We are halfway through the One Month to Live Challenge at Cedarcrest. Throughout this series we have been asking the question what would you do if you knew you only had one month remaining in your life. I hope this has been a great priority check for everyone involved. It has been an eye opening challenge for me! This is what I have learned so far…….

God has used this one month challenge to convict me and point me back to what is really important in life. That’s right I said God has convicted me! Yes, pastors get convicted too! Here is what I mean.

The past several months at Cedarcrest have been unbelievable as we have moved into a new location at Allatoona High School and seen God use this new opportunity to dramatically grow the ministry of Cedarcrest Church. Through this exciting time of growth I have been totally consumed with all that has been going on at the church. Please hear me, I have no illusions at all that the growth we have experienced has been anything other than a movement of God, but I have wanted to make sure I do everything in my power to make things happen as well.

The conviction that God has brought into my life over the last several weeks is that I have poured myself into the church with all that I am to the neglect of my family. This is a battle for balance that I know I will continue to fight, but it is a battle that I cannot lose for the sake of my amazing wife and three beautiful children. I have been reminded that my ministry begins at home and I must do all that I can to ensure that I love my bride as Christ loves the church and gave Himself up for her (Ephesians 5) and train up my children in the way they should go so that when they are old they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22). To live out these verses I must consitently be intentional to put my family ahead of my ministry and behind my personal relationship with Christ. With that in mind I am so grateful for this challenge! It has been the perspective check that I personally needed. God has brought me back to center and reminded me of what is truly important. I am so grateful for God’s love and patience as He continues to teach me and shape me into the Christian, Husband, Father, and Pastor He wants me to be. I am praying that God will continue to challenge our church to focus on what really matters and use the life He has given us to make an impact for eternity. The gentle reminder I needed to hear is the impact we make begins at home.

What kind of impact are you making on your family and the one’s you love? May your eternal impact start at home and flow into the world around you as you seek to put Christ first, your family second, and your career or ministry third. Know that as we fight to keep our priorities in order, God is fighting for us! He will honor your commitment as you seek to live with an eternal mindset and live every month as if it were your final month to live!

Last week I had the privilege of joining 8 other men from Cedarcrest on a mission trip to South Texas. The purpose of the trip was two-fold. We went to deliver 400 pairs of new shoes given by families at Cedarcrest Church to children in need on the Texas/Mexico border. We also went to do a few days of constuction and restoration on some homes damaged during the recent hurricane season.

As with every mission trip I have been on, God moved in my life in an incredible way. I love the opportunity to go on mission trips because my expectations are always blown away and this trip was no different. While I know there is no way I can adequetly explain what took place on this trip, I want to share one experience that stands out that I will not soon forget.

On the first full day of our trip we began the morning with construction. Late in the afternoon we went to a local church in Mission, TX to distibute the first 200 pairs of shoes. As we gave each child a pair of shoes our group washed their feet to show them the love of Christ and help them understand that these shoes were a gift of His love. It was an overwhelming experience for us all. In the middle of washing these children’s feet I was handed a little girl to hold named Isabella who was just over a year old. I was holding Isabella while her mother helped put shoes on the feet of her older brother. After a few minutes of holding this beautiful little brown eyed girl, she curled up in my arms and layed her head on my chest. As she rested in my arms a thought came to my mind that was a clear as it could be. I felt like God was speaking to me and said, “Why don’t you trust me the way this little girl is trusting you?” I was totally caught off guard! I was a complete stranger to this little girl and yet she trusted me enough to curl up in my arms and rest her head on my chest. She had total trust in me in that moment. I was reminded of how difficult it can be for me to place my full trust in my Heavenly Father in the same way this little girl was trusting me. I can be so quick to want to grab control or try to determine the outcome of my circustances based on my own strength and God was softly reminding me that I need to continually place my full trust in Him alone. It was both a convicting and reassuring moment for me and I needed to hear it. God alone is in control! He is trustworthy! Regardless of the circumstances in my life, He can be trusted and He is waiting to hold me in His arms carry me when I need Him the most. This brief moment pointed me back to one of my favorite passages of scripture.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIm and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6