Make Time 4 It Now

Since our family has moved to South Carolina to plant Upstate Community Church, our Sunday mornings have been looking quite different than ever before. Previously when I was a pastor of an established church, I would wake up early on Sunday morning, make my coffee, and head out the door. I would walk or drive to the church building while the rest of the world was sleeping or just waking up. Traffic was non existent and the walks were quiet. I would spend the morning making sure everything was ready for the message I was preaching, talk with team members, and prepare for worship.  As time creeps closer to the worship gathering, I would welcome people with a  "Hey! How are you?"  "Great to see you this morning!"  "How about those Yankees?!"  and other common conversations like that. Magically, my wife would appear with my three young children, holding a coffee, and looking a little frazzled. I never understood why she was always seemingly in a rush - she was...

  Everyone has those days. You woke up late. You forgot your cup of coffee. That text message tells you some bad news. You forget to pick up dinner. There are some days when we feel like every part of our lives are spinning out of control, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Sometimes it is self induced. Other times, our lives spin out of control because of things we never had control of in the first place. Most days, we like to think we have a sense of control over our lives and situations. Other days, we come to realize that we can’t really control our situations, but we can control how to react to them. I’ve learned (the hard way) that there are some ways that we can choose to react when life is spinning out of control. These are lessons that I have learned over the years that I still need to get better at. Here are five ways that you can react when life is spinning out of control: Be the Calmest Person in the room This one is the easiest to say, but harder to practice...

  Springtime is almost here, which means it is time to get outside! Our family is fortunate to live a couple of blocks from our local neighborhood park. My daughter has been trying out her balance bike (which is basically a bike without pedals) and she is soaring! And that is great - except for when we have to cross the street. There have been many times where the neighbors have probably looked out there front door after hearing me screaming, “JOVIE, WAIT BEFORE YOUR GO!” “STOP AND LOOK BOTH WAYS!” Lucky for me, she does a substantial job of coming to a halting stop just before the sidewalk ends. Once I am able to catch up with her: we stop, look both ways for cars, and begin to walk across the street to the playground. Every parent goes through this: teaching your kids how to properly wait for cars before they cross the street. We do this to keep them safe. We do this to help them develop their critical thinking skills - and to teach them patience. Most importantly,we do it becau...

  Today marks the beginning of the season of Lent. This is a time for reflection and contemplation, as well as focusing on our walk with Jesus. We rememgber that Jesus has called us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. Here are some ways that you can keep a Holy lent and create new spiritual patterns to connect with God over the next 46 days leading up to Easter: Reduce/limit Streaming and Screen Time No matter what age or situation you are in, this one applies to you. Screen time and streaming services rule mobile devices and smart T.V.s. Consider setting some boundaries with your family during the Season to focus your time with one another instead of separated by the screens that take up your time. For example, our family is limiting screen time to non school days. In the evenings, we will focus on spending time with one another. If we are using the T.V., it will be when we watch something together. We have the habit of scrolling through Facebook or Instagram ins...