But God does not work like that.  He is not some crazy haired scientist who is bouncing back and forth throwing things around that are not yet ready to be moved.  God is a gentleman.  He does things perfectly and perfection is as much in the timing as it is in the execution.  I have been thinking about the sun.  It is never early, it is never late, it is always on time – at the exact right moment, the sun peeks its face over the horizon and brings us light and life.  God is not in a rush.  God does not worry about where and how – He has it all figured out.  Now it is time to learn to rest in His perfection and follow his wonderful – scary – lead!

Lamentations 3:22-24

22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

Revelation 2:4-5

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.

I started thinking about how I lived life when I first came to know Jesus.  I remember picking people up and giving them rides, I remember giving money because I had been given so much (through Jesus), I remember praying like everything depended on it and reading the scripture like it was a cool drink for a parched throat.

It has been funny how stepping out on faith has forced me back into that person again.  It is like I had been looking through rose colored lenses and now I see things as they are.  Every step seems more important, every conversation takes has a different tone.  It’s like I am back at that place with God where everything is new and trust and hope are the only things I’ve got!

For me, all of this comes down to one thing. There are people out there who still do not know Jesus! That is the real “cost” thats burning inside me, that is what keeps me up at night.

It has been a pretty interesting read. Perhaps the best part of the whole thing has been listening in on a conversation between the two as they discuss Church, God, and how Christians look at outsiders. The big takeaway is that Jim and the other Christians in Casper’s (the atheist) life seem to be making much more of a difference in how he perceives the possibility of a God existing than any of the Churches.

The book is a good reminder that

1. Churches need to be more aware of the fact that our culture is no longer led by Christian thought and we need to be sensitive to it. It was very evident that pastors specifically tend to use words that at the end of the day are very vague and meaningless in our culture.
2. People don’t come to love Jesus because of the words of preachers, they come to love Jesus because they see Him alive in the lives of those around them and through watching and being a part of their journey.

This book reminds you that there are people out there who are disconnected and far from God and that they matter as people!

Here are some things you can be praying about this week for Jenni and I.

1. I am interviewing with CEA of Kansas (a Church Planting organization) – please pray for wisdom for these men and for the opportunity to join together to plant Epic Church.
2. The house Jenni and I currently live in has been sold and we are waiting to hear from the people who purchased it how much they will charge us to live there.
3. Our baby & Jenni. Jenni has been such an amazing encouragement to me, but I know that she is facing a lot of tiresome days, we would love your prayers for her and the baby.
4. For the people who we will be interacting with in KC on this journey, pray that God is doing things right now to prepare for those contacts.
5. We are seeking out staffing positions and trying to find people who have the right fit.
6. Epic Church (Jenni and I) is going to be the missionary at a few camps this summer, please be praying that God uses us to ignite a passion for the Kingdom in the students we work with!

Thank you for taking the time to pray for us! We certainly need it!

My Birfday!

Yesterday Jenni threw a birthday party for me and her entire family (pictured below) came to visit! It was a blast, we had a bunch of friends there as well. We started at a park but soon decided to move indoors since it was like 30 degrees outside. We had fun all the same!

I feel blessed to get to enjoy this life with Jenni and to have a baby (little Barton Finkey) on the way! I can’t wait to see where God takes us next. I don’t know about you, but I have started to learn that God is more interested in the process of getting us where we are going than where we are going itself.

Thanks for joining Jenni and I on this journey!

“What was your inspiration for tackling spirituality on television, examining the idea of a modern-day prophet?Spirituality really seems to be in the zeitgeist these days, particularly with the popularity of The Secret. We think it’s a reaction to spirituality being co-opted for political purposes in this country recently. Everybody is spiritual to some degree and many people are tired of feeling as if they need to practice a one, specific religion in order to feel legitimately spiritual. We see this show as, in part, returning ownership of spirituality to everyone.”

While Christianity is on the decline in our society, I think the environment which we find ourselves is fertile for the ideas of Jesus. It is time we lose our religion and introduce people to a relationship with Jesus! If anything, shows like Eli Stone point to the fact that people are curiously seeking for something deeper and more meaningful – I hope and pray that we can capture this moment and capitalize on it for the Kingdom!

I am encouraged to be a part of a group of people who carry on that legacy of faith to this day! Jenni and I have been embraced by our friends and family at BCC when they very easily could have turned their backs and said, “fuh-ee (I have no idea how to spell that) on you!” We have experienced the exact opposite – we have had only encouragement and pledged support. I only hope that as Jenni and I step out and carry the legacy of faith with us, that we do honor to those who are sending us! I could not have chosen a better place to carry out the last 6 years of growing in ministry and life!