The other day I was sitting talking with Maddie.  She is the middle one and normally the quietest, but only in public.  She is by far the comedian of the family.  We were talking and the conversation went like this: "Daddy did you know that the earth is a planet.  Daddy, today I went outside and saw Coco (dog next door) but Coco wasn't out there. So I didn't get to see him.  Daddy I didn't take a nap today.  Oh and Daddy I can spell my name, and Kailee's name and .... Daddy do you have to work tomorrow?"  To begin each sentence which turned out to be an independent thought she started with "Daddy..."  The whole time I was sitting and looking right at her.  I kept thinking, "you have my attention why start each sentence as if you need to get my attention?"  
    Then it hit me.  I do the same thing when I pray.  Just because I haven't prayed in a few hours to even a day or so, there wasn't a point between any of my times with God that I lost his attention.  He didn't move on to bigger and better things.  I have his attention at all times.  Which leads to this thought: Do I take advantage of having the attention of the creator of the universe, the savior of my soul?  Or do I take advantage of this by only talking with Him when I have a need?  
    What about you?  Did you know you have the attention of God?  Have you taken advantage of that even to simply say "Hi"?

        

    In the world of blogging the 1st commandment is "Do not ever stop blogging for more than a week, and absolutely never longer than a month."  Forgive me for I have failed.  And February was a great month for blogs... Amber turned 31, Kailee turned 6, Valentine's Day we spent in PA at the Shiloh Valentine's Banquet...  so much to share about, yet so busy.  So how do you bounce back from that?  With a baby announcement!  Matt and Monica adopted Baily Joy Bates from a mom in Delaware.  
                                            
    And yes she is a small as she looks!  5 lbs 6 oz and 16 inches tall.  Welcome to the family Bailey!  I think we may have some girl clothes to pass on down to you!  (This makes 8 granddaughters and 1 grandson on the Bates side!)

        

    Well Amber and I are off on our weekend getaway to Tampa, FL.  When I pack for vacation I know I will not be around my normal group of people, both family and friends, so I tend to dress a little differently.  Maybe a little more like I wish I could on a normal basis but tend not to in case of ridicule or embarrassment.  I think that is the way most people approach vacation clothes.  Go a little bit further, try something new, wear something you wouldn't be caught dead in back home.
    Church retreats are very similar.  We get away, talk about things that are real to us, sharing things we wouldn't be caught dead sharing back home.  We open up in a real and raw way.  People begin to see why you are the way you are and then have a greater appreciation for the things you deal with on an everyday basis.  But come Sunday, it's back to our church personalities where everything is great and everything was wonderful this week.   What if church each Sunday was more like a church retreat: Real and Raw?  I just hope we don't have to wait until we are in heaven to be that transparent. 

        

    So I have finally entered the age of technology, my first blackberry- The Storm.  I'll have to admit I was a little reluctant to get it as some of my family and friends have the same phone and are frustrated with it.  They can't seem to find the applications they want, it doesn't complete all the tasks as quickly as they would like, and it's more of a learning experience then it is an increase in production.
    Amazing how that parallels our relationship with God.  So many of us (myself included) get frustrated with our prayer life.  I can't seem to find answers fast enough in the word of God, I don't see the answers from my prayer life as quickly as I would like and overall I feel that my production in the kingdom is struggling because of it.  
    The Answer:  Pray as much as I Play.  With my new phone I played with it and worked on it until it did all that I had hoped it would.  Applying that to my spiritual life: If I would only read God's manual as much as the phone's, pray with perseverance, and watch God do what only he can, at his speed.

        

    So what happens when we seek God and he shows us BIG!  This is one of three services Elevation had on Christmas Eve.  6000 people, 400 started a new relationship with Jesus Christ!  Some would say, "But you can't get to know everyone in a church that big."  I would rather spend eternity getting to know everyone who's name is written in the Book of Life instead of getting to know the few names now in my church directory.  The choice is your's, Will you DREAM BIG? 
          

        

    Have you ever been disappointed by God?  The church answer is "No, never.  Whatever happens was God's plan all the time."  What a liar, yes you have been.  We seek God and ask for something specific (and I am not talking about an iphone or a new car) something like a child, a healing, a husband, a wife, a mom, a dad, and the list goes on.  I wonder sometimes if because we have been disappointed in these areas it keeps us from dreaming BIG for God.  One of the things I am learning from a church like Elevation is to always dream big and when you think you are, you are simply scratching the surface.  So go BIGGER. Just because in the past there was something that seemed to show God disappointed you, don't allow that to stop you from dreaming BIG.  I have had a saying since we moved back to Charlotte:  Go BIG or go home.  Well its time for me to take that to heart and begin again to GO BIG or go home!  Where?  At church, at home, at work, in life...
    Check out the blog tomorrow for a picture that will blow your mind.  What happens when you strive to dream BIG and you will do whatever it takes to see it come to true. 

        

    Last night as we were putting the girls to bed Amber got a phone call.  It was a good friend who had a lot to say.  So I went ahead with the bedtime routine and her conversation lasted long enough for all the girls to do all that they had to and then they got in bed.  We did a bible story and all prayed.  Still mommy was on the phone.  So I gave hugs and kisses and promised mommy would be up soon.
    A half hour later I was outside the girl's room putting Christmas decorations back up in the attic.  I was all filled with the Christmas spirit, or maybe that was Christmas frustration when I heard the girls talking.  I poked my head in their room to remind them it was bedtime and they needed to be quiet.  All three instantly reminded me that mommy had forgotten them or that I had forgotten to tell mommy they were waiting on hugs and kisses.  Again I reassured them mommy was on the way and that she would be up to see them soon.  At that Madison replied, "But soon takes too long!"
    Have you ever been waiting on a promise from God.  Maybe you were promised something, a change whether big or small but you are still waiting on it?  And all the people around can say is "Don't worry it will happen soon enough."  You just want to smack them silly for even trying.  "Soon" takes forever sometimes. The biblical term for this is perseverance.  If you are going through something and you seem to be waiting as patiently as possible yet struggling all I can say is this:  As much as it sucks now, it will all be worth it when that promise comes to fruition. 
    

        

    Happy New Year!  Well it has been too long for me and this blog.  The holidays are so crazy and it seems to have made time to share what is going on in life almost impossible.  So here is a 20 second update and then my daily thought.
    We are back in PA for New Years, I am preaching at Shiloh on the 4th and very excited, well any time I get to preach but especially at Shiloh.  Kailee and I had a major bonding time last night just before she went to bed, as we worked together to pull her first tooth!
    Now the thought of the day.... I have noticed that when I am on vacation or having a long holiday weekend that I do not use my cell phone almost at all.  I probably use my phone 40% for work, 50% to talk to my wife, and 10% for everyone else on a normal work day.  This thought came to mind this morning as I unplugged my cell phone from the charger.  During these holiday weekends my battery rarely makes it down one bar on the power indicator.  Normally each night it's about dead and has to be charged every night.
    Is that picture of my walk with God?  Am I treating my life like a holiday?  Each Sunday I go to church for some recharging but do I even need it? I mean have I worked hard enough living Jesus before the world, that I have used any of the power that he has already given me?  My prayer for this New Year is that God Messes Me Up! God challenge me in my walk that I may see the opportunities that you give me everyday.  That I would stay focused on the job you have given me and less on simply making it day by day. 

        

    It is crazy busy this time of year. I have had so much to share and no time to do it.  I did want to show everyone what Kailee would look like if she had straight hair.  Amber straightened it for her one day and she could not stop looking at herself all day long!  I took this pic last Friday night just before Kailee and I went on a date to see a movie and do some Christmas shopping.  Didn't get much shopping done but had a great time with Kailee.

                                                                    

        

    Is it just me or is there some energy growing in our church?  Yesterday was a lot of fun and that's why I ask, if it was just me or not.  For those of you who were not there yesterday we started a Christmas series called "Rescue Plan".  The title of the message yesterday (great message by the way Pastor Randy, awesome job!) was Good News in a Bad News World. So Josh and I ran with the news theme.  We handed out bulletins that looked like newspapers, we even did our very own Weekend Update, just like SNL only clean!  It was a lot of fun.  It seemed to me like there was a tinge of energy in the place, energy that comes from time to time but was evident yesterday.   Have you experienced this in your church or in another church?  An energy that just grabs you.  Well anyway, I am excited. This week is hopefully going to be even funnier than last week so if you can help it, don't miss it!  All I have to do this week is make a complete fool of myself and maybe, just maybe we will get the old people laughing so hard, they pee a little.  (Gross I know, but hilarious!)