New Focus

Yea so that blogging every week I said that I was going to do at the start of the year just did not happen. I am sorry for that if you are a loyal reader.  I am back now and I have some great ideas for the blog. I also have had a great many new things happen in my life since I last wrote. I have a new job and my eGroup has exploded in size ( but that is a good thing).  So I will be back on more often or when ever the lord lays on my heart to write something. I am currently working on a blog about addiction that I hope to have up in the next few days.

Till then


Chris

New year , New Vision

Its a new year and the best is yet to come. I have a renewed vision for this blog and will be updating this blog more this year than once every 9 months. I hope that everyone had a great Holiday with family, friends and love one's. How are those new year' s resolutions coming? The vision that I have for this blog is getting "Creative for Christ" What that means is getting the gospel out in a creative way. I will also be tackling issues that twenty somethings are facing right now. I have had the honor of learning under a wonderful small group leader name Nicki Koziarz (click here for her blog). She has been a blessing to both my wife and I. My new hope for the blog is that someone will read this and be inspired by what they read here. So lets make 2012 the best year ever.

Been A Long Time

I know it has been a long time, and this post is short but I am still here still doing well, I love my WIFE!!! and our cat Macy.


Well that all for now


See ya soon

What a Weekend

Oh man what a weekend. I started serving on a new team at Elevation this weekend, I am now on the parking team so if you happen to come to the Matthews Campus on a Saturday night chances are you might see me I'll be one of the guys giving you a big smile and wave while directing you in to a parking spot. I love serving on this team, I am surrounded by a bunch of great guys and I get to be one of the first people that our guest see when they come to Elevation.

However that is not the best part of the weekend. not by a long shot. Our church started a new three week series this weekend its called FOLLOW. Our pastor was on fire this whole weekend speaking on Mark 8:31-38 which just happens to have one my favorite verses in the bible in it. Mark 8:36 "What good is it for someone to gain the world, yet forfeit their sou". This series is all about Christ wanting you to follow him. What a great series to preach on. There was also another part to this series as well Elevation was offering people a chance that had decided to follow the lord a chance to be baptized. Man did we the church get a response! 1,426 to be exact and that is just the first weekend!! 1,426 people choose to publicly professed their faith in Christ by being baptized. All the Glory be to GOD. Whole families, first time believers, old men, and young women, everybody. It was very moving and inspiring.

We have two more weeks left of this series, if you happen to be in the Charlotte area you might want to stop in to one of our four campus ( Uptown, Providence, Blakeney, and of course Matthews) and hear the message. You never know it just might change your life, remember we are not in control of our lives. Our Lord Jesus Christ is. He has had everything planned since before you were even born. Put your trust in him and see what happens.

Till next time

Date Night

   One of the most fun times that I have with my wife (that I can blog about that is) has to be our weekly date nights. It was something that I started when we got married and it is one night out of the week where we get to be together and not have to worry about anything else going on in our lives.
    Now you might be thinking man a weekly date night that's got to be expensive? When in fact just because it is a "date night" doesn't mean that it cost a lot. Most times we eat at one of our favorite restaurants which just happen to be cheaply priced and hit a movie or kill a zombie afterwords*. I have even done a date night where I didn't spend a dime I cooked dinner for her and then we watched one of the DVD from our collection.
     Date nights are good for a relationship because they are a way to just have a little fun and be with the one you love. Life is too chaotic and we all need some relief from that. So start one and see what happens I promise you will enjoy it and be happy you did it.

That's all for now

* My wife and I are avid Left 4 Dead 2 gamers for the Xbox 360

My Wedding Ring

  In my previous post I mention that I am now a married man. Well let me say I love being married! The reason that the title of this post is called my wedding ring is because today I got a new wedding ring. My wife purchased it for me because the ring that I originally had, had a major flaw in it and I only got to wear it maybe a week, we have been married over two months.
   Let me just say my wife has excellent taste. The ring is a lightweight cobalt ring but what makes it special is there are three words on the band and three crosses as well. Those three words are GOD, HONOR, STRENGTH. These words should describe every marriage.

GOD- Our heavenly father should be the center of not only your marriage but your life as well. He is all knowing and has a plan for your life even before you existed. The Lord is the center of our marriage and let be say it is an awesome thing. We both trust in him and if you read the bible it gives great advice for how a Christ center marriage works and why the are different from a normal marriage.

HONOR- This is a powerful word Honor! A husband should love and honor his wife in fact there is a exact verse for that it is Eph. 5:25 it states Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. To put it frankly and in the words of Pastor Larry Brey from Elevation Church in Charlotte NC the man that married us, it means to be selfless! To put her needs before your own, I honor my wife everyday but doing little things that she asked even if I am tired and don't want to, and even some times without her even asking. I also give her encouraging words and never hesitate to tell her that I love her. I will continue to do this even when we have a fight because not everyday of marriage is going to be a good one but as I stated before you show honor to your wife and you will make it thru. Now don't think I am forgetting the ladies, your need to respect your husband as the head of the household. There is a verse for that to it is Eph. 5:22-23 it states Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. This does not mean be a doormat ladies and let him walk all over you but to respect his decision if he makes one and be there to support him in that decision.

STRENGTH- This is an equally powerful word. This does not mean so brute force or being strong no it mean strength spiritually. If you take strength literally and become physical with your spouse you need to be thrown in jail.  A way to have spiritual strength in your marriage is to set aside a time every day for you and your spouse be together and read gods word. All I'm going to say on this subject is that if you have strength thru Christ then you can make it thru and do anything. 


I plan on living these three words in my marriage everyday. I know that they lord made my wife Ellen just for me and I am honored to be able to be her husband. She gave me the perfect wedding ring and it is never coming off.

I'm Back

Well I know that it has almost been a year since I last posted but I'm Back and allot has happen since I last wrote I am a Married Man now . I was married to the love of my life Ellen on April 30, 2011. Well I promise to leave more post soon I am currently reading a book called Not A Fan. It is an amazing book and will open your eyes to weather you are a fan or a follower of Jesus Christ.

That's All for Now