Filed under: Andrea, Church, Connections, Family, LOVE, Personal | Tags: Baptism, C3 Church, Connections Team
It’s Saturday night and I am getting ready for a busy Sunday. Tomorrow I am meeting with our entire Connections Team to give a little pep talk as we are in the throws of summertime. I am so blessed to lead such a fine group of people on the Connections Team that sacrifice week end and week out to make the C3 experience possible. I am looking forward to talking with them face to face and just to let them know how much I and the entire staff appreciates them and their commitment to reaching people.
I am also getting the privilege to help with the baptism brunch tomorrow immediately following the Sunday morning services. I will be baptizing a work associate and friend of Andrea’s tomorrow that just recently gave her life to Christ. Tania is a great friend of Andrea and I and I feel blessed to be a part of her new walk with Christ.
Well that’s it for the end of the week update. I need to go pick up my beautiful wife who I took to work today. It’s always great to spend as much time with my wife as I can. I love her “to infinity and beyond”. 🙂
See you tomorrow C3!
Filed under: Church, Friends, Personal | Tags: Baptism, C3 Church, One Prayer, Shane & Shane
It is crazy how fast time just flies by. At this point last week Andrea and I were getting ready to get out of O-Town for a few days. Of course last weekend flew by fast as we were enjoying cloudy skies in Ft. Lauderdale. We have been back to work since Monday and sometimes it seems like you never even took any time off. O well that is the nature of the beast.
I am looking forward to this Sunday as we wrap up our “One Prayer” Series and then the following Sunday with C3 taking over Avalon Amphitheater with Shane & Shane.
After service this Sunday we are doing a Baptism/Brunch for all the new Christians who have committed to being Christ-Followers. I am so looking forward to celebrating with all of my new brothers and sisters who have given their lives to Jesus.
It’s going to be another crazy few weeks C3’ers. God is doing incredible things in peoples’ lives. I am just glad I get to be a part of the movement of God in East Orlando!
Alright that wraps it up for Wednesday. Have a great rest of the week!
Andrea and I are spending a few days with friends at their condo on Ft. Lauderdale beach. It’s always good to get away for a few days of vacation. Have a great weekend guys and we’ll see you all next week! And thank you to everyone who came to Andrea’s B-day party at the skating rink. What a great way to start our mini-vacation.
Today my beautiful wife turns 30 years old. What an unbelievable blessing that arrived thirty years ago today. I love you honey. You are the most beautiful woman in the world! And you don’t look a day over 22!
Filed under: Family, LOVE, Personal | Tags: Dad, Death, Father's Day, Memories
Where can I begin? This is a question that one should probably never start a blog with but it’s kind of how I feel right now in the moment. Today is, of course, Father’s Day. I really try not to think on things that pull me down too much in an emotional state, but for me this day has that effect. It’s because on this day as much as I would love to celebrate my dad and love on him I can’t, because he is not here.
I know people will probably think or say you should think about what a great dad you had and celebrate him that way. Yes, I would definitely agree with you that I had an unbelievable loving, caring, compassionate, Godly man in my dad. Yes, I should thank God for giving me such a great father here on this earth for the time I had him. And many, many times during the year or even daily when there is no reason at all, I do thank God and look back fondly on the memories of dad. But, today I really can’t celebrate because the person that this day is for is not here. It’s a huge hole of a day for me.
If you are a child of a parent that has gone on to heaven you really can relate and know what I am feeling. Because Father’s Day or Mother’s Day isn’t really a day for Fathers and Mothers it’s a day for the children of Fathers and Mothers. It’s a day when kids can kick back with their dads and say stuff like, “thank you Pops for being my Dad” or “I love you dad” or “I hope you enjoy today father, we are going to Longhorn in honor of you!” Those are but a few phrases that I will never again get to say because my dad is no longer here. The opportunity has passed for me.
It is something that everyone, eventually will have to deal with. It’s part of a circle of life and I know I’m not alone but days like today really hurt my heart. So if your dad is still alive take at least a little time with him and cherish each conversation, each meal, each interaction because all too soon the opportunity is gone, never to be recaptured again.
All I have now are pictures and memories. So Father’s Day is a big ole’ hole of a day for me. What I would give for one more hug, one more smile, one more time of seeing him work on a car or raise his hands in worship to God. What I would give for just one more moment with my dad. So I’ll just say it too my heart because that’s the only place where dad still exists on this earth, Happy Father’s Day, Thanks for being my dad, I love ya daddy.
Love on him while he’s still here because those moments will get you through the days when there is nothing but a big hole because he can’t be with you. Thank God that death can’t take away my memories and heaven has dad until one day I’ll see him again. That day will truly be a Father’s day in more ways than one and Father’s day will no longer be a hole for me.
Filed under: Church | Tags: Africa Benefit Concert, Avalon Park Amphitheater, Bloodwater Mission, July 6th, Shane & Shane
Don’t miss this!
Filed under: Andrea, Family, Friends, LOVE, Personal | Tags: Andrea's B-day, Awesome People, Fridays
I know, I know I haven’t blogged in a week. For all of you blog addicts out there in the blogosphere, I’m sorry. It has just been a week of processing quite a few things in my little head and so I haven’t really felt like blogging. But today is another story. I do feel like blogging.
I’ll just make this short and sweet. No big profound blog on this Friday just some light writing and good times. Let me just say it is so awesome sometimes when people surprise you. You might ask, what are you talking about? Well you’ll just have to keep on wondering because I’m not going to tell but I will say this. Sometimes people come through for you and when that happens you can’t help but be proud of folks.
Also, you people that I sent invitations for Andrea’s surprise b-day party (Yes she knows we are getting together for her 30th but she has no clue where we are going so it is still a surprise so shhhh!). Call me or email to let me know you’re coming
Anyway, have an awesome Friday and a great weekend. I’m looking forward to another unbelievable Sunday at C3 Church! Remember, Love Wins!
Today’s blog is going to be one of those blogs where it’s just sharing what’s up with me and on a more personal level then most. Sometimes you get in those moods where you just think about your life and contemplate where you have been and where you are going. It’s in those times you look back and you ask God, “how in the heck did I wind up here?”. If you would have asked me 3 years ago what my life would be like today I probably would not have given a description of what I am living today. The farther you go back the more the expectation would not match the reality.
I can put together the circumstances surrounding how I have arrived here easily enough just like anyone can looking back. Some of the circumstances I was in control of and others I was not but both have worked to place me on the path that I am on right now. Would I have chosen this path I am on right now? Probably not, but is it the right one for me to be on? Yes it is, because of some pertinent info I have to this point not listed in this crazy evaluation.
God knows what is best for me better than I know what is best for me. I have yielded control of my life to Him and I trust Him more than I trust myself. So the biggest factor in this evaluation of the “life of Darrell” is the God factor. Even when the path that I am on seems out of sync with my dreams or wants I trust God. Because ultimately God knows those dreams and He know those desires and He knows when it’s best for me to achieve and acquire or not. God knows what I yearn for and balances that with what is best for me.
So you might be thinking that I am not loving my life right now or that I am going through some major crises. You would be totally off base with that assumption. I love my life and the path that I am on but I am just looking back a little and I am amazed at where I am at and at the same time learning contentment in the process. There will always be challenges along the way and lessons to be learned, that’s just the way it is no matter where you find yourself in life. It all comes down to trusting God and leaning on His wisdom instead of your own. It leads me to one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible.
“Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”
Lord give me the strength to give control up, give me the will to learn the hard lessons, give me the hope to know it’s ok and give me the peace for the path unknown. This is my pray for today.
Like I have said before, Tuesdays are usually pretty hectic with meetings and everything. I did not have a chance to get to my blog yesterday. I am just so pumped for C3 Church. After having our staff meeting yesterday and then production meeting, it is just so cool to hear how God is working and moving in our church.
I am pretty excited about our July 6th event. You can read all about it at Pastor Byron’s blog. It is so cool that we will be raising money to put in a well in Africa where clean water is so scarce. Not only is C3 about reaching and helping the poor right here in Orlando but we also have a heart for the world. It is part of that imagery when the Lord tells us that we are to reach people in “Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the Earth”. I think that Africa would probably fit in with the “uttermost parts of the Earth” analogy.
I also can’t wait to hear the great messages from the “One Prayer” Pastors that have contributed to this huge event in the Body of Christ. It is such a great privilege to be a part of such a great movement of God.
Then we have some of the greatest sermon series we have ever done as we go through summer and into the fall. I really believe that God is going to use Pastor Byron and C3 Church to reach tons of people in the coming months.
This is why it’s so important to keep inviting your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and whoever else you can think of to come to church with you. God can literally change their lives but it’s up to YOU to invest and invite.
So on this Wednesday let me say, “Keep it up” C3’ers, you are making a difference. The snowball has really started rolling down the hill and it’s getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Peace out and Love Wins!
Filed under: Church, Personal | Tags: C3 Church, Church, Fresh Move of God, New Day, New Season
Rainy day Monday, well maybe just a little. It’s around 5:45pm and I am just now looking at my blog wondering what to write about. The natural thing to write about on a Monday is how church went on Sunday. That is a good topic to cover on a Monday blog but I do not feel like going into detail about Sunday. That does not mean that Sunday was not a great day. In fact it was fantastic at C3. You can check out the lowdown on Sunday on Pastor Byron’s and Pastor Barry’s blogs.
I am thinking about the rain as it is coming down hard outside at the moment. We really need the rain and a good storm and heavy rainfall is good every once in a while. I think we are starting to enter the rainy season pretty soon so it is just part of living in Central Florida. But it got me to thinking about seasons. Not only the seasons that happen every year but also the seasons of our lives.
It was interesting, Andrea and I had my mother’s Pastors, Peggy & Hugo over to have lunch with us after church yesterday. Pastors Peggy and Hugo are up there in the years now. They are both in their seventies and things are slowing down for them. They are the Pastors who’s ministry I sat under as a child and accepted Jesus and really devoted my life to God. As they are looking to retire they are somewhat sad as their main thrust of ministry looks like it is coming to a close. The small church that I was saved, baptized and grew up in is on the market and as soon as it sells Pastors Peggy and Hugo will officially retire.
I tried to be an encouragement to them as I shared how their ministries were not over or a failure but are just changing to another season. I don’t know how many people have been saved as a result of their ministry, only God knows but I do know that they have made an impact on the Kingdom of God. Even if it was only me that was saved in their ministry it would be a lasting impact for Christ. They have been in ministry for almost fifty years. It was very cool to have them over for lunch and it gave my mother such joy. But it still has me thinking about the season thing.
Some people have mourned the loss of what they feel was perhaps a flourishing ministry over the years. As we transitioned C3 Church from what it was to what it is now. Did God move ten, fifteen even twenty years ago when C3 Church existed in another form? Of course He did. Can you look back and remember some of those times? Yes you can, but what God did back five, ten, fifteen or even twenty years ago is not how God necessarily wants things to be done today. The past was great and it was how God chose to move for a season. This is a new day and a new season. God is doing something new and fresh and I am happy not to be stuck and mourning a past but moving fast forward into the future, into a new season.
So as the rain is coming down and it looks like we might be moving into a new season think back just briefly and remember that a rainy day Monday can bring about new life and new changes just like the seasons or even a fresh move of God.
loveworshiplovelife 