Adam and Lora need your prayer

Below is an e-mail from my friend Robert Beckman. He informed me and others that Lora Mayfield has been placed in the hospital. If you are not sure who Lora is: her and her husband, Adam, planted Journey Church in Lakeland, FL back in January of 2007. Here's the e-mail:

Hello Friends, Please forward this to anyone God brings to your mind, Adam and Lora Mayfield went in for tests and some results came back very quickly. Lora has preeclampsia. http://pregnancy.emedtv.com/preeclampsia/preeclampsia.html She has now been placed in the hospital. The baby is fine, originally due in February. Lora is not fine until the baby comes out to see us. Risks to Lora include stroke, seizures, organ failure. Lora is on strict bed rest at the hospital. The baby might be given steroids to help the lungs develop and get ready for an early delivery (possibly within a few days). It might be used sooner than expected and each day between now and delivery will need to be very restful.

Here's how you can help now:
-Pray that God gives insight to the doctors
-Pray for an early delivery for Lora's sake and a developed baby ready to breath on her own.
-Pray for Adam and Lora to hear God's quiet whispers of assurance.

What sex is it?

Well if you haven't heard yet...Heather and I are having (drum roll): a BOY! This is such an exciting time for us and our family and friends. Pray for the baby and for his future parents, who will need a lot of wisdom in raising him.

First Core Team Meeting

Hey, I just wanted to update everyone on our first meeting with those who are praying about joining the church plant. Last night, we met at a home with nine other people. It was great! We ate, talked, played a game (which the girls' team won), and then spent some time talking about reaching the Arboretum-area with the Gospel. God moved and seemed to begin the process of joining our hearts together. In fact, we had several people committ to the team.

Please pray that God would give clarity to these nine individuals. They are currently seeking God about their involvement in the church plant. Some are praying to see if God wants them to join the team, while others are praying about the leadership role they are going to play in the plant. Every single person that came to the meeting is extremely talented and would have a tremendous impact on the Arboretum. Thanks for the prayers!

Binoculars and Soccer??????

Here is a pretty funny video!

Swimming..

Since our move to Austin, we have seen God go before us in many ways. One of the areas we have seen Him work the most is through a non-profit organization called Apartment Life. Apartment Life basically hires couples to move into apartment complexes and coordinate social events that build community. Yet, this isn't what makes them such an incredible organization. What makes Apartment Life so amazing is their passion for Jesus. The people they hired are expected to build relationships with the lost, unchurched, and dechurched for the sake of sharing the Gospel with them. Since it is estimated that only 5% of apartment dwellers actively participate in a church, there is a huge need for missionally-minded people to swim among them.

Heather and I knew that this would be an excellent job for us. Not only is it important for to partner with organizations like this, but it is our DUTY and CALLING to swim among the lost. We are in the final stages of the hiring process and will be interviewing next with at least one apartment complex. Please, pray that God would place us in an Apartment complex in which His name will become famous.

Out of Bondage

This weekend I am speaking at HCBC-UT. I am really excited about the opportunity of speaking at such a missionally-minded church. If you have a spare Sunday come check HCBCUT out this weekend. Anyways, this Sunday is the first week of Advent. Typically, in the first week of this season, the focus is on hope. I've really had to wrestle around with this message. I keep asking myself questions like, "Why is hope so essential in our lives?" and "Where does our hope stem from?"

In my studying I really focused my efforts on Romans 8:18-25. The brokenness of this world seems to pervade from this passage. It speaks of how all of creation is held in bondage to corruption and futility. We, as humans, and the rest of creation recognizes that the world isn't as it ought to be. A tear in the universe has occurred (because of our sinfulness and nature) and something deep within our souls lets us know that we are broken. Creation desires to be set free from this bondage. It instinctly knows that somehow we must find freedom. Out of this recognition of our broken state, we MUST and NEED TO hope that freedom is possible. We must hope that life is available through Jesus. We must hope that one day God is going to reconcile and restore all things. We must hope that God is our refuge and strength. Genuine and true hope starts when we confront our own brokenness and understand that we need saving from it.

Through Jesus, God has come to rescue his creation from its' broken state.

I Need Your Address

I am about to send out a prayer/update letter. If you would like to receive it, please give me your e-mail address AND your home address. Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to tell everyone...Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you celebrate all that God has done for you tomorrow. I know that Heather and I have so much to be thankful for. We are truly blessed by the Almighty!

Top Ten: Reasons Why They Leave?

Ed Stetzer and others have done some interesting research on why 70% of 18-22 years old drop out of church. If you want to go to the article here it is (click here). I highly suggest that you read it, if your interested.

Here are the 10 top reasons why these individuals leave the church:
1. 27% simply wanted a break from church.
2. 26% felt that church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical.
3. 25% moved to college and stopped attending any church.
4. 23% had work responsibilities that prevented them from participating/attending.
5. 22% moved too far away from their church to continue attending.
6. 22% were too busy, but still wanted to attend.
7. 20% did feel connected to their church.
8. 18% disagreed with the political or social stances of the church.
9. 17% chose to spend more time with friends outside the church.
10. 17% originally went to church to please others, but had no interest in attending themselves.

As the church we must wrestle with how we keep these individuals involved in a local body and then use them to reach their generation. What do you think?

Thick Skin and Beautiful Feet

As any church planter knows building relationships within your target community is hard. Heather and I have been doing surveys, trying to start conversations with complete strangers, and talking to whoever will listen. Sometimes great conversations formulate, but the majority of the time this doesn't happen. We have been rejected countless times by many indidivuals. I guess if I wasn't connected to a church or God, I wouldn't want to talk to some weirdo, who brings up God and starting a new church in the area either. When talking with these people, I feel like am this giant weirdo who has a third arm going out my forehead. If your skin isn't thick this can be very disheartening. I do want to mention, I am not forcing God, the Gospel, or the church down anyone's throat, rather I am just trying to engage in a natural conversation that may or may not have a spiritual twist. It all depends on the situation and context of the conversation.

There have been several instances where I just wanted to quit and tell God I prefer the attractional model over the missional model. I want people, who are interested in God, the Gospel, and the church to come to me and the environments I create. There is a certain ability to control the conversations here and spiritual questions seem to natural follow. Spiritual discussions are easier to generate here. It's hard to go to the community and search out those who are receptive and form meaningful relationships with those that aren't receptive for the purpose of eventually getting to the Gospel and Jesus. Yet, I believe that God called us to be missional. The Great Commission starts with the word "Go" and not "Come." It is our job and task to go to them with the news of Jesus, the cross, and the resurrection.

I think this is why we are told in Romans "how beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news." These individuals set aside themselves for the sake of people's souls and the Gospel. Though rejected and dismissed by the masses, they continue to bring a message of hope and reconiliation with God and man to whoever will listen. Bringing the Gospel to people is hard. You have to have thick skin and beautiful feet.

Will Ferrell as Bush

I love this video!

What is our mission again?

One of the most engaging questions in Mark Driscoll's Confessions of a Reformission Rev. was "Will your church have a mission of community or be a community of mission?" It is the tendancy of most Christians and most churches to become inward-focused communities. Most Christians seem to go through various spiritual stages and at some point in this process they cut themselves off from the world surrounding world. They find contentment in surrounding themselves with other believers and removing themselves from everything else. We get "Christianized" and our mission switches from reaching and connecting with non-believers to creating a community of themselves, which typically turns out to be a pretty judgmental community. Now don't get me wrong, I believe that we all have a God-given need to be around others, relate with them, encourage them, and "do life with them." However, it seems that is the mission for many of us - community.

Is this what Jesus died for? Is the message of the cross to create safe, warm, and friendly environments for believers to exist in removed from the world? I think not! Instead having a mission of community, we must have a community of mission. A community of people that are dedicated to being missionaries to their work, nieghborhood, and zip code. The beauty of community is only reflected when people do life together because of the mission they've been called to.

From the top down

Last night was a pretty incredible night at Hill Country Bible Church. It was the annual leadership meeting, where Tim Hawks (the Senior Pastor at HCBC) cast the vision for the next year. As the leader of our church, he sets the spiritual tone for reaching every man, woman, and child with the Gospel and guess what? He is serious about this! It's more than just a catchy slogan or motto for the church. More than just a purpose statement that stays on the wall or website. It is the heartbeat of Hill Country. It is a vital part of our strategic planning. It consumes our time, energy, and resources. Every man, woman, and child has to be reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Tim nailed down a few areas that needs our focus and attention for next year. The first one being church planting, of course. As the most successful form of evangelism in our culture today, it is necessary that Austin is saturated with church plants. Only 17% of Austin is churched, this means somewhere around 1.2 - 1.3 million people in the Greater Austin area do not participate in a local body. We have to plant churches to reach these individuals. We have to have missional communities of faith stretching into every pocket of Austin.

Next, we have to pass the baton of faith to the next generation. My generation has drifted further and further from Jesus and the church. They are the largest segment of the population missing from the church today. My generation needs to be rescued from a Christ-less grave. We have to prayerfully and strategically reach these individuals. If we miss this generation, I fear that the church will lose any foothold it had in America and we will become a completely lost and dark society. Reaching 35 and under has to be at the forefront of our efforts.

This is the mission and vision! May God use Hill Country and the other churches in the area to reach Austin! If you want to check out the video, here it is Leadership Community Meeting (then click on the video file to watch).

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

This past weekend Heather and me had the opportunity to go the Love and Respect Conference by Dr. Emerson Eggrichs. The entire conference focuses on Eph. 5:33 which says, "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." What's interesting about this verse is I have never really heard a teaching from it. Sure, I've heard plenty of "Wives submit, husbands love" messages and "mutual submission" messages, but I've never really heard about Eph. 5:33.

As I am processing this conference, the enormity of this teaching is hitting me. I've never really thought about my need for respect, until this weekend. I know I need to be loved by my beautiful wife, but what about respect. But the more I search my soul, the more I understand that I NEED respect. The dictionary defines respect as "esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person."

I need my bride to find worth in me. I need her to admire and esteem me. I need her to respect me enough that she believes in me and what I do, especially when planting a church. If there is only one person in the world that supports, believes, and ultimately respects me it has to be my wife. Without her respect I feel the weight on my inadequacies and weakness like never before. I know that God has placed Heather in my life, so I can accomplish the task He has given me with confidence. I need her to give me this and she does such an incredible job unconditionally respecting me. I love you babe and I desire to fulfill my end of Eph. 5:33.

Is it a T-Rex or baby?

The most exciting thing of the pregnancy happened today! We had a nine-week ultrasound and the pictures were incredible. For the first time, I actually felt the reality and gravity of having a child. This reality is exciting, yet scary. God is providing us with another life! So much responsibility is associated with leading and parenting another human being, so if you got any good parenting advice please send it my way.

I do have one question, though, is Heather is having a T-rex or baby? Let me know your thoughts!

The War Wages

At this point in the church planting residency, wisdom and discernment is so critical. Next, Tuesday we are presenting two possible locations for our church plant. It sounds easy enought, right? Choose 2 locations in Austin, pray for them, spend time there, ask God to reveal himself, and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

However, there is a flesh side that seems to interfere with this process. As we go from place to place, its' easy to confuse my wants and desires with the Holy Spirit's direction. Anything from the cost of living to the demographic reports of an area can play a huge role in my decision to plant in a certain location. I tend to view these places through my own lens. I ask the question, "What can these area do for me?," instead of "What can God do through me in this area?" I want to live in a nice area where people are friendly and I can own a large home. I don't want to deal with crime or poverty. I want to be in an area where people are receptive to the Gospel. The list goes on and on and the war wages between my flesh and the Holy Spirit's direction.

I found some encouragement through a story a heard this week. A few guys in Philadelphia have started a movement of churches. They have planted 3 churches that have 200 people in each. This is a serious accomplishment for a place like Philadelphia, which is spiritual dark. Praise God! However, in order to see God's hand work, they've given up a ton. In fact, one church planter said that his kids can't even go into the front yard alone because there is so much crime in the area. The other day he even saw a bum peeing on a tree in the front yard. All of this for the sake of the Gospel.

As we are looking at locations and praying over areas, I ask that the Lord gives me discernment and wisdom. It needs to echo Jesus, "...not my will, but yours." Please pray that God reveals a specific location to us and we are able to discern between teh Spirit's leading and our own wants and desires. Sometimes the most dangerous and risky place to be is in the center of God's Will.

A baby is on the way...

Well if you haven't heard...Heather and I are expecting a child. We finally came to this conclusion after 3 pregnancy tests. We ended up going to see our doctor this past Friday and found out that we are about 6 weeks along in the process. So the due date is June 2, 2008. We are so excited about becoming parents. Please, keep us and the baby in your prayers!

Vision (Now) - Part 3

So I've already established that there is a huge need in Austin for church plants. There are entire generations growing up disconnected from God and the church and the vehicle that God is using to reach these people the most is church planting!

Taking all this into consideration, we need church plants and NEED THEM NOW! As more and more people slip through the cracks of disconnectness, Austin and other cities within the U.S. are losing touch with God. We will continue to fall further into spiritual darkness, if we don't do something now! The younger generations, who are currently far from God, are becoming the leaders of society and culture. They will be leading out of worldviews that oppose Christianity and Jesus. They need Jesus and need him now!

Further as I stated in my first blog, when the city of Austin is reached the world will feel the impact. Disproportionate influence on the world exists in Austin because it houses the largest university in the U.S., is considered one of the most creative places in the U.S., has a population full of people in the field of techonology (from DELL to IBM to Samsung to game programmers), and is the live music capital of the world. When these cultures and groups within Austin are penetrated by the Gospel, the spiritual vibrations will be felt throughout the world. The world needs Jesus now!

Vision: God would use Heather and I to start a church that truly reaches out to the lost, hurting, and unchurched.
-A church that will love people to Jesus.
-A church that will serve people to Jesus.
-A church that will present and proclaim the full Gospel in Jesus.
-A church that has such a missional and outward focus, that the members give their lives
for the sake of the Gospel and others.

Vision is born out of the idea of what is and what could be.
-I believe that Austin can be a place that is radically transformed by the Gospel and when it is transformed, the vibrations are felt throughout the world.

Vision (Part 2) - The Solution

Like many other bloggers, I have neglected my blog for a few days. But I feel this nagging burden to finish my vision blog, so here it goes.

Vision (Part 2) - The Solution
To summarize my last blog: there is a huge problem within the church today. Here is the deal, most churches have become inward-focused, country clubs and have literally missed the boat on younger generations. As a whole, we have done a terrible job representing Christ and incarnating his teachings. Now, people under the age of 35 seem to have a general distaste for the church and Christianity.

However, there is hope! I truly believe that God is raising up a new generation of leaders that are having a tremendous impact on the culture and spiritual landscape of America. I believe the tool that God is using to do this is church planting. Statistics even show that church plants have a younger congregation on average, than more established churches. Some estimates predict that church plants are made up of 60-80% unchurched individuals, while most churches that are established gain 80-90% of their growth from member transfer. Church plants seem to have a more outward, evangelistic approach to ministry. On the other hand, most established churches program themselves to make members satisfied and meet Christian needs. We have lost our identity as agents of love, mercy, hope, and service for the sake of making people happy.

I am not bashing established churches at all; in fact, I am currently on staff at a church that has existed over 20 years. I have even seen established churches be powerful agents of God in restoring and reconciling His creation. Some established churches are more effective in the Kingdom of God, than church plants. However, time has shown that on a grand scale church plants are the most effective instrument that God is using to reach unchurched people. HCBC (the church I am on staff with) has realized the need for church plants. They have brought me and 4 other church planters on staff for the sole purpose of planting another church. How incredible is that? Building God's Kingdom is more important than their own kingdom. Interesting theory isn't it? A established church can actually give themselves away on behalf of church planting.

About 4 years ago my heart was captured by this idea of church planting. Now God has led Heather and I to plant in the amazing city of Austin, TX. I am so humbled that God has allowed us to participate in this movement. Again, I believe that church planting is the key to these disconnected generations. Church planting is the key to reaching Austin for Jesus.

Vision (Part 1) - The Problem

Vision is a must for the church. Everyone knows (or hopefully knows) that the Bible says without vision the people perish. As humans we need to know, where we are going? What we are working towards? Vision gives us direction, purpose, meaning, and guidance. As a leader, it is my job to ensure that people understand, embrace, and work towards the vision God has given to His Church and, more specifically, what is the vision God has given to me as a leader. In the book, Making Vision Stick, Andy Stanley helped me to refine, verbalize, and add to my vision for Austin and the church plant. So over the next few days I am going to spell out the vision for Austin and the church we will be planting. Let me know what you think because this is a vision in progress.

Vision (Part 1) - The Problem
Entering into college was a unique time in my life. For the first time, I was "on my own." I didn't have anyone telling me I have to do this or that. The authority I thought I had was me. Naturally, with this type of thinking I began to drift away from the church and from God. The extent of my church involvement was going with my parents to a church service when I was in town, which was about one to two weekends a month. Slowly I began to drift further and further away from my faith. Life was a party and a study. The party was on the weekends and the study took place during the week. I did both intensely.

Looking back this time in my life is very insight to me now. As I gaze into the past, two things really began to stick out to me. First, I had no friends, acquantices, or peers that were living missional lives for Jesus. No one I knew even attended a church service on a regular basis. No one talked about God, Jesus, or the church. College seemed like such a disconnect from the environment I grew up in where the church played an important role in life. Second, no churches, except for one I became involved in late my Senior year, reached out or had an impact on the college life. We were being left out on our own. From my view, the church was almost in a life-less state during my years at college.

But in reality my story isn't all that unique. Millions of people in my generation in the U.S. have no involvement in the church. In fact, the largest segment of the population that is missing in the church is between 18-35ish. Unlike me, most of these people didn't have a "Christian up-bringing." They have NEVER been connected to a church! They have never fully heard Gospel or seen it fleshed out before! The church has done a terrible job of representing Christ and reaching the younger generations.

Here are a couple of major issues with the church:
-The church, as a whole, has done a terrible job of representing Christ
-It’s lost Christ’s love for people (inside and outside the church).
-It’s lost the servanthood mindset.
-It’s lost its’ passion for the mission of Christ.
-The church has become this inward-focused country club.
-The church has traded its' children for its' traditions. (Ed Stetzer)

There are huge implications of this. As these generations grow older, they become the leaders and the parents of our world. Yet, they will not be intimately connected with Jesus. America will then find itself in the same position that Europe and Canada are in now. They are spiritually anemic places. Jesus and the church have been literally removed from their culture.

Ultimately, the gen-X'ers and the younger generations want nothing to do with Christ or the church. Heaven, we have a serious problem!

Standing in the Gap

Prayer is one of the areas of my life that needs to deepen tremendously. If your anything like me, prayer always gets thrust to the side. I don't do this intentionally. My life seems to get so busy that prayer and dependence upon God, not myself, gets pushed to the side. Prayer is neglected to the morning, before meals, and at night. Yet, Paul tells us to have a prayer life that has no beginning or end because it continuously takes place. I think he realizes that prayer and dependence is central in the economy of God. Prayer has this mystical power that unleashes the power of God, when it is in accordance with God's will and nature. Without this power (without God's hand and intervention), we run around trying to accomplish everything on our own. To do this in church planting is sure failure. I have to be operating through and in prayer every moment of the day.

Not only do I need to examine and deepen my own prayer life, but Heather and I need others to pray for us. We have heard stories of marriages being ruined through the stress of planting churches and spiritual attacks. The last thing I want is to hurt and/or permanately damage my relationship with my wife and best friend, Heather. We have also heard stories of church plants doing more damage than good in a community. The point is Heather and I are going to the front of the battles lines. And above money, resources, and any other tangible thing, we need prayer. We need people who will be dedicated to lifting Heather and I up personally on a daily basis. We need prayer for the church plant. We need intercession. Intercession literally means going between or standing in the gap. It is praying to God on behalf of another. I am going to ask people to stand in the gap for us, our marriage, the church plant, and Austin. There is so much value in others praying for us. Also, I am committed to do the same for others.

Please let me know if you are willing to stand in the gap for us and the church plant in Austin. I want to build a prayer base, where Heather and I can frequently send prayer requests.

For tomorrow...

Since in my last blog I pointed out Joshua's initial mistake in leading the Israelites, I want to give him some credit on this one. Today I read an incredible statement that he made to the God's people. After the sending of spies to Jericho, Joshua is preparing to lead the Israelites across the mighty and flooded Jordan River. During this preparation, he tells them, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." (Joshua 3:6) In other words, GET READY BECAUSE YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE HOW BIG AND POWERFUL GOD IS.

At this point in my life, I find myself finally at the edge of the Jordan River too. My life is at a critical juncture. I am at a crossroads of sorts. For years, I have told people to have faith in God...just trust Him...seek HIM. But now I have to put those statements and thoughts into action. Now that advice is going to have to flesh itself out in my own life. The question that finds itself at the forefront of life now, is how BIG AND POWERFUL is my God? See Joshua seemed to have a sense of God's omnipotence. He understood that in order to take over the land promised to him and his people, God was going to have to do some pretty amazing things.

Here I sit thousands of years later and my story isn't all to different. I know the calling God has placed on my life...to go and make disciples and to baptize and teach them through church planting, which if you know anything about church planting it one of the most difficult and stretching things one can do in "ministry." That's the call, but can I stand and tell those who are going to partner with Heather and I in this endevour, "Prepare yourselves, for tomorrow God is going to be doing some pretty amazing things." We have to expect God to show up in mighty and powerful ways. Left on our own we can expect to fail. As I said in the last blog, Jesus has already promised to be with us, so why wouldn't we expect amazing things to take place?

Blind Confidence

Today, I read the beginning of Joshua. Something really just stuck out in the story to me. After Moses, who lead the Israelites out of Egypt and had been their only leader, died...God has a conversation with Israel's new leader, Joshua. Now Joshua is taking on a huge role. He is not only leading millions of people to the Promise Land, but he is going to lead the Israelites into war with the people already living their. He not has to be leader spiritually, but he is the commander and chief. In the conversation, God tells Joshua things like, "I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I PROMISED Moses," and "be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I SWORE to their forefathers to give them. Did you notice anything about these statements? God SWORE and PROMISED the land to the Israelites. But right after this conversation with God, Joshua sends out spies to check out the area. Why would he even need to spy out the area? Did God tell him wherever you place your foot, I'll give you that land? But Joshua needed more than just God's word.

Isn't it interesting that God's Word and promises sometimes aren't enough for us to step out blindly? We feel like we need something more. In Joshua's case, he needed God's promise and spies. For us, we need God's promise and _________ (fill in the blank). We all do this is in some or another. For me as a church planter, I need God and financing...God and a missional core group...God and a sound system...God and a worship leader...the list goes on and on and on. All church planters at some point feel inadequate, unusable, and resourced-out. In order to replace or comfort these emotions, we need God and something else. But sometimes I just need to slow down and remember Jesus' words to His disciples, "...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them...and teaching them...And surely I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS." Ummm, so as I go to reach, disciple, baptize, and teach the city of Austin Jesus is actually with me. Do I need really anything else? NO! God has given me the ultimate promise that he is with me and I don't allow that to be enough for me. Now just because he is with me doesn't always more the results turn out as I expect them to, but Heather and I are not going alone to Austin. We are bringing with us the King of Kings. That is where my confidence must lie, not in anything else.

I truly believe that stepping out blindly on God's promises is directly connected and intertwined to our confidence in Him. If we feel that God's Word and promises aren't enough, then do we even have the right view of God? Is He really God in our eyes, or just another supernatural but limited being? I know who I serve. The God that created the cosmos and is sovereign. That's why I can say that I have blind confidence.

Spiritual Vibrations

So Heather has been gone for two days now. (She didn't leave me, she just went to Florida to go to a wedding and get her car to drive back) I am kind of getting lonely because my wife/best friend is gone. But I've turned my focus full-force to church planting, reading, and getting to know the culture of Austin.

Austin is a really different city to say the least. My first perceptions of Austin were that consisted of cowboys, longhorns, tumble weeds, conservative republicans, country-music, BIG things (since everything is supposed to be BIGGER in Texas), and football. But to my surprise it is nothing like my originial thoughts. In fact, it is a young, hip, weird, cultural-changing, liberal, music-infested city. From what I hear it is the #1 creative city in the U.S. and #2 in being the most liberal (next to only San Fran). I'm not sure how they measure things like that, but I believe it from everything I am experiencing and seeing. Austin is even home to the largest University in the U.S. - Univ. of Texas. Everything from our current President to Lance Armstrong to Stevie Ray Vaughan find their roots in Austin. It's a city that seems to have a disproportionate and large influence on the U.S. and western culture. Sitting here I wonder how much different Austin would be if restoration and revival broke out here? I wonder what the city would look like if the power of the Gospel began to be unleashed? I wonder not only about Austin, but also how much different the U.S. would look like if these things took place in Austin? Would the U.S. feel the spiritual vibrations of Austin? What about the world? I have this gut feeling that God is doing some pretty incredible things here and the world is going to hear the voice the Christ followers in Austin very soon. I am humbled to be a part of it.

This thing is way bigger than me, so my deepest prayer is that God would use Heather and I in way that is beyond our talents, giftings, and dreams so that the world would hear and experience the Gospel of Jesus.

Peer pressure and missing peers

So after some indirect pressure from the other church planters at HCBC, I have given way to becoming a blogger. This is a good thing, though, because I want to keep people updated with our lives in Austin and just process some internal thoughts/emotions. God has already been doing some cool things and connecting us with some awesome people. We are pumped up about being used by God to expand His Kingdom through church planting. There is energy and enthusaism in participating in something that is much larger than ourselves. To see that Austin is going through spiritual restoration and we've been called to be a part of this - is beyond my wildest dreams. My love for the city and people seem to grow daily.

Although, I will say this - we are missing some people badly. It's hard to move away from individuals that you are so deeply and intimately connected with. A piece of Heather and I remains in Lakeland with family and friends. Doing life with people is a beautiful and life-changing thing. There are so many people from Lakeland that have made a significant impact on my life and I will cherish the time with them forever. From former students to mentors, I have been shaped by so many people. But when God calls, we must follow. Now we find ourselves in the midst of God's powerful movement to bringing Austin back to himself. What can I say? I miss home tremendously, but Austin is the city from me.