My thoughts....

I had the opportunity to go back to Willow Creek Church for their grand opening of their new worship center. It was so special to be able to go back and see something that has been going on for many years, and now come together. I was there when they first started planning, and I was apart of the whole youth planning team, and what we wanted to see happen in the youth room. The best part of tonight were to see the families that I had grown to love, ones who I had babysat their children when they were small and now had grown up, some were almost as tall as me. I heard encouraging stories of my time as a youth leader, and was amazed at seeing God’s faithfulness still in the student’s lives. With all of this it also brought back some sad memories while I was there. If you remember last January people from that church had died unexpectedly. Christina who was a junior at Seminole High School and was in Willow Creeks youth group while I was there died in a car accident. Then there was Anton, who I served along with as a youth leader. Right before I started attending Metro, he had moved to Maryland to be a youth pastor. He died while playing basketball, leaving behind his sweet wife Jasmine and his beloved son Tobin. I say all of this because Mike Nash gave a message at Singles about “Don’t waste your life,” and hearing what he said was a reality check for me and reminded me how short life is thinking about Anton & Christina. My walk as believer I have learned a lot, grown more ways that I can express but I have realized in the past few days what nomalism is and how it has played a HUGE roll in my life. I am that very person they described a few weekends ago. One who goes to church, serves, worships, might read a book here or there, pick up my Bible once in a while. I am not saying this has been all of the past 11 years of being a believer but I can see where the pattern started and how it has continually gone on from there. My intuition, convictions became less. My desire to see sin as sin, and more of I deserve that or I can do that because of what has happen to me has taken a huge toll into my relationship with Christ and my relationships with others. Please pray for me, and that I will change and be set free. Lord I ask that you give me strength to fight nomalism and that I will be set free from these reoccuring patterns in my life. I want to have a heart that desires your word and that continually thirsts for more. Thank-you for unending grace and love that you have poured into my life. Amen!