Ellie laughs

Ellie laughed as she fed herself cheese puffs yesterday.  What can I say?  She is precious.

Brian

welcome to Missouri//of snot and bad haircuts

I used to have a flowing mane of great hair.  Well, at least in the Windows 7 version of my memory I did.  Then, I went to a new stylist on Thursday.  She took care of it.

I said that I wanted to keep it kind of long and shaggy looking.  She had a different idea.

Then, I got a sinus infection.  That was most of Friday.  More pressure and pain than I’ve ever had with something like that.  Felt like I wanted to vomit.

But, some great new friends came to visit.  They have 5 kids also.  Jeff and Wini, great to see you guys.

This weekend, our first visitors from Gadrock will be in town.  Expect a barrage of tweets and pics.

Following God is always a great adventure.  (Cue Steven Curtis)

Brian

8.29.10 @ Lynwood

Last weekend was a great one at Lynwood.  We reached into the community and the surrounding area touching people in need and sharing the gospel.  This weekend we focus on families and how to disciple our children.  Sunday will be all about Godly parenting and our plan to disciple families.  We will sing:

Arise

Hosanna

How Can I Keep from Singing

God of Wonders

It’s gonna be a good day.  I can’t wait.  Hope you’ll join us.

Brian

welcome to Missouri//my drive to work

Brian

Ellie’s first steps

She finally decided that walking is better than crawling.

So proud.

Brian

spiritual transformation

One of the things that really excites us about Lynwood Baptist Church is the Greater Things Vision.  It’s huge.  Huge!  It includes evangelism, discipleship, ministry, and missions.  In September we will launch the Midwest Center for Spiritual Transformation (MCST – because churches like letters).  The purpose is to disciple believers in Christ.  It will be open to believers whether or not they are members of Lynwood.  Eventually it will also offer associate degrees in divinity for bivocational pastors.  We want to see Christians who are spiritually transformed and spirit filled living and serving for the glory of the Lord.  So what is the purpose of spiritual transformation?  Colossians 1:9-12 says,

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Paul prays for the believers at Colosse that they would be filled with an intimate knowledge of God, knowing and living His will while knowing, understanding, and applying His Word.  The purpose?  That they would “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.”  That they would live in a manner consistent with the Word of God, displaying the genuine presence of the Lord in their lives.  That they would be different.  Different than the world.  This kind of life pleases God and bears fruit for His glory.  Believers walking this way continually grow.  They are filled with His power and strength and ultimately worship their Lord in everything they do.

I want to live and walk this way.  I have a long way to go.  If you want to walk this way, get in the Word and get on your knees.  If you are in the Cape Girardeau area, come be apart of the Midwest Center for Spiritual Transformation.  Let’s grow and seek to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.

Brian

no pain, no gain

Ran the Lynwood 5k today.  Posted a respectable time for someone who hasn’t run consistently for quite some time while eating like there’s no tomorrow.  Got beat by several ladies and kids.  God always keeps me humble.

You may notice that Victoria has a medal around her neck.  She placed third in the 1k Kids Dash in her age division.  She rocks.

Brian

this weekend @ Lynwood

Hello Lynwood family.  This is what I do.  On Friday’s I post about what we’re doing on Sunday, or the weekend, if there is something big.  And there is something big this weekend.  It’s the Lynwood On Mission weekend.

It starts with a 5K.  Yes.  First, we run.  Or walk.  The money raised goes to Lynwood On Mission projects.  Speaking of projects, after we run, there are many projects you can participate in tomorrow – singing at a nursing home, cleaning and repair work at the home of an elderly person, repair at a local Christian camp ground, sewing blankets for foreign missions projects, and a few others that I can’t remember.  Come, run, walk, serve.  Be there.  Let’s make a difference in this area.

Then, Sunday.  Sunday is going to be a great day.  Guest speakers including a family on mission in Belarus.  Sunday morning we will sing:

I Am Free

Your Grace is Enough

Jesus Paid It All (with O Praise the One…)

God of This City

Be there.  It’s going to be a great day as we praise our Savior and serve the world for His kingdom and glory.

Brian

friendship//skype style

Long distance friendships.  They ain’t what they used to be.  Then again, they’re a little easier than they used to be.  They still stink.  But you used could only hear your friends 350 miles away.

Enter Skype.

Saturday night we spent an hour on Skype with the Malones and the Louderbacks, our best friends and Rainbow City Friday night group.

We hung out with Josh and Kristi, 350 miles apart.

We observed Scotty’s death grip on Katina from 7.5 hours away.  Really he was just hugging her, though it looks like we should call 911.

We saw Scotty get a little carried away three states away.

It wasn’t the same as Friday’s at the Crismans’, but it was nice.  Definitely better than a phone call.  Miss you guys!

Brian and Sonya

moving, moving, moving – God is good

Did you think I’d forgotten about this blog?  Between stopping, starting, planning, packing, flying, loading, goodbying, and driving I’ve had little time to write.  In the last three weeks we’ve covered a couple thousand miles on the ground and in the air.

Goodbyes are hard.  I’ve never felt so emotionally drained.  MeadowBrook, you’ve loved us like we’ve never known a church’s love.  Thank you for loving us for the past seven years and for treating us so special this last month.

Missouri, we came, we saw, we bought a house.  Then we beached.  And, man, did we need the vacation.  It was relaxing, restful, and the lack of oil made for a great beach trip.  While we were traveling some precious people in Alabama cleaned our old house while some precious people in Missouri cleaned new house.  What a blessing!

Thanks to a love gift of air miles, I flew up for the first choir rehearsal.  Many new and returning faces joined with me to have one great and productive time.  It’s early, but I think they get me.  I’m sure we’re gonna have a good time serving our Savior.

The next day I flew home to drive our family up.  We pulled our U-Haul trailer through a Starbucks drive-thru.  Our 1:30 a.m. arrival was sweetened by the fact that I forgot to remove our new house keys from the bag that I packed at the front of the trailer.  At 1:30 a.m. I unloaded the trailer on the driveway, found the keys, and opened up the house – now at 2:00 a.m.  At 3:45 a.m. we went to bed.  We bedded down in the basement where there are no windows so everyone slept until 11:00 a.m.  Not bad.

Then there was Sunday.  Our first Sunday.  I don’t even know how to put it into words.  The choir rocked.  The band was tight.  God showed up.  The Word was strong.  The Holy Spirit moved.  Don’t know what else to say except that God continues to confirm His will in our lives.  It’s more than just Sunday.  The vision Lynwood has for evangelism, discipleship, ministry, missions, and worship.  Our hearts already beat as one.

We are ready to go.  Our stuff arrived today and we now have furniture in our house.  Tonight, we will sleep in our own beds.  Tomorrow, we will wake with excitement ready to serve and worship here at Lynwood.

Thursday is the first day of school so please be praying.  I desperately hope to get back to blogging now.  Whether you live in Alabama, Missouri, or somewhere else, we love you all.

Brian