Everest

I started preparing for our next series in January on Mt. Everest. Everest is a great way to start the first of the year. I've started listening to Everest podcasts, watching Everest tv shows, and Everest documenteries. Fascinating. It's amazing how many spiritual connections there are to climbing Everest. Gonna be great. I'll share some of the stuff over the next month in the blog.

Look Around

I heard TD Jakes say something at a conference I attended several years ago that stuck with me..."When you start to see the heavy equipment come in you know God isn't trying to build a chicken coup but he's building a temple."

He was saying that when God begins to surround you with incredible people, incredible volunteers, incredible leaders that that is the thing that always precedes explosive growth. I could not agree more. I look back to when Pastor Robert started Gateway and we were flooded with incredible volunteers. In fact, even now at 10,000, some of the best leaders we have were here when we were less than 1,000.

When I look around at what surrounds me I am amazed at what the Lord has done and even more I am amazed at what he is about to do because of all of these incredible people. I am grateful.

The builders always come before the building and they'll keep coming all along the way.

Thank you Lord.

Cowboys Game

Watching the game right now...

T.O. should have caught that touchdown pass just now. Ridiculous.

Favre is my fantasy qb...has negative two points...and is out of the game.

Wade Phillips??? Going for it on 4th and 2 on the 32...KICK THE FIELD GOAL!

Why was the over/under only 31?

Cowboys will win...we'll see.

The Previews

Do you ever watch movies? I love movies. I especially love watching movies with my wife.

But there's one thing I have never, ever, ever liked about watching movies...THE PREVIEWS.

What a waste of time. When I go to see a flick at the theatre I usually like to get there 15 minutes after the published start time of the movie because that typically assures me of missing the bulk of the previews.

As I get older I am changing my mind about the previews a little bit. The Lord has changed my perspective of the previews over the past 7 years.

When I was 14 I felt the Lord begin telling me what he created me to accomplish with my life. It happened through prophetic words, life moments, and personal revelation from my time with the Lord. At the time I admit I was a little confused as to why God was telling me what he was telling me. What I heard and what he was actually saying were two very different things. I thought he was telling me how great I was, how much better I was than those around me, how much more important I was than they were. So stupid. Now I look back at those previews and see it in a whole new light.

I think the reason God gives us previews is partially because we're not quite ready for the movie. Maybe we are a little late, a little slow, in the wrong theatre, still buying popcorn, milk duds and sour patch kids, or whatever. If we are seeing the previews it means it's not time for the movie.

God is so gracious with us, with me. He knows the process. He knows the timeline. He knows when we will be ready enough. He knows that it is during the previews that we prepare for the movie. It is in the previews that we get excited enough about the movie to show up for the movie when it releases. In the previews we see snippets of the plot, of the danger, of the characters, of the movie. It is in the previews that we prove whether or not we can handle the box office success that is to come. It is in the previews that we learn that the best movies are not about great actors but great stories.

Enjoy the previews. The movie will begin shortly.

Mad like a Moron

Have you ever noticed what happens to you when you get upset? If you're like me you have a tendency to get a little riled up in a very short period of time. I'm an all in kind of guy. There are many benefits to that type of attitude but there are drawbacks as well. Such as...I can flip a switch in a heartbeat...faster than you can blink. Something silly happened just now and for some reason I got a little riled up. It was so trivial, so small, so the only thing I could think about for 5 minutes.

You know one of the things that happens when I get mad that I absolutely hate? It uncovers so many ugly things. I mean ugly. For some reason when I get mad some really nasty things surface in my life. I'm beginning to think it is the Lord taking the opportunity to prove a point, to be a caring and concerned father for a minute. Man, some really ugly things came out of me. Nothing out loud. Just in my head...which is the worst kind. I can pretend they're not there but when something upsets me I am immediately reminded that they have been there all along.

I started thinking how I make more money than so and so and I'm this and I'm that. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. I am embarrassed to even admit that this happens and even more so am grateful that the Lord doesn't take everything away from me when I think stupid thoughts like that. I'll tell you one thing, I'll never have any more authority than I do now if I don't learn to be vulnerable and humble and submissive and secure. The Lord reminds me of that.

The great thing about being created to communicate is that I get a chance to share what the Lord has given me by using my mouth. The sad thing about the gift of communication is that it can turn to a deadly weapon in a moment. Ugly. Nasty. As Tyler would say, "Yukky"! It's sad that out of my own insecurity I think about using the gift God has given me to harm and not honor. Grateful he doesn't take it away when I drop the ball.

Everything I have is a gift from the Lord. I came into this world with nothing and I will leave with nothing. Everything he has gifted me to do is because of Him not me or my ability. At my best I am a moron. At my worst I am nothing.

Surprisingly enough I am grateful for this little learning opportunity. I need these moments. I want to be faithful. I want to grow. I want to make my Father proud. Gonna have to work on this.

I want to be someone who never overestimates himself and never underestimates the people around him.

How Daddies Hold

We had a great week in California for Thanksgiving last week with Holly's family. Unfortunately, getting to her parents place requires a 3 hour flight. The best part about that 3 hour flight though is that we make it with 3 children under the age of 5 and the youngest is teething. Good times, good times. We have made this trip so many times this year that we kind of have a routine for the flight down pat. Holly sits next to Rylie in one row with Preston in her lap and I take Tyler in another row. Tyler is the least relaxed on airplanes of all of my kids...but I'd rather have a fidgety 2 year old than a crying 7 month old. Because Tyler was all over the map in that 3 hour span of time I was forced to hold him in a variety of ways that got me thinking again about how God is with me.

Daddies hold you up to keep you from falling.
Daddies hold you close to snuggle with you.
Daddies hold on to you to keep you from getting lost.
Daddies hold you upside down to laugh.
Daddies hold you while they bounce to put you to sleep.
Daddies hold you out to carry you over barriers on your level.
Daddies hold you back when you don't know what's best for yourself.
Daddies hold you just because you say "uppie".

The one thing we fail to remember like Tyler is that no matter how we are being held, the reason our fathers hold us the way that they do is that they are trying to find the best posture for us and what we need at that time. Because that's what daddies do.

Quickly

Just got settled in to Holly's parents place in Fresno. Been a long 24 hours. Have some thoughts about last night and about a revelation I got on the plane...GREAT stuff there. Running to the grocery store and I'll post when I get back.

And Just Like That...Everything Changes

Spent several hours up at NRH last night getting the building ready for tonight. I have been overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions over the past week of opening Gateway Church NRH.

This has been something I have dreamt of for more than 7 years. I remember the first time Robert came to me and asked me to put together a building plan for generational ministry (I think I did it at least 4 times in 90 months). It was kind of fun to dream and visionize about what a building like that would look like if I were to have a say in it. But I also remember the deposit that the Lord made in me as I drew out the building on paper...it was significant...it was unforgettable...it was a foretaste.

There have been several times throughout my time at Gateway where I actually thought we would get it built...that was more than 4 years ago. What can I say? I was young and dumb.

All this time, no matter how unlikely it seemed, I saw it. I have known what this would look like for years...not the paint schemes, carpet colors, or layout. I guess it's hard to explain but I have always had a sense of what things would look like when this building was built.

4 years ago I wasn't ready but now things are different...much different. God's timing is perfect. I have felt like what God was doing at Seven was something very few churches try to or have the resources to offer. For the first time in my life I am actually proud of the ministry I am a part of...not in the sense that it's any better than others...I am simply proud to be a part of my Father's business doing my part to see it succeed and be eternally profitable.

I feel like to this point Seven has been a great hole in the wall restaurant with great food. Not everybody has known where our restaurant is located or what exactly we serve but those customers who have dined with us have immediately become lifers. And then in a moment I feel like one rich man came into the restaurant and tasted the food and saw that it was good. In fact he thought it was so good that he instantly started making plans to take our little whole in the wall from a place that could seat 40 and build a restaurant that seated 20 times that. Some people saw it as a hole in the wall restaurant but not this investor, he saw the opportunity to feed thousands a menu that people dream of ordering from. The rich man was so excited to eat the food and see others eat it around him that he built the new restaurant himself. There is no way the family who owned this little eatery could have afforded to expand their business. In fact, they had never even counted the cost of expansion because it would have taken more than they made in a lifetime of profit from their little shop. But this rich man changed everything. The rich man knew this. He never required a dime. He never asked for a thing. All he said was "People need to experience your menu, they must experience your menu. I will see to it for the rest of my life that your restaurant has every opportunity to feed as many people as possible as excellently as possible." And over a very short period of time this little restaurant went from a place that only locals knew about to a place where tourists made a point to eat while they where in town if only for a day. The food was the same. The service was the same. The people were the same. The only thing that changed was one rich man came in and took his influence and his resources and made this little hole in the wall restaurant famous.

I knew that when the Lord built this building that it would coincide with what he was doing in me. It's not that I'm ready, it's just that it's time.

This is a day I will never forget. Thank you Lord.

Who Am I?

Had one of those days today. I think I probably prayed with 16 or 17 people between the second and third services. I'm not sure why but I had people grabbing me and waiting to pray with me more than normal. All I could think the entire time was "Who am I that I get to do this with my life?"

I could be doing anything with my life. I could still be a busboy, a valet, or a security guard. But I get to work in an environment where people want me to pray with them about their situation.

I wish people could hear my thoughts sometimes. All I think as I'm getting to pray with people is how blessed I am to get paid to do what I do. I love it.

Nervous

I am gearing up for our flag football league finale tonight. The league has gone really well...better than I could have hoped.
Thoughts about our games...
I'm nervous. Everyone wants to beat me. They're out to get me. I just don't want to get hurt. I don't think we will win but that doesn't even matter...I don't want to get hurt.
There are so many players on the teams we will be playing tonight, so many big guys, fast guys, strong guys. We are honestly outmatched.



Give me a break. If you honestly believe all that stuff I have some land in the bayou I want to sell you.

Does that stuff even sound like me? Not even close.

Here's my call...my team wins first game 46-17 and the championship 54-30. My other prediction is that I won't even break a sweat.

Let's get it on.

NRH

Just got home from the first gathering at the NRH campus. Pretty cool to see something I have been picturing for the past 7 years take place right in front of me. Not many words could articulate how feel as Seven moves into this campus. Grateful is the best I can do.

All I can see walking through the building is opportunities everywhere. This will be a great tool to add to what we already offer as we seek to help and reach every person possible.

This building reaches people. This building reaches my generation. This building reaches me.

Can't wait to see it in action.

15 Years Ago

It was almost 15 years ago this time that I was 14 and reading through the bible for the very first time. I remember having such an excitement to complete reading every word. My dad had made me a deal that if I read through the bible in one year that he would give me $250. That's a lot of money for a 14 year old kid. The money may have been the reason I got started but it was not the reason I finished. As I got more and more into God's letter to me I became enamored with it. I started in Genesis where a young guy had a dream but had to wait twenty years for it to happen. I got to Ruth and read the most romantic words I had ever read in my life. I got to Psalms and read about a the only man in recorded history that God said was a person after his own heart yet the guy was a messed up mo. I got to Proverbs and found some of the greatest keys of wisdom I had ever been given. I remember how the pieces just seemed to fit. That what I was reading was so incredibly applicable for me. I asked the Lord that day if he would make me the wisest person I know. Not so that I would receive riches because of it but for a totally different reason. I asked the Lord to give me wisdom so that every time I sit with someone, meet with someone, counsel someone, encourage someone, correct someone, help someone that I would be able to give them something that wouldn't just help them but would change their lives.

Since I started in ministry over 7 years ago I have had so many moments where I was speaking and it was obvious what was coming out of my mouth didn't come out of my mind. Outside of any moment with my family those are the moments I live to experience.

When I was 14 I knew that God called me into ministry. I never dreamed of ministry. I never dreamed of preaching to hundreds of people let alone thousands. All I dreamt of was being able to give something away to people that could not be obtained from God but had to be received from him.

My life is a dream come true.

10 Years Ago Today

Had an interesting weekend this weekend. Hard to articulate what is going on inside of me right now but something is going on. I had a moment this weekend where the Lord said some things about me and my situation 10 years ago. Here are some of the highlights..

Then out of nowhere He said this, "Preston you have already forgotten where you were, what you were, and what you had 10 years ago today."

You may read right through that sentence and mentally bypass it's importance...but I can't. That sentence represents nearly 4,000 days (or 1/3) of my life. That sentence represents 1,000's of moments where the Lord showed himself to be faithful. That sentence reminds me someone I don't even look like anymore. That sentence reminds me of how good God is.

10 years ago today I was a sophomore in college who had nearly dropped out as a freshman because of a broken heart.

10 years ago I was sitting in my campus apartment still thinking about a girl I was still in love with that was engaged to someone else.

10 years ago today I was making $8 an hour working graveyard security for an apartment complex that housed the Phoenix mafia (it felt like that wondering around the place at 4am with gunshots going off).

10 years ago I was dominating intramurals.

10 years ago I had more girls that wanted to marry me who honestly thought it was the Lord's will than I have friends now. (At least that's how I remember it).

10 years ago today I was fearing graduating college in 3 years because I had no idea how I was going to get a job at a church.

10 years ago today I was thinking it was time to get baptized.

10 years ago today I was dreaming of the day someone would love me, marry me, raise children with me, spend forever with me.

10 years ago today I was halfway into racking up $15,000 of school debt and $3,000 dollars of dumb debt.

10 years ago I drove a convertible that seated 2 people.

10 years ago today I was wondering if what God had been telling me for 20 years that he would use me to do would ever come true.

Today I thank the Lord for how he spared me from a relationship that could have changed everything.

Today I sit in my office enamored with the woman I dreamt for 20 years about meeting...let alone marrying.

Today I have the job I never imagined I could ever get let alone keep.

Today I am not dominating much of anything athletically.

Today I see girls who look at a man's finger to see if he is married and couldn't care less.

Today I look back at the last 7 1/2 years that I have worked at one of the fastest growing churches in the country.

Today I am more intimate with the Lord than I ever could have comprehended was possible.

Today I wake up every morning to the sweet voices of Rylie, Tyler and Preston and to the kisses of the greatest mother to my children I could have asked for.

Today I have no debt and more money in our retirement than I make in 18 months.

Today I stare at the new house on wheels that is my wife's Suburban.

Today I still listen to what God is telling me he will use me to do and wonder how in the world it will ever happen.

You have brought me so far in 10 years Lord. It's truly hard to understand.

You have saved me, spared me, protected me, provided for me, guided me, spoken to me, overwhelmed me, disciplined me, taught me, used me, been faithful to me, laughed at me, grown me, molded me, prepared me, appointed me, quieted me, launched me, more than I ever could have hoped or asked for.

You are God alone and you are good to me. Thanks for the history lesson. Thanks for yesterday and thank you for today.

Where where you 10 years ago today? What were you doing? Who were you doing it with? Who where you? Don't forget how far God has brought you. Let it remind you of how far he can take you from where you are today to where you'll be 10 years from today.

Terror

Was just reading a blog I keep up with where he was talking about what makes terrorists so powerful. Here's a clip...

They have absolutely no regard for self-preservation.
Their only obsession is the cause.

Pretty powerful thought.

I think one of the things that holds back good leaders from being great leaders is the desire to create a culture of self-preservation that says "If I were to leave the organization would fail". It goes back to one of my favorite goals...I want to build His kingdom not mine.

Rylie's First Day of Pre-K

She was so confident.
I was much more nervous.

She was so grateful to be in school.
I was so grateful to be putting her there.

She is so smart for a 4 year old.
I want her to have every advantage I can give her.

I was so proud to be taking her to school. I am extremely proud of her.

Stewarding Rylie's life as her father is one of the greatest responsibilities of my life and one of the greatest gifts.

As I get older and my kids do too it gets easier and easier to sacrifice whatever I can for their benefit. It is becoming more and more of a no-brainer.

Living life with my kids is incredible. Living in step with my wife is indescribable.

There is nothing that I am more grateful for than Holly. She's more than I ever could have asked for in a teammate, friend, life love, date, person I wake up every morning of my life looking at.

She is a dream come true. Thank you Lord.

He Makes Me Look Good

Thinking today about how many times in my day where I do something that turns out good that has nothing to do with me. I am grateful for God's favor and his goodness. There are so many times where he protects me by doing something I could never do, saying something that I could never say. Some people hear it or see it and are impressed...I know better...It's all God. I have said too many stupid things in my lifetime for anything of value to come out that wasn't Him.

The funny thing is that he wants me to look good. That's the way daddies operate. They want their children to look better than them. The only difference is that God wants to get the glory.

Not a problem. I'll spend the rest of my life convincing people that anything of value has nothing to do with me. I'm just grateful to be used.

Timelessly Classic God

I found a prophetic word that I had given to a student over a year ago. When I read it I thought there was no way that any of this came from my mouth. It reads more like TD Jakes.

My first thought actually was that I am so grateful to the Lord when he speaks. I couldn't live without it.

For your reading pleasure...

You're asking God for progress, personal progress, but progress involves pursuit.
God says "Ho much you pursue me decides how much I propel you."
Stop waiting for me to act, cause I'm waiting for you to act.
Waiting is overrated.
Don't wait because you want to receive your individual calling from the Lord...God cares more about commitment than he does individual calling...you should too.

Hope it speaks to someone the way it spoke to me this morning almost 18 months after I wrote it down.

Check-Ups

Have you ever thought about the need for a doctors "check-up"? Maybe you are like us and you have at least an annual visit to the doctor to make sure everything is great with your health. As you get older the need for these check-ups to become more regular is very important. Here's why: the more lifetime you log the more chance for damage, the more chance for damage the more chance for disaster. So in many ways the only reason to have regular check-ups is to avert a physical disaster.

I don't think this is any different than it is with God. I think we all need check-ups or spiritually I would call them tests. Don't be offended when you are faced with a test from the Lord. He is just trying to keep you from experiencing major disaster. No matter what you think, the major reason for tests is not trust, it is not to see if you are trustworthy. The major reason for tests is to make sure everything is working properly to avoid a major catastrophe.

I know you hate tests. But if I test for a particular type of cancer all of the time I increase my chance of catching it early enough to treat it if I ever am faced with having it. In other words tests can save lives. Tests seem like a pretty good idea if you think about it like that. But then again you already knew that. If a test means possibly saving my life sign me up.

Tests are good. Tests are everywhere.

Advice: Don't grade your test with someone else's answer key. God did not give you their standards...He gave you yours.

#2 pencils anyone?