apexworship

Well, this past weekend was wonderful! 21 friends and family members from F-town came down to visit. This hasn't happened since I got married...3 years ago. Among those were my Aunt Karen & Uncle Mick. Aunt Karen is the aunt that got saved on Christmas Eve of 2003, and was baptized Christmas week of 2004. Her husband (Mick) doesn't know the Lord...yet.

We all had a great time hanging out on Saturday which included a "mini baby shower" at our house. Now the funny thing is that it wasn't really a small shower, more a small location. If you've ever been to my house, you know that getting around 20 people in my living room is quite the feat, much like 6 clowns in a mini-car that barely suits 2. Well, somehow, we all packed in and had a great time. Delia went a little crazy with having so many new people to meet...and sniff, but she adapted.

Sunday, they all came to church. It was funny, they spread out over 3 rows so it made our family look even bigger. God made Himself known (as usual) and brought many people to Himself in salvation. I would be lying if I said that my Uncle Mick wasn't on the forefront of my brain throught the whole service. I just kept praying that God would save him, or at least spark something. When we got to trash dump time, I was anxiously hoping I'd see him walk forward...but he didn't. He sat there, arms folded, concrete face and all. I quickly realized that my plans for his salvation are far from perfect, but God's timing is always perfect. With that realization, I was ok with him not being saved today, but I still prayed the God would plant the seed today, or water the seed that may have already been there. God did just that!!! About 15 minutes after the service was over, I saw Uncle Mick just standing around the front, almost as if he was waiting for Rob, who had been caught by a line of people wanting to talk. I walked to him and started small talk. He quickly said that he'd like to talk with 'Pastor Rob'. OH MAN!!! My heart about jumped out of my chest. A few minutes later, Rob and Mick were able to talk...and talk...and talk. In fact, they talked for 1 1/2 hrs. [I praise God that we have a pastor who is willing to stay long after his "duties" are done to share Jesus with someone. I love you Rob, thanks so much man!] Amber and I hung around up by the stage pretending to talk...we were really just listening in to their conversation.

Well, Uncle Mick has a lot of hang-ups about faith, church, salvation, etc. He didn't meet Jesus on Sunday, but he was shown where Jesus lives and how to meet Him. After talking with Uncle Mick, he told me that he wasn't really concrete faced at all during the service and that he had, in fact, been crying through most of it. Needless to say, God softened his heart in a new way. Now, I just pray that God would send those people to Flint, MI to continue the harvesting process.

Once we left, Amber and I had to rush home to meet her parents, which makes 23 friends and family now with us in Ohio. We hung out with them in the afternoon and then we headed back to the church for the ordination service at 5:30.

What a cool night! I think one of the coolest parts about it was hearing all the testimonies of the staff & elders at Apex. I've known some of them for years but haven't ever heard their stories quite like that. Chris Cardiff, Phil Depp, Jim Schindler, Ken Tew, Jason, and I all got ordained that night.

God has been so good to do great things in our lives. That night was sweet with the sound of men proclaiming Jesus, prayer, and brothers and sisters encouraging each other. In so many ways, it seems that the encouragement should have been done in the opposite way though - we, the elders & staff, should have been encouraging those that came. Those that are close to us, who serve us, love us, challenge us, and invest in us are the ones that deserved the encouraging. God, through those people, is the reason that we stay doing what we do. I was so encouraged by the loving words of a good friend, a father, and the prayers of so many of my brothers & sisters at Apex. It was quite humbling to be honest. The thing I appreciated so much about it was that all the encouragement was directed upward, to the Savior, knowing that He alone is the foundation we live upon...and serve upon.

Lord, thank you for your amazing work! Thank you for my wonderful family. Thanks for speaking and softening my uncle Mick. God, please continue to draw him near and protect him from the things that would distract him from you. I also thank you for my Ohio family, Apex. Thank you for making a way for Amber and I to be here. The love You've shown us through these people is indescribable. God, please make me into the husband, father, and minister that You want me to be. Thank you for giving me these opportunities!...

After the service was over, the whole family went out to Beef O'Brady's for dinner. It was such a fun time. If you've ever been in there, you know that this place has more T.V.'s than most electronics stores. The ones by us were playing basketball games and NASCAR races. The funny thing was, they had the Oscars playing really loud over the sound system so we'd look up at the screen and see someone interviewing a NASCAR driver...but it sounded like Chris Rock. Imagine that, Chris Rock at a NASCAR race...or even worse, Chris Rock's voice coming through the mouth of a white, country boy, NASCAR driver.
It was great to hang out with the family though. Aunt Karen and Uncle Mick are the last 2 in the back on the left side of the table.


So, I'm officially an ordained minister now...what do I do now??? Anybody need to get married?

(most of these photos were stolen, without permission, from my cousin Scott)