Tis the season for......

Egg nog!! I love egg nog, as does my younger son James. This is the time of year where egg nog is available in the grocery store 24/7. James has made sure that we have kept the egg nog companies in business by having us buy some every time we hit the store.

I have been blessed with some time off work this week, I saved some precious pto to get some much needed rest at the end of the year. With this time, I have decided to delve into making some traditional Christams treats. The first of which being egg nog!

First the assembled ingredients:

6 Eggs, separarted
3/4 Cup sugar
1 pint heavy cream
4 pints milk
1/2 Cup bourbon (optional) I made mine without bourbon, since I was making it for my kids
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Nutmeg

In a bowl, beat the yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until thick.

In another bowl (or electric mixer) beat egg whites and sugar until soft peaks form.










In a third bowl (or electric mixer again) beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form.

Fold the yolks into the heavy cream.

Then fold in the egg whites.

Then fold in the milk, bourbon (optional), vanilla and a dash of nutmeg.

Chill in the freezer for 1-2 hours.

Enjoy!

The calling

About five years ago, my wife and I were on a camping trip to a wonderful, quiet campgrounds called Sulfur Lake.  It is a quaint retreat area, no frills, just a lot of peace and quiet.  We continue to plan trips to this particular campgrounds because it is peaceful and we can relax.  It was on that first trip to Sulfur lake that I heard God's first whispering into my life about church planting.

I was pretty new to this whole Christianity thing, but my conversion experience was amazing and I was on fire for the Lord.  I still remember to this day, experiencing the Holy Spirit when I accepted Christ as my savior. It was a warm flooding of reassurance and strength. 

I had no idea what church plating was at the time. So the prophetic words I spoke to my wife as we were walking around the fishing lake took me by surprise.  "We are going to start a church someday" just seemed to flow from my lips, almost as if I didn't even speak them myself.  I immediately dismissed the thought, not knowing what it meant or why I even said it. God has ways of reminding us of His will....

I later started my theological training at VLI, and quickly had aspirations on becoming a youth pastor.  The prophetic words I spoke were but a phantom within my subconscious. I was a youth pastor now because that is what someone told me I had aptitude for.  I even enjoyed teaching teens and hanging out with them.  I mean honestly a lot of my responsibilities revolved around playing guitar hero and eating pizza, who wouldn't love that.

As I continued to dig deeper and deeper into scripture, the words in the Bible would jump out at me and become a fire in my soul.  It was in my deeper studies of scripture that I realized that God wasn't calling me to be a youth pastor.  He was calling me to church planting. In fact he had been calling me since I had left Sulfur lake campgrounds years before. 

But like the relationship/calling of Neo and the Oracle in the Matrix, I had to come to terms with who God was calling me to be. It has not been an easy process, but it has become one of the most rewarding journeys of my life. I have found there is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.

To be continued......

Daniel Fast

Daniel 10:2-23 When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. ³ All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.

I am at a pivotal moment in ministry right now.  I feel drawn forward by a God given vision for church planting.  As i have taken my initial steps in faith, I have had to close some doors.  It wasn't easy, but change isn't always supposed to be easy.

I thank God that with the closed doors, new ones have opened.  I have met a very gracious and helpful coach named Eric.  The little time that I have shared with him thus far has been a blessing and very reassuring to me.  I look forward to some extended time with him next Sunday when Ariel and I visit his church.

As I have allowed God's spirit to guide me in the choices that I am currently making, I have felt led to a time of fasting. The fast is modeled after the Daniel fast.  For 21 days I will be eating fruits and vegetables and drinking only water.

So with that enters in my first dilemma and one of God's first answers in this part of my journey.  Coffee.  Daniel only drank water....and those of you who know me know that I practically live off coffee.  I started praying to God to see if he would allow me to have coffee on this fast. 

I looked in the mirror after one of my prayer sessions and immediately noticed the shirt that I was wearing.  It was a picture of Jesus on the cross and on the top it said "sacrifice". The answer I got was: fasting is about surrender, not compromise.  If Jesus can give me His all on the cross, the least I can do is give up on coffee.

While It wasn't the answer I wanted, it was the answer I needed.  Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

If you want to follow my journey in this fast, check back on my blog.  I will not update about the fast any further on facebook.

Burt's Place, Gomez Adams and The Twilight Zone

Yes we landed safely in Chicago! After several delays we landed about 2 hours later than we expected. So what does this post have to do with Burt's place, Gomez Adams and the twilight zone you may ask....

First Burt's Place! Burt's Place is a dive of a pizza joint, but I say that in a very loving way. The pizza was decent, it was my first authentic Chicago style pizza experience. The dough was very thick. It was delightfully crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside. In fact I look forward to eating some of the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow!

Burt has owned his shop for 40 years. He makes everything from scratch, all the way down to the sauce. The pizza was ok (i am somewhat of a pizza snob), it was definitely better than eating at some chain pizza joint.

What made the experience great was the service. Only three people work at Burt's. Burt, his wife and one other lady. Burt's wife served us for most of the evening. She talked with us as if we were regulars. She seems to be one of those people who never knows a stranger. It was a great pizza experience overall, if I ever get back to Chicago I will pop in for another pizza for sure.

Now I swear it was Gomez adams driving our cab to the hotel! He totally looked like him, i wish i had taken a picture. Anyways he was a bit "off" like Gomez Adams as well, he told us about a restaurant that sold steaks and pork chops that you could throw to a lion......yup that's what he said.

And now the twilight zone.....







I had the window wing seat on the plane and all i could think about was the scene with the gremlin from the twilight zone movie....i know...lame.

Peace!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Chicago Bound!

Well I said I might start blogging again, so I thought my trip to Chicago would be a great opportunity to start again!

I'm currently sitting in Max and Erma's in the airport waiting for my plane to depart. Not much to report right now, but I will definitely make an update (with pictures!) later after I visit Burt's Place in Chicago for some real Chicago style pizza.

Peace!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:International Gateway,Columbus,United States

Guess I'm not a pastor.......

Starting a Saturday evening service has gotten me to think a lot about myself.  I have recently come to the conclusion though, that I am NOT a pastor.  I AM NOT A PASTOR!!! Some of you who know me might argue with my recent conclusion. To those who would argue, thank you, you are the ones who believe in me and keep me going (you know who you are).  Please hear me out though...

Someone once told me that a pastor wears suits and ties. I was told that a pastor should look "the part". Well in that respect, I AM NOT A PASTOR.  I preach with conviction in blue jeans, t-shirts and hoodies.  God has called me for who I am and not for what clothes I wear. God looks on the heart while man looks on the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7) Forgive me Lord, for I wear not a suit!

I was once told that a pastor should not mention certain things from the pulpit.  in that respect, I AM NOT A PASTOR.  A couple of Saturdays ago, I decided to completely open up to my evening congregation and tell them that I struggle with a porn addiction.  If pastors cannot admit such things to the people they serve, then I am not a pastor.

According to a lot of churches, pastors should hold a masters degree.  Well then I definitely am not a pastor.  I hold a two year church leadership certificate from Vineyard Leadership Institute, a far cry from a masters degree. Would I love to get a masters degree?  You bet ya.  Is it reasonable at this time?  Nope. Guess I'm not a pastor.

I was once told that I should learn to love sports so that I had something to talk to people about.  It would help me with being a pastor.  Well in that respect, I AM NOT A PASTOR.  I don't mind the occasional sporting event,  I somewhat enjoy them. But I do not enjoy memorizing every little retarded fact about every sports team.  I do not enjoy standing around talking about sports.  Sorry, I guess I am not a pastor.

So what does that make me?  An undereducated, blue jeans preachin', non sports talkin', recovering  porn addict.......who loves the Lord with everything he is!  I will continue to preach the Gospel of Christ till the day I die with all the conviction that is within me.  And I will do it without a suit, without sports, admitting my faults, maybe someday with a masters degree, but ALWAYS within the power of the Holy Spirit.  I am called to be His messenger, as me, not as someone else.

Can I borrow a cup of peace that passes understanding?

It has been a long week, and it ain't over just yet!  I should be putting the finishing touches on my sermon right now, but I just really need to clear my mind.  So here I sit, at my laptop, Pandora set to the Lecrae station and a cold dr. pepper at my side.

Have you ever watched someone who never seems to be upset or down? No matter the circumstance, they always seem to be positive.  And you think, "if only I could borrow some of that." They just have a certain peace around them at all times.  It's kind of like watching a kid run around at top speed and you think "if only I could bottle that energy, I would make millions."

Well, as Christians, we do have that peace.  It may not feel like it at all times, but it is there. And while we can't bottle it and make millions, we can share it and save millions.

I'm not a huge fan of the message translation of the Bible, but they seem to nail some points right on the head.  In Philippians 4:6-7
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Are you tired, depressed or upset? Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers. Steven Furtick once said "look for a chance to practice spiritual jujitsu today. Use the attack of the enemy to propel you into victory." Take the bad and exhausting things of your life and use them to form a powerful prayer or praise to God.

Do you know someone who is tired, depressed or upset? Share a cup of peace that passes understanding with them.  Christ is waiting for you to be His ambassador of peace in this broken world.