasons Greetings." I am embarrassed! My school has sold out and left out the name of Christ!

Well, what I mean is we no longer own a home as of 5:00 PM today. We closed on our house in Mobile and will close via the US mail on our home in Charlotte on Monday. Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mobile, AL (BP) Decemeber 9, 2005 A New Orleans Baptist Theolgical Seminary Student has caused such an uproar in SBC circles that the SBC Police have put out an A.P.B. on him. His name is Joe Kennedy. Joe recently faked his own death to avoid the church police and helped fellow fugitive Kevin Bussey a.k.a. K-dawg escape from Fred Phelps. Kennedy has been in the middle of the SBC International Mission Board controversy over Baptism and private prayer language. Joe has had the audacity to question the IMB trustee's policies. This has resulted in "Christian" name-calling by those who oppose Kennedy's views. Tollerance has never been a strength among the Church police! Anyone who knows Kennedy's wherebabouts is urged to call 1-800-pharise!

I love creativity! God has blessed me with it! I have learned that creativity breeds creativity. When we started our church in Atlanta I was looking for a worship leader. I had contacts at Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta. I have never seen so many creative people in one place. From Kidstuff to their drama to music and communication. I found out that creative people flock to each other. I think we saw that here in our student ministry. As I used my creative energy, creative people began to get involved. Angela and Whitney are so talented in drama. Greg, JMO, Mike, Spots, Betti, and now Jessi are creative in music. Soupie has a creative way of teaching and Neil has his own creativity. Creativity breeds creativity. One of our deacons stopped me Wednesday night and did his best to appologize to me for stuff here @ FBTC. I told him I was fine. But he said something that took a while for me to digest. He said:

I'm sorry our church could not find a way to use your creativity.

Wow! That was an interesting statement. I have had people rattle off fondly some of the creative things I had done here. I couldn't believe they remembered. That goes to show you that creativity is effective in teaching and communicating the Bible! God is creative! Just look at creation! How can you not look at people, beaches, mountains, deserts, trees, etc and not see that God is creative! What excites me about my new ministry is that my creativity is what attracted them to me. I don't have to appologize for it! I can be who I am. For that I am grateful. I challenge everyone to find their creative juices and let them run wild!

Last night was a bitter-sweet night. I passed the baton (literally) to Soupie. Then JMO, Soup, Jessie, Greg, Angela, Whitney and Neil had a time of prayer when the students prayed over me. Two of our college students really got to me. I will miss all of you very much! Keep doing what we were doing and change things that need to be changed. I will be more offended if things stay the same unless they are still reaching students! Moving is never fun. Our realtor in Mobile called and said something about termites and a structural inspection. I just want to get this over with at this point. We are suppose to close on this house tomorrow evening and then on our house in Charlotte via phone on Monday. The movers pack Tuesday and Wednesday and load Wednesday and Thursday. We will be nomads for 5 days going to Scottsboro and then Columbia. We are excited about our new place of service. I'm also excited about what God is going to do through Element 2 Student ministries. Come see me and we will go to a NASCAR race! 88 Rules! RACE THAT TRUCK!! [update] the termite thing is ok. We close tomorrow @ 4:00!

When I first moved to Mobile, Ken Nuss' e-mail address was broken@fbtc.org I always thought that was cool because I thought he planned it that way "broken" However it was just Bro. Ken. I won't get started about the "brother" stuff now. I believe God wants all of us "BROKEN!" Pride is the sin that got Lucifer kicked out of heaven. Pride is the downfall of almost every hurting church. I am leaving Mobile broke and broken. I don't say that to have anyone feel sorry for me. I say it because it is true. God has allowed me to be broken. For that I am grateful. Henry and Richard Blackaby in their book SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP said:

"God isn't looking for people to be committed to Him, He is looking for people to be submitted to Him."

I believe this isn't something you can just decide to do. A person has to live and go through pain and suffering to get to this point. A broken person doesn't rely on their own power. They need help. Think about all of the people in the NT who had to be led to Jesus by friends because their bodies were so broken they couldn't make it there on their own. I like the book I'm reading now by Louie Giglio: I Am Not But I Know I AM. See when we give up ourselves and our own selfish desires, God steps in and takes control. Matthew 11:28-30 says:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

When we give up being, God becomes! When we stop trying to live selfish lives, God allows us to be part of something greater. My goal in life is to serve Him and be part of something bigger than myself. I am grateful God thought enough of me to be broken!

Dana we love you!

Tomorrow is my last night with our students. We've been through a lot together. They have been through more than they deserve. I do feel we have left a legacy for the next person to build upon. When I was a teacher/coach I was asked to coach the track team. We did pretty well and took a group to the state track meet. Our 4x4 relay team was one of beauty. Ken Irvin who played football in the NFL was our anchor. Frankie Fletcher who played college ball with Ken at the University of Memphis was also on this team. They were fast. But as fast as they were, it was the exchange of the baton that made a successful relay team. If they dropped the baton they lost. If they had a slow exchange they wouldn't finish first. The good teams found the right time to pass the baton and it would shave time off their run. Tomorrow I will pass the baton of "element2" to Brad (Soupie) Campbell, Angela , Neil , Whitney, JMO, Betti, Spots, Mike, Jason & Tammy and Greg. We have great teachers like Derek, Ray, Jessie, Devon, Dana, Scott and other helpers. I feel good about this because they have bought in to our vision. E2 stands for engage and entreat. We have built an awsome youth center "the attik" and have brought back some excitement to the student group that hasn't been there since Justin and Ken W. left. I'm sad to leave my friends and the students but I feel we are passing the baton at just the right place in the relay that the ministry will grow long after I am gone.

My friend Jason Burns is in need of much prayer this week. Jason is having his first preview service for his church The Springs Church. Jason helped me get started with the Bridge Church when we planted 4 1/2 years ago. He is a great guy. He just returned from Nicaragua where he was a missionary with IMB. Jason has a real heart for lost people. He is also a discipler and just a great guy. The first service will be held this Sunday @ the Carmike Theater in Newnan, GA @ 10:30 EST. Please join me in praying that God will use this weekend to make a difference for His glory! I am praying for you Jason!

I can look at a sports team and tell if the team has been well coached. A well coached team will make mistakes, but they are usually well prepared. To me, a well coached team has players who want to be coached! I wasn't the best coach in the world but in my two years coaching fooball my teams went 11-3. For that I am proud. I desire to be better than I am. That is why I read so many books. That is why I go to conferences and listen to other leaders/pastors. I have been mentored/coached by John Maxwell, Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, Chuck Swindoll, Wayne Cordiero and Andy Stanley via books, Tapes, CD's, internet and confereneces! I have wanted a personal mentor but for whatever reason it has never come to pass. I have asked 3 different people to mentor me but they all dropped the ball for some reason. I don't hold any anger, maybe dissapointment. Maybe they didn't really know how to do it. One man I asked to mentor me said yes. Then he approached me about selling "AMWAY" and I said no. I never heard from him again. O well! I pray that I can be a coach/mentor to others. I realize what I missed out on and hope that I have some things to share with others. My passion in life is to serve God and to be part of something bigger than myself. In order to do this I need to be part of a team. Life isn't like tennis. It is a team sport. People matter to God! I want to pour my life into other people. I will make mistakes. But like any good coach, I will evaluate what I have done and fine tune it. I am grateful to friends who point out flaws in my gameplan so I can correct them. I hope people especially God see me as a teachable person. Coaching is essential!

Today I began packing my office. It is kind of depressing. People keep asking me if I'm excited about moving to NC and YES I am. However, there is something depressing about packing up my office. It brings finality. There are great people @ FBTC. Today JMO and Jessi came by to see me. I am forever grateful to JMO and Justin Hase for showing me the ropes here in Mobile. JMO has a great heart and he has been a great friend. Soupie (Brad) came by later and he has had a major part of my ministry here. We built the Attik together. He has such a heart for youth and he has been a great friend. Angela and Whitney are here too. They are talented young ladies. They will make some men very Godly wives one day. Neil is here as usual. I'm excited to see what God has done in his life. God will use him in a mighty way. Greg has been a good friend also. I don't know if I have been around a more talented musician. I'm glad Joe came by Sunday. It was great to see him. He has such a passion for missions and God will use him in a great way. I hate to leave the Harbins, Bradley's, Blackmon's, Hardy's, Howell's, Davis', Bannon's, Pates, Vise's, Jones, Paige's and others who have supported my ministry and befriended my family. I am thankful for the youth who have loved us. We love them. I have been grately blessed here in Mobile. Sure we have been through a lot, but I will have fond memories of those mentioned above. I will miss the Schillinger Starbucks. I have made great friends like Todd, Dave, Brad, Christie, Kathy, Tori, Augie, Amy, and others. Thanks for the freebies! I am excited about moving to NC and the church that we are going to. They are very loving people. But for one day it is kind of depressing.

Sometimes you just can win with certain people. No matter what you do they have to be right. They have to win. I confess, I have been guilty of this before. But somehow I believe God is more concerned with our hearts than being right. In SBC circles we have purged our denomination of the "liberals" and such over the last 25 years. The only problems was the way it was done was without love. When Southwestern fired Dr. Dilday, it was cruel. He wasn't even a liberal. Anyway, this morning I read on monday morning insight that Bill Hybels and Rick Warren, mega church pastors were confessing their sins for not stepping up on the fight for AIDS/HIV. Good for them. But there were people who were saying they were "Unequally yoked" for partnering with Pharmaceutical companies! Give me a break! Come on, I will accept any free stuff I can to help hurting people. In fact, yesterday, Toys for Tots and Wal Mart gave FBTC a huge truck load of toys and stuff for its Christmas Store. The Christmas Store gives FREE Christmas presents to needy people in Southwest Mobile. Does this mean that FBTC is unequally yoked? I don't think so. I think we can nit-pick everything to death. Marty Duren has been bringing up another important issue in SBC circles. The International Mission Board is now requiring that its missionaries be baptized in an SBC church. My question is when is being "right" more important than love?