1.  Had a great time hanging out with this guy and this guy  in the middle of nowhere.  Even if one of them wears capri pants.

2.  We were able to come up with some really creative ideas for upcoming series.

3.  No I will not tell you what they are.

4.  Got pulled over by a school resource officer for going too slow.  Seriously?  Gotta love small towns.

5.  Today I got selected to serve on Grand Jury Duty.  That means I have to go to Marietta 1-2 times per week for the next 2 months.  Boo!

6.  Wanted to get my AC fixed in my car.  Turns out other issues were much more important and cost me $700.

7.  This was awesome!  I love it when the church does what the church should do.  Also makes me proud to be a Tiger

Here are some of Bill Bright’s accomplishments by 1999 (when the book was written):

20,514 staff worldwide

Ministry presence in 181 countries, or with 99.2% of the world’s population

4.5 billion exposures to the Gospel (primarily through the Jesus film)

54.5 million salvation decisions in 1998 alone (stats only counted if a Campus Crusade person was on site to talk with the person)

100,000 churches planted

4 Spiritual Laws booklet developed and used all over the world

We just arrived back at the office from a 24 hour off-site planning trip.  We left town yesterday really early to spend some time planning and developing the speaking calendar for the next 9 months.  We are stinkin’ 9 months ahead.  That should make this guy and this guy happy.

While we were gone, I realized the secret to a succesful meeting.  Everyone was required to show up at the meeting with some ideas.  As a result, we were able to work through the process really quickly.  If we hadn’t prepared for the meeting, I’m pretty sure we would have only gotten 2 months done.

However, since we were prepared, we were able to maximize our planning time and come up with some really good ideas.

I recently read Amazing Faith: The Authorized Autobiography of Bill Bright by Michael Richardson.  After reading this book, I am super impressed with who Bill Bright was and how God used him.  Here’s a couple of highlights from the book:

Bright wanted to accomplish no small thing for God.  He often said that “small plans cannot enflame the hearts of men.”  He felt that his one purpose for existing was that the Great Commission could be fulfilled in our lifetime.  He certainly did his part to make that happen.  In fact, he realized that some of his criticism was the reaction of small minds to a big idea.  He often said that “nothing was too big to accomplish for the glory of God.”  I tend to agree.

As I read this book, it resonated with me because so much of it relates to church planting.  I will post some of his remarkable accomplishments tomorrow.  I highly recommend this book.  I love reading about men that God has used in an incredible way.

We all worry.  It’s a fact of life.  Some of us worry more than others, but the truth remains that everyone struggles in this area of their life.

In fact, I think that some worry is actually good.  It is good to worry a little about making good grades.  You should be concerned about your job and what it takes to maintain it..  All worry is not bad.

Worry becomes an issue when it consumes you.  When it’s all that you think about.  It holds you hostage by causing you to not focus on your relationship with God.  Romans 8:38 reminds us that “our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away.”

I don’t know about you, but it excites me greatly that God loves me unconditionally.  Even if I worry too much!

7 years ago today, I married the most incredible woman on the planet.  Like Jesus, everyday with Joni is sweeter than the day before. (Did I just work in a hymn reference?)

Seriously, she is more than I deserve.  I am the luckiest man alive!!

Joni - I love you and look forward to 142 more years together!

Joni has been out of town this weekend at a wedding.  That left me alone with both the kids all day on Friday.  On Saturday, my mom was in town and was able to help me with them.

I really enjoyed hanging out with my kids and giving my wife a much deserved break.  I learned to respect her on a whole new level.  The kids were awesome but I don’t think I stopped all weekend.  With 2 kids, they are constantly needing wanting something.  It was non-stop.

I always try to respect my wife and how hard she works to take care of our kids.  It’s probably fitting that I ended up keeping them on Mother’s Day weekend.  Another reminder to me just how incredible she is!

Joni- Happy Mothers’ Day!  Thanks for being such an awesome mother to our children.  You are everything that I could ever have dreamed of in a wife.  Thanks for giving me so much to respect!

Mothers’ Day is almost here.  Rush to the store.  Grab a card and a gift….quickly!

I wanted to take a moment to thank my mom for being so incredible.  When I think about her, I think about one word…SACRIFICE!  She has modeled this since I was a kid.  She ALWAYS puts other people ahead of herself.  She is currently helping to take care of 3 people that are in their last days.  She has put her life on hold to make their lives as comfortable as possible.

I could list examples for days of how she has taught me to put others first.  She has sacrificed a lot.  I owe much of who I am to her.   I am so grateful for the sacrifices she has made in her life to give me the best life possible.  It causes me to want to do the same for my kids.

Mom - I love you and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to spend this Mothers’ Day weekend with you. 

Joni just left to go to S.C. for a wedding.  That leaves me here with Brayden and Anniston for the next two days.  I’m pumped about spending time with them.  However, I’m sure that today is going to make me appreciate my wife on a whole new level:)

The good news is my parents and my sister are coming to the rescue tonight.  Should be a fun weekend!

As I look back of the many ideas that J.R. and I have come up with over the past couple of years, it amazes me what are plans were and how things actually played out.  For example, I can remember people that we were sure would make the journey with us…they didn’t.  I can remember having long discussions about how things would work out…they didn’t work out that way. 

Was the hours of planning wasted?  Would we have been better off to just wait and see what happened and respond accordingly? 

Of course not!  It seems crazy to me that people wouldn’t put forth the time and energy forth to plan.  In E-myth Revisited, Michael Gerber explains that “any plan is better than no plan.”  I believe that to be true.  It helps you to think through the process and allows you to be more equipped to make decisions.

Gerber says, “Even while you are guessing, the key is to plan, envision, and articulate what you see in the future for yourself and your employees.”  In the world in which I exist, we are making lots of guesses.  We have only 14 weeks of history to help us to make a decision.

Therefore, we’ll keep planning for what God is going to do in the future, knowing that it will probably look different than we think.  I just don’t want to miss out on what God’s going to do because I failed to plan.