Whirlwind…

Last week was a whirlwind for Renee and I and our family…we were at the EVOLVE conference in Atlanta on Monday and Tuesday. Then I had events Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday! It was all good and all of it revolved around the ministry in our city or our church but it sure was GREAT to have yesterday OFF!!! I mean I took it OFF…the only thing I had to do was help my oldest daughter when she got into a little fender-bender 1st thing Monday morning…she is okay but I had to use a little DUCT tape too put her front bumper back on until we get everything taken care of with the insurance; this is the first claim that I have ever had in 25 years of driving…NASCAR is back on and I told her it just looked like Tony Stewart had been driving!!! Anyway…I was glad to see this week come to an end, but we had the opportunity to minister to a lot of people this weekend and we had someone give their life to Christ in our Sunday morning service…Go GOD!!!

I am currently reading the book of ACTS. The early church was a WHIRLWIND! I can never get enough of all the wonderful things that God did with these guys…I want the boldness that they had…I want the Spirit of God to move in our city and our churches the way He did in all the places the disciples and apostles would go…Paul, the Apostolic Council, other disciples, and anyone involved were so courageous when they spoke and ministered!!! My prayer is for myself and anyone who reads this to receive the same anointing that they had and be a WHIRLWIND for God wherever He has planted us!!!

Until all have heard,

Rodney

Finishing Well…

My good friend Eddie Taylor said it best yesterday when he said, “We are all good at starting something…but we are not all good at finishing the project!” At 6:00 am in the morning when I finish with my SPIN class the words that I like to hear are, “Loosen your straps and get off of your bike to stretch!” The most famous words on this subject are those of Jesus in John 19:30 when He said…”It is Finished.”…Jesus finished what He was sent to do!!! We are called to be finishers a well.

This has been an awesome week and it is not over yet…We have a Men’s Gathering tonight, I have a wedding rehearsal this afternoon and I get to preside over the wedding tomorrow for an awesome couple…this is the first wedding in our building too!!! Weddings are always fun and full of life, I cannot wait!  These guys will be just starting life together but I am believing with  them for an awesome  finish  as well!

Again I believe we are called not just to start, but to finish well! Make a commitment when you start to please finish. I believe it would be better not to start at all if you cannot finish…I believe it was Jesus who said…”Count the Cost” (Luke 14:28). Look around you and if you have some unfinished business with something or someone, finish it and finish well! Blessings and have a good weekend!

Until all have heard,

Rodney

Monday…

I usually do not blog on Monday’s because it is my day off…but Renee and I are at a conference in Atlanta so I figured I would just give you a couple of updates…

• Our service Sunday was definitely awesome…going into a 21 day fast always stirs things up in a church…CROSSWAY, if anybody can make it through this FAST I know that you can!!!
• Crossway family do not forget about our special session Wednesday night…we are hoping for a Sunday morning crowd…
• This conference is awesome…It is EVOLVE…a church planters conference, and it has been just what I need so far…we still have another full day tomorrow!!!
• Check out these self-discipline questions from Shawn Lovejoy in our 1st session called “The Healthy Leader”…you can see them on his blog as well shawnlovejoy.com.. Guys, here’s the self-assessment questions I mentioned today that we can use to examine our lives in regards to our level of self-discipline:

  Do I get up at the same time every morning?

  Am I overweight?

  Do I have any addictions (caffeine, sugar, porn, etc.) right now?

  Do I take a day off every week?

  Have I taken a vacation in the last year? That wasn’t mixed with work?

  Is my email inbox near empty right now?

  Is my office and car clean or a mess?

  Am I usually on time or late for things?

  If I tell someone I’ll call them, do I do it?

  Do I spend time with God every day?

  Do I have a consistent date night with my spouse?

  Do I have a hobby I enjoy consistently?

  How often do I exercise?

  How much TV do I watch?

  What does my appearance say about my level of discipline (hair, clothes, etc.)?

  Do I eat right?

  Do I have a lot of debt?

  Do I ever say: “When things slow down, I’m going to_______”

  Did God speak to you today through any of this?

This stuff is off the charts…It really spoke volumes to me…Steven Furtick from Elevation Church closed our sessions out today…He will fire you up…I thank God for putting me in these guys paths…I know that it will make me a better Godchaser, Husband, Father and Pastor…blessings and I will tell more tomorrow…

Until all have heard,

Rodney

Is it “PROPER” to SPIT?

Before I explain my title I wanted to say we had another awesome weekend at CROSSWAY…we had a leadership weekend getaway that was very refreshing and tiring at the same time, and our service on Sunday was a BLAST!!! Leadership Team you guys definitely are doing the STUFF…keep up the hard work!!! It is so exciting each week to see all of our people working so hard for the KINGDOM”S sake!!! Things work so well when everyone is using their gifts, talents and abilities for Him.

Now on to the title…

I was stopped at a stoplight yesterday behind a lady in a new VW Jetta when all of a sudden she rolled down her window and SPIT! It kind of caught me off guard because she was dressed nice and it just did not seem proper for someone of what seemed like her stature to do that sort of thing…but anyway…it was interesting! At this same time I happened to be on the phone with Eddie Taylor and he said you should BLOG on this subject. Now I was taught that it is not proper to spit in public. Their was a time when I chewed tobacco and dipped snuff (I do not do that anymore…) that I did not think that, that pertained to me. Now I know that it is a bit unmannerly to just spit in public. I have been told and read that in some cities in the US that it is against the law to spit on the sidewalk or in public. So somewhere down the line it has really been an issue.

On the other hand, where I live it is very common to see people chewing tobacco or dipping snuff and spitting. Now I know that some people take offense to this, but at least when you step on tobacco it does not stick on your shoe like gum… and besides, it had been quite a while since I had seen a lady spit out her car window like the one I watched yesterday. So what does this have to do with anything you might ask? Well give me your feed back and I will do my best to sort through it…

I will leave you with this though…I will guarantee you that the men that Jesus healed in Mark 7:33-35, Mark 8:23-25, and John 9:6 did not care about the SPIT after one could talk again, and the other two could see!!! I guess it is all about perspective. Give me some feedback on this one and I will talk to you tomorrow!

Until all have heard,

Rodney

Sports and Books…

Just a few notes in the sports arena…

• I loved the way that the Super Bowl turned out!!! I like it when the underdog wins…
• I am so excited about the new NASCAR season that starts this week…
• My oldest daughter(High School) and my son (Middle School) are both playing soccer…I am ready for the season to start…
• I am sad to see football season go but the NASCAR season will sustain me until High School and College football season starts…

Books that I am reading…If you know anything about me I generally read about 4 or 5 books at a time…

• BIBLE…God
• The Messianic Church Arising! Dr. Robert D. Heidler
• Critical Decisions…this is a small group study…
• Soul Cravings…Erwin Raphael McManus
• The Freedom Writers Diary…Erin Gruwell

Just felt like releasing a short note about books and sports…I hope that you enjoyed it!

Until all have heard,

Rodney

It Feels Like SPRING…

I know that it is not quite SPRING yet, but it has sure felt like it in GA this week…it was 84 degrees today!!! Not only has it been warmer this week but judging from watching the squirrels this morning when I was taking our inside dog out… it has to be getting close to SPRING time!…if you are not from South GA you may not get that…but any way you look at it, it is getting close to SPRING…I know that that we will get a few more days of cold weather but I think for the most part it is SPRING!!!

A few bullets about the weekend…

• Renee and I still Pastor the most awesome church in South GA…HANDS DOWN!!!
• We had a guest speaker this weekend…Bishop Phillip Karanja from Nairobi, Kenya…what an honor to have him and what a blessing he was to us!!!
• Hopefully by this time next year a few of us from CROSSWAY will have traveled to Africa to help the Bishop in his work there…
• Thank you CROSSWAY for being such a blessing to the Bishop…
• We have a Leadership Team “getaway” this coming weekend and I am excited about getting to spend time with all of these wonderful people that are such a blessing to us!!!

Spring time definitely is one of my favorite times of the year! It represents NEW LIFE and their is nothing like knowing that our Heavenly Father has so much compassion on everyone around us that He would not want even one of us to perish…(2 Peter 3:9)…during this season of NEW LIFE look for those that you can reach out to and share the “GOOD NEWS” of Jesus Christ with!!!

Until all have heard,

Rodney

Thanks…

It has been several days since I have posted a BLOG…I just wanted to say “thanks”  to everyone that keeps checking back with my site to see if I have posted!!!  I was telling a few people today that I have just not spent a lot of time behind my computer lately! I have been very busy and my BLOG has suffered…I am trying to renew my passion to at least BLOG 3 times a week starting next week…

I also would like to thank my family for being so AWESOME…Renee, Hannah, Aaron and Emily…yall are the GREATEST!!! I want to give a BIG thank you to our church…from the leaders to all of the wonderful people in our congregation that we get to serve!!! All of you are  a blessing to my family and I!!! Keep up the GOOD WORK that you are doing!!!

To all of my friends and extended family thanks for hanging with us through the good times and the bad. By no means have the last few years been the easiest that we have had. Some of you have traveled many miles to give us a shoulder to cry on or have phoned at just the right time…all I can say is thanks for all of your generosity!!! I do not believe that we can say thank you enough…most of all tonight I want to say thank you to my God…My Heavenly Father…Thank you Jesus Christ for saving me and thank you Holy Spirit for filling me!!! It is so far beyond my comprehension that you have chosen me and are using me to preach the GOOD NEWS of who you are!!! I love you my Master, Lord and Savior!!!

Until all have heard,

Rodney