a little poetic flava tonight

God of awesome power and might you move me

not with force like a wave moves rock from a sea side cliff,

but like a song that moves feet to dance or a sonnet a heart to sing.

You move me, and as I dance, the tide of time ebbs away from me,

You move me, and as I sing the waves go back to the sea.

With the waves the rocks that make my heart heavy and my feet stumble

are drawn into a sea that conceals and a river that does not remember.

God of awesome power and might you move me.


-God thanks for moving me.

great day at the embassy!

Emc Team you ROCK!!! As I reflect on yesterday's gathering at the embassy my heart grows warmer than the cafe au lait with hazelnut that sits on the table beside me. Why? I knew you would ask. Let me list a few things.

1. we had several new emc-ers that have linked up with the team to help make Sundays possible. You know who your are and thanks!

(People hooking up with the vision of creating an environnment where unchurched, or dechurched people can connect with God and each other gets me jazzed. If you are new to the embassy what are you waiting for, jump in and lets make a huge impact together on woodstock and our surrounding communities!)

2. the media team. Thanks for yesterday. i threw a lot at you and you kept up with a crazy morning of cues for visuals, clips, and lighting. (we're always in need of more techno-freaks)

3. the teaching had a different flavor then usual with nearly 11 minutes of clips interwoven into the teaching. To be honest I worried it would crash and burn, but all I have heard has been great responses. Again thanks tech guys for keeping it fluid.

4. Pastor Jared, Charla, & Katie continue to do an incredible job with leading us into worship and great reports are coming out of our embassy kids ministry. Thanks Amie for all you and your team do to make the kids excited about God and church.

(we are in bad need of a drummer, bassist, & lead guitarist...oh and a kazoo player! If interested e-mail jared@embassymetro.org) "I need more cowbell... I have a fever and the only cure for my fever, is more cow bell."

5. saving the best for last, we had one guy express an interest in begining a relationship with Christ! That's what I'm talking about!


I feel like we have a long way to go to become one of the great churches that God will use to impact our community in a real and significant way, but Sundays like yesterday let me know that we are right on track. Thanks to all who have sacrificed so much to make emc a reality. Proud to be your pastor.

Big Church Kid's Ministry on a New Church Budget

When we were preparing to launch the Embassy we new that a large part of our demographic included young married's with children from birth to 6th grade. We wanted to create a fun and planned environment where children could learn character development, Biblical understanding and grow up loving God, themselves, others and church. I refuse to have children grow up hating church or feeling like God isn't relevant to them on my watch.

Well this put us into a great dilemma seeing how we began this endeavor with only eight people including our children. Through our development stage we tried to figure ways we could provide quality children's ministry, but it always came down to our lack of resources; both finances, and personnel.

This fall we came across and incredible find at the Drive Conference. A ministry named Kidmo was in the ministry resource area. Lil' K (pre-school) and Kidmo (K-6th) provide a video base presentation for kids that includes pre-service music, worship, games, and weekly lessons. This looked like something we could do. So long story short when we launched on January 8th with an emcee (my wife, Amie) and a few helpers we were able to offer an amazing and engaging ministry for kids.

We have gained several families already because their children love the kid's ministry. It's so cool to see the kids get to the theater and run ahead of their parents on the way to embassy kids. Kidmo we love you!!!!!!!! If your looking for a great environment for your children I think you'll be pleased with embassy kids. If you are a church planter or in a ministry that doesn't have the resources to provide the quality of ministry children need than check out Kidmo. I know you will be pleased. www.kidmo.com

what'll ya have!

That's the famous line you'll hear when you go to eat at the world's largest drive-in. The Varsity is in downtown Atlanta on more than two acres and can accommodate 600 cars and over 800 people inside. "On days when the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets are playing a home game, over 30,000 people visit The Varsity." www.thevarsity.com

Last night we took our team to the Varsity just to get out of the house. Every Monday night we have our team meeting and since we don't have offices yet there isn't much separation between work and family life. That's the same reason I'm at the Serene Bean this morning instead of locked in my office at the house. Well anyhoo, the Varsity is amazing and we had a great time. My favorite Varsity greasy fix starts with a small order of wings, a chili dog with mustard (don't say coney or they'll know you're a "d--n yankee") a coke to wash it down (don't say pop or they'll really know you're a "d--n yankee") and finally a frosted orange which is a chunk of heaven frozen with citrus and served with a straw. Oh how I love Atlanta. Let me count the ways.....1.the Varsity.....2.Chic-fil-A....3.Waffle House....mmmm good.

What can you learn by going to the Varsity. They do a few things well. There products are few, but their presentations vary enough to meet the needs of those who come through their doors (except maybe non-grease loving vegitarians). Because of that the Varsity has become the World's Largest drive-in.

Often churches try to do too much and because of it they fail to become the great movements that they could have become. I hope our team can continue to discern between what's good and what's best, and from what's just busy from what's beneficial. I'm not a big numbers guy and those of you who know me know that, but is it possible that someday 30,000 people could come through the many campuses of embassy metro church on a given Sunday? I don't know, but the future looks good! Oh, did I mention the Varisty has onion rings? This Sunday there will be onion rings instead of doughnuts in the cafe' at the embassy! See ya then. I keed.

I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler

O.K. so I'm not so much a rambler, nor am I a gambler, but over the past 6 months I have become quite the Dylan fan. It started with my rather ecletic taste for music. Last October I came across the audio book of Dylan's autobiography Chronicles: Volume 1. In this amazing set Bob Dylan shares his thoughts on hundreds of songs, artists, poets, and philosphers. To hear about the experiences, artists, and everyday joes that made Dylan who he is, was a great discovery.

Then my interest was peaked in December when I came across a podcast of the Martin Scorsese documentary of Dylan's early musical career. I must have listened to the whole thing five times. Dude this guy influenced everybody from the Beatles to CCR, to Johnny Cash. A couple of days ago I purchased the soundtrack to the documentary, "No Direction Home." Man I have loved every phrase that has been turned and every note that has been bent by his famous vocal style. Notes that slide around the melody over and under, but always into your heart. All I've got to say, if you are looking for a good 2 CD collection of Dylan's early never before released recordings then the answer my friend is blowing in the wind the answer is blowing in the wind. You can't go wrong with this set.

being creative is hard.....gosh

Last week I picked up a copy of Ed Young's lastest book - The Creative Leader: Unleashing the Power of Your Creative Potential. Throughout my ministry the past 14 years I have always pushed to be creative. With each creative attempt to connect modern earth dwellers to ancient truths I find myself hitting a wall that compels me to quit trying so hard. You know it would be easier to just write a nice neat little sermon with three points and a poem, and we'll all just grin and bear it and get on to the next week with more of the same. Heck, I can't do that so I strive everytime to push the wall down and on the other side I find the creativity necessary to relate God's Word to the bi-peds in my pews (I mean theater seating).
For years I thought maybe I am not that creative because it rarely comes without effort, but reading the first few chapters of Ed's book I've found that this is part of the normal process. If you are like me and you can't stand for mediocre presentations of the greatest message ever told, but also you find yourself hitting the wall, know this we're normal. Ed says the push to be creative is the hardest thing he has experienced in his life. What's the alternative? Do we back down and fail to express the creativity of our creative God. No, for people's sakes no! We face the wall and through prayer, teamwork, and intense effort we find new ways to help people grasp all that God is and all that God has for them.



Below you'll find the Publisher's Book Synopsis:

Unleashing the power of your creative potential

Why should we implement creativity in leadership?

God invented creativity.
Jesus modeled it.
The Holy Spirit empowers it.
And people desperately need it.
Creativity is not an option for the church; it is a biblical mandate that flows from the very character of the Creator. If church leaders are going to live out the challenging mission that God has laid out for the local church, we must unleash the creative potential available to us.
This book is the definitive answer for the question Ed Young hears over and over again…What have you done at Fellowship Church to remain creative and continue growing? Think of it as a field manual for doing church differently. Packed with details, this book covers the full spectrum of church leadership all in one place, including:


Things they didn’t teach me in seminary
A step-by-step look at message development
Crafting effective illustrations
Implementing team creativity
How to keep your audience engaged
Building a creative staff
Overcoming obstacles to innovation
Integrating multiple senses into your service
Tips to keep the ideas flowing and avoid burnout
A big-picture rundown for your weekend service
With practical case studies of proven creative leaders and candid Q&A sessions at the end of each section, this book offers concrete help and hope to those who need a jump-start in their creative planning.

If you’re looking for a resource to help you maintain the status quo, this is not it. But if you’re looking for a book that can help bring a sense of vitality and excitement to both your life and your organization, this book is for you.

life is good

Amie and I are sitting on the porch over looking the lake while our kids are playing in the dirt (sand)...dirty sand. The church is growing every week and I actually like the people God is sending our way. If you would have told me 9 months ago that we would have the staff that we have I wouldn't have believed you, oh and my wife is finer than a frog's hair split three ways. Life is good! God is good.

a new friend

This morning I got to spend a little time with a church planter from Canton. Gary Lamb launched Ridge Stone Church almost two years ago. The church is currently meeting in a theater about 14 miles from Cherokee 16 Theatre where we recently launched. It was great spending time with a guy that has journeyed down the same path that we are now heading. I love how God is raising up leadership that is real. Like Gary said "what you see is what you get." I really enjoyed the time spent and felt like Gary was open to helping a new guy out with ideas and warnings. If you are reading this Gary....you are falling into my trap as I befriend you and then steal all your ideas.....Ha! Ha! Ha!

No really, it was such a good time getting to know Gary. I am proud to be reaching people through church plants in the same county as guys like Gary Lamb, Eddie Johnson, & Chuck Angel. I trust we'll all be faithful to what God has called each of us to and collectively reach many for Christ in Cherokee County.

One other thought....I was told that my blog sucks because I wait to long between entries I'm not going to say who told me that, but.....Gary you're right. Thanks for breakfast my new friend (that sounds so corny)

Free Buzz

We are a few weeks past our launch and things have been going well. each week we have had new people and I am loving hearing their stories. Last week I received a phone call from Candice Hannigan. She writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She had seen our signs and decided to follow up with us. I had a great conversation with Candice, whom you can tell is passionate about what she does, and now today our church has a write up about it in the AJC Cherokee County section.

I feel the best form of getting "the word out" is through the personal stories of people as God begins to be real in their lives. As you begin a new church obviously those you have spreading the news about what's going on is going to be a small number. I am very thankful to Candice for contacting us and giving us this opportunity for exposure. I hope that we can be a place for those who are searching out matters of faith and spirituality, those who are searching for a church family to call home, or those who have just felt like church is the last place they want to go to connect with God. When these people begin to experience a relationship with Jesus in an environment that is real, the stories won't stop.

Thanks AJC for helping us get the word out as we are still gaining our voice. Keep your ears open though, cause I know God has great plans for the many who will connect to Him through Embassy Metro Church. Looking forward to the ongoing buzz of God at work in people's lives!!! I can't wait to hear your story.

God Knows

The phrase "God knows" holds great power. There have been times in my life that this thought had the power to make me feel uncomfortable. Other times this phrase evoked more questions like, "If He knows, then why?",but today as I ponder this thought it fills me with confidence and hope. It has been nearly 18 months since Amie and I chose to follow God's leading to come to Woodstock and eight months since our family finally arrived. Somedays we felt like we were right on track. Other days we felt as lost and as out of control of our futures as possible.

Today as I look back to the past 8 months I can see how God has led us at every turn, but in those moments the uncertainty of the future clouded my view. The compass at times seemed to spin in all directions and thoughts like, "am I going the right way?" were often, but God knows! Looking back and seeing that my feelings of uncertainty did not negate the fact that God was leading brings the confidence that the next step of our journey is already planned by God. That gives me such hope because even though I may feel like, "am I on the right track?" or I may question what's around the bend...God knows.

I guess what I am trying to say is that even if right now you don't feel like you have everything figured out in life and your future is uncertain God knows. As you pursue Him and the path He has for you you can be confident that He is more able to keep you going in the right direction than you are able to get yourself lost. God knows....stay close to Him....you'll get there...I'm confident of that.

Embassy Metro Church has Officially Launched!

This has been the busiest two months of my life as we have worked toward launching emc. Right now all of us staffers have full-time jobs so this has been draining, but we have seen God provide the resources and strength to make it happen!

Sunday was a great success. The emc team blew my mind and made me the proudest pastor ever. You all we're amazing and gave 110% all weekend. Your labor of love made the difference seeing how we had many people who had checked out of church say that this is just what they've been looking for. The most exciting thing is that we had two people make decisions to begin a relationship with Christ. Rock on!!!

The weekend was not without its mishaps. It started on Saturday when we were suppose to all meet at the theater to practice set-up. All of the staff and a bunch of the team worked late on the final touches. Everybody left our house by mid-night or so and Jared and I had a couple other things to finish up. Long story short I fell a sleep making soemthing on the computer and Jared sat on the couch to take a break. I think you know where I am going with this. Yes your faithful and fearless leaders slept the sleep of the sleep deprived and we didn't make it to the theater until 9:00am (one hour late). Thanks to the emc team for understanding and not ripping on us too much. On launch day we had a breaker pop a few minutes before service and a few other small things, but for the most part it went really smooth. Oh, I fell off the stage....no I'm kidding, although I do anticipate that happening someday.

I'd like to finish today by saying thank you to all who have made the launching of EMC possible. First, thank you to everyone who has been calling EMC their home during our pre-launch stages. Your patience, giving, and labor of love are amazing! Thanks for all the support we have received from family and friends. You know who you are. We also want to give a shout out to Pastor Blair and the Mansfield First Assembly of God family in Ohio who helped with finances, leadership and encouragement. Another big thanks goes to the Georgia Ministries and Resource Center of the Assemblies of God for partnering with us financially helping us with our equipment. Finally, we want to say thanks to Bill & Lara Randall at the Serene Bean Coffee house and Dr. Lisa Chrismer at the Chrismer Center for being friends and offering us space to use while we were preparing to launch. And finally, the biggest thanks goes to God for giving us this vision, equipping us for this vision, and leading us at every turn. This is for you Jesus. I love you and trust you will use our efforts to affect our region, bringing many to a life lived with you and for you.

Don't Pay the Ransom!

I have broken free from my hostages and have escaped unscathed. I trust nobody paid the ransom....wait you mean you didn't even try to pay the ransom. I see, I am awol from the blogging community and nobody even noticed. For two months I have not been active in the exchange of thoughts via this wonderful media and NOBODY N-O-T-I-C-E-D. Hey you know what It's ok....tear...whimper.....get yourself composed man what's wrong with you? I'm back and will continue to lay out my thoughts for all to see right here, same place, same local station.

The past two months have been very busy as the embassy gears up for our January 8th launch at the theater. We have had new people come to our gatherings on a weekly basis. It's amazing watching God put embassy metro church together. Let me give a shout out to everyone who is part of the embassy metro church family. I am loving being your pastor!! Let me also throw thanks out to everyone who has helped out with finances, prayer, and labor of love. What we are endeavoring to do for God would not be possible without your involvment. Thank you for making it a joy to serve you while I am striving to serve God.

Well even though you didn't pay my ransom I can say a big thanks to Jesus who paid the price for me so that I could live the greatest adventure possible. None of us have to be hostage to sin, or to lives separated from God's purpose. Through Jesus we can live and be free to experience His best for our lives!

Great News!

For the past two and a half months we have been given the opportunity to meet on Sunday nights at the Serene Bean Coffee house in Woodstock, GA. This has been a great venue, but if you've been with us at the Bean lately you know we are running out of room for the children. Amie & Charla have done a great job with noise control in the other part of the coffee shop, but we don't wish to do noise control with kids we want to do ministry. Seeing that we are going to Sunday mornings on Oct. 2nd at the Bean and will be there until our Jan. 8th kick-off at the theater we can't wait until then to effectively engage our children. Well Sunday night we were thinking about a solution and the thought came to ask the owner of the wellness center if we could use her tae kwon do dojo for the kids. Her store front is just a few doors down in the same building. I got great news. I met with the owner and not only has she offered her dojo she said we can use every room, but her office and file room. Amazing! She was so excited about being able to help us. Her daughter remembers us from the concerts in the park where she got her face painted. I thank God that the owner was one of the first people we met last year when Amie and I came for a visit. It was a God thing that He popped that thought in our hearts on Sunday and today it's a reality. We now have plenty of room for children's ministries until we get to the theater!

Thanks to Whom Thanks is Do

I just want to take a moment to give props to Jared for all the work he has done on the website. Obviously he's got mad skillz and I'm glad he's with us. Vote for Pedro...I mean Jared. Jared man you're dynamite! Thanks from the whole emc gang.

Thoughts from a Mac Store

Hey there I just wanted to give a shout out to everyone from one of my favorite stores. So greetings from the Apple store in the Lenox Mall in Atlanta, GA. I love coming to the Apple Store. It is a symbol of excellence, innovation, stability, and infectious marketing. Apple throughout the years has chosen to do a few things well and it is paying off.

Everyone who reads my blog knows I'm a church planter (that means I am starting a new church). For those of you who have heard me share our vision, you know I am not about busying people with church programming. I think throughout the years the church has tried to do everything and in doing so has accomplished little. It is so important to know what God is calling you to do and then do that well.

I want to help those who find church irrelevant begin to grow in relationship with others and become devoted followers of Christ. For many people the operating system they are use to makes sense (i.e. PC). Within this system the idea of switching to a different platform (OSX) is perceived as confusing & cumbersome. In life we are all running our lives on some platform. For many Christian principles and the Church appear to be cumbersome at best, confusing at worst. We need to present to people that Christianity isn't about this meeting, teaching seminar,men's breakfast, and fund raisers. If we are not careful we will clutter our life's desktops with the good and miss out on the best. Christianity is about a relationship with Jesus and with other's as you grow together as followers of Christ. That's it! Yes we need to become more like Christ, yes we need to understand the principles of the Bible, yes we need to be concerned about our world, but many of the things we do in church are counter-productive. It is time to simplify.

I think Apple reveals to us the principle to do less for greater results. Jesus taught principles, he ate dinner with people, he showed expressions of love to children. I guess what I am trying to say is I want to be more like Christ. Embassy Metro Church will not have a handle on every niche of Christian ministry. We will create environments that relate to the unchurched introducing them to Christ and principles for life. We will reach our children and youth because they are our next generation. We will grow together in small groups because it's healthy and Jesus spent time with 12 other guys too. We will do less for more. We will be a group of people who focus on a few things and through the help of God's Holy Spirit we will become a place of excellence, innovation, stability, and infectious marketing. We hope in the years to come many will make the jump to a new operating system (JC...ok that was corny) for their lives because we chose to be intentional & focused.

Thoughts on Work and Life Outside the Christian Ghetto.

The past two weeks have definitely been different. I have been doing a remodeling job in Mid-town Atlanta. The place is a large production house that at one time edited some of your favorite movies (like Species) ok I actually never saw it, but it's always lurking on the video shelf when you are looking for movies like Spanglish, Space Balls, and Sparticus. The place has been closed down for a few years. Everything was just shut up as if the last day of work "2002 something" they expected to be back on Monday. Who knew how much a place could get run down by just sitting empty for a few years. Oak ceiling buckled from humidity in the non air-conditioned building. Mold growing in bathrooms, and every light bulb in the building (100's of light bulbs) all needing replaced. It's been weird not earning my livelihood full-time around a church setting. Weird, but not bad. The guys I am working with are salt of the earth great guys who know how to sling both dry wall mud and four letter words. The stories they tell are often a little crude, but they are there stories and it's been great getting to know them.


For the ten years before we came to GA I had the privilege of working full-time at a church. I must admit I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to it again, however, at times it was a bit too sanitized. It often felt like I was living in a Christian Ghetto where everyone spoke the same language and told the same stories. Everything so clean neat and orderly. I had to be very purposeful to venture outside the "shining" walls of our sweet and fair city. Whenever people fail to make the effort to walk beyond the walls of their Christian Ghetto it doesn't take too long before they forget about people who are lost just beyond self imposed borders. But Ross, we are to "come out from among them and be separate" yes, but we are to be salt and light effecting change and bringing direction to our world. We can't do that inside our Christian Ghettos. We have our language, our arts, our entertainment (wait innertainment), our stories.....so busy with our stories that we fail to listen to the stories of those outside our "fair cities." There has to be a place where our world can intersect and we can earn the right to be heard. That place is the border land of stories where person-hood is expressed and relationships are formed. Relationships that serve to effortlessly tug on another person to follow you as you are following Christ.

We have to take a few steps away from our Christian Ghetto and intersect life with those who are unfamiliar with the language, policies, protocol, and frankly "bull" that is often a part of fitting in to our environment. Listen to their lives as told through their stories. Hear their joys, and sorrows, victories and defeats....and tell your stories, not your two cent answers. They will venture out of their world to the border also and there they should find a person who isn't afraid to engage them and simply tell their stories. Sometimes these stories will be trivial; old girlfriends, fights, jobs, and adventures, but eventually and usually sooner than you would expect a spiritual element moves into your conversation. Nothing forced, it's just a part of your life and there in this border land someone on "the other side" wants a glimpse of your spirituality. Don't lead them up a hill of self righteousness because all they will see is a view of the Ghetto. Show them Jesus. The Jesus that loved you enough....tell the story. The Jesus that can still heal a broken heart.....tell the story. The Jesus that understands.....tell the story.

I would say 70% of my day with the guys I am working with is just telling stories. After a couple of weeks of this, yesterday they began wanting to know about spiritual things. Why? Because they want to know more about me, and my walk with Jesus is a huge part of me so they had to ask. Just like I had to ask about demolition car driving and somehow that conversation led into a diatribe on elaborate bongs (pipes for smoking pot: definition for those firmly entrenched in the CG) I now know more about the art of hittin' a bowl than a pastor will ever need to know, but yesterday they asked me about spiritual things! I guess that's all I got to say about that. Venture out, listen up, intersect, share life, reveal Christ, expand the kingdom.

They Grow Up So Fast

Today was the first day of school for my girls, Adalee (8) & Aubrynn (6). We dropped them off at their new school which is 4 times the size of their old school in Ohio. Needless to say we were experiencing a little parental angst. When we picked them up at the bus stop they both were full of stories to tell about the school, the potential of new friends, and how you don't need money for lunch you just punch your student # in a box and they "just give you your food without any money". What they didn't realize is we had paid for their lunches in advance....hmm I'll come back to this. Let me keep my mind on the start of school.

I am a really sappy kind of guy and the start of every schooI year acts as an annual FYI memo to my brain that says "your children are getting older and one day will be gone." Excuse me...I'm getting a little vaclemped...talk amongst yourselves...ok I'm better. With them going back to school so early in the summer I felt bad for them even though they do get five weeks off throughout the school year.

When I was a kid we didn't usually go back until the Tuesday after Labor Day. Three full months of fun before I had to go back and walk to school three miles each way barefoot in the snow. Summer was spent fishing in what I thought was a creek, but later found out it was just city run-off. I guess that explains the neon green three-eyed fish. Growing up life was what I would call normal, another would label amazing, and some would say "poor thing". For the most part we were a typical mid-western middle class family, if you call having a dad who was both a preacher and a hairstylist typical, but I digress. Anyhoo, I lived life without a care in the world knowing that all I had to do was open the fridge and there was free food. Turn on a faucett or light and leave them on. No reason to turn them off because all that comes with the house, right. Oh and there's a bed too. well this is childhood (or for many twenty-somethings young adulthood until you're tired of living in your parents basement, but I digress.)

I guess what I am trying to say is the good things we experience throughout life are all too often viewed as coming to us from the wrong source. Kind of like Addie's view of lunch. She didn't realize that daddy had already taken care of this provision in advanced. In life there is the tendency to look at our provisions through childish eyes. I made this life for me, "it's mine". This is my house...That's my car. All this came to me because I just pushed the right button (right college, right job, right investments) and put the right # in and "look what I got daddy!" and Daddy says " don't you realize I purchased these provisions for you in advance" The Bible says all good gifts come from our Father (Daddy) above." God help us to recognize Your involvement in all our possessions and provisions.

Well that's enough for tonight. My girls are getting older and I realize, they just grow up so fast. I guess one reason it gets me so sappy is, once they're grown where will I learn most of my life lessons from?

Refreshing Faith

I encountered two amazing discoveries today. The first discovery was found while looking on the net for places to hike with the family. The second I stumbled into while frequenting my wife and I's favorite coffee house (The Serene Bean).

Every week I find new reasons to fall in love with Georgia. While surfing on the net I discovered that North Georgia is full of beautiful waterfalls. The waterfall pictured here is the Falls on Raven Cliff Trail in White County. (For more falls check out: www.jjanthony.com/waterfalls/)

This water that falls with grace and beauty serves to refresh the pool of water below. It flows through every knot and curve of stone to make it's way to the awaiting surface. This image makes me want to find myself in it. Find a place that's cool and refreshing, a haven from the Georgian heat and humidity. I will find these falls!

The second discovery I had today was found flowing from a young girls heart. It was her faith that poured out and around every bit of her being. She like so many in our area came here from far away. Over the past five years she's dicovered that Jesus is her source. Like a river flowing His grace, mercy, comfort, strength, hope, health, encouragement...life has made it's way to her. All of this flows in and through her, like water over the falls. Her life isn't the source, but she allows Jesus the source to flow over, through, in and out of her. A visible expression of grace and beauty. not her's, but His. That's all she wants people to see anyhow...Him. What a refreshing discovery on my journey through life today. She told me how right now she's sort of checked out of the conventional church scene. She and three others get together in a house once a week to have church. She like many have found church today too busy with busyness. A waterfall is simply refreshing and today she helped me discover a new that faith in Jesus can be refreshingly simple. What's important isn't that you attend three services a week, are involved in four different ministries, and play softball on a church team in a church league. What's important is that you have found the reality of Jesus as your source. He can be the refreshing flow that brings life to you and life to those that view His presence flowing over the hard edges, curves, and knots that make up who you are.

I could visibly see that she could not hold back what Jesus has meant to her over the past five years. As I prayed for this twenty year old young woman I felt honored to have rounded a turn in my spiritual hike through life and had stumbled upon such an amazing discovery of God's creation and interaction. What an amazing discovery...what a refreshing faith!



Psalm 78:15-16 "He split rocks in the wilderness, gave them all they could drink from underground springs;
He made creeks flow out from sheer rock, and water pour out like a river."

The Big Big House

The Wiseman's are finally settled. We found a house to rent in Woodstock so we are no longer living in a van "down by the river." No really when Amie and the kids came we settled into our pop-up camper in the back yard of Jared & Charla's apartment. This was just a temporary 3 week experience and now we hate camping. Anybody want to buy a camper? The house we've rented is amazing. We weren't looking to rent in this neigborhood we were just out looking at neighborhoods deciding where we'd like to buy once our home in Ohio sells. Anyway we're on the backside of this lake community and there's this huge stone-cape-cod-looking lodge of a home on the end of the lake with two decks, cathedral ceiling, blah, blah, blah....wow! This lady is working in the yard and says she'll show us around. There's no way this is in our price range. God is so good! The lady says she doesn't usually rent to people with children, but for us she would make an exception. She throws out a great figure, says we don't need a deposit, and now we are living in the Big Big House!! In the last week I've fished off of my back yard 3 times. We even have a beaver....cool! I guess I am just really thankful that God provided us a home with a country feel and a back porch made for quite times with family and with Him.