Happy New Year to everyone. We are so excited to launch our brand new logo and webpage today on 1/1/11 at 1pm. Want to have a look? You can check it out here. I hope that everyone has made time to reflect on years past and dream towards the future. Here is to good times in sharing hope for 2011! I would love to hear what your dreaming for 2011 if you care to share.

What an emotional weekend we just came off of. We had our New Rhythm Christmas Party, we celebrated our last Sunday at Georgetown, and we had a birthday/open house party on Sunday afternoon. It was a lot of fun but a lot of emotions as well. Shelly and I have been reflecting on the past year and we are filled with great hope for what is to come. It has been a tough year for sure but where there is pain there is gain so we wouldn't trade it for anything. As the proverb reads, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." We'll share updates really soon on where we will be focusing our energies for 2011. For now, enjoy your holiday and focus on some R & R!

We are gearing up for New Rhythm's first annual Christmas Party. It was a year ago this month that God birthed this vision inside our hearts. Shelly and I gathered up a few of our close friends for a dinner and we did our level best to vocalize this crazy idea about an organization that would travel the world and rescue orphaned and abused children and place them in families. We weren't even sure what it looked like or if it even made sense. We all agreed we would keep it in prayer and hoped to have details and ideas secured for  us to begin to move forward. Well this year we launched New Rhythm Project in August. We have built some great relationships and developed critical partnerships. In just five months we are in the process of three adoptions from Haiti, we have partnered with BestKids of DC to facilitate mentors for DC Foster kids, we are recruiting a number of Fosters Families through small groups and mini forums, and we are running a Foster Care & Adoption Initiative with a couple hundred families in just a few weeks. We have been so humbled and honored to walk along side individuals and families as they find their role in defending the cause of the fatherless. We are so blessed and very grateful. So tonight well reflect on God's faithfulness and celebrate the future as we look ahead with great anticipation. In the words of the great Tony Bennett, "The Best is Yet to Come!"

It was two years ago this month when our team sat around a table at the Cheescake Factory and I had an idea. Everyone of us gets tons of Christmas Catalogs that encourage us to buy more things that we don't really need. What if we created a catalog that coincided with our missions projects and people could purchase goods in each area of the globe that we were working with that year. As a result, over $100,000 has been given to missions in just two years. We have just started our third marketplace catalog and I cannot wait to get started purchasing some gifts that really matter to the one who is receiving. Feel free to check it out and see if there is something that perhaps you may want to purchase. It's a great way to gather your friends, family, staff, and other networks too. You can come together and make a huge impact this Christmas from just one click!

Shelly and I will head out to Williamsburg during the last week of December for our family planning retreat. I view this as the backbone of our family. Every decision we make throughout the year depends on whether or not it fits the plan. We go into this with much prayer and anticipation. I For what it's worth to you, we plan and/or set goals in five different areas: Physical, Mental, Financial, & Fun. t has been a great way to track God's faithfulness throughout the year and identify where we are in the journey that we feel like God has called us to. A year ago we wrote down to make a decision whether or not to purchase a home or keep renting. We happened to moved into our new home this summer. A year ago we wrote down to finalize all details, board, mission, vision, branding, & contracts for our non-profit. We are so grateful to have launched in August and the organization is thriving. So as we look in to 2011 our hearts are encouraged and our faith is stretched to believe God to more than we could ever ask for, hope, or imagine. And oh yea, there are those things that happen throughout the year as well that you just can't plan for and God's faithfulness is always there to sustain you. Give it a shot this year. You can do it individually or with your spouse and children. You will be amazed at how much it helps you to stay focused and see God's hand at work in your life.

Have you ever notice how different you feel when reading a book in a stylistic coffeehouse with comfortable chairs and warm colors on the wall than reading a book in your office at your desk? Doesn't it also seem like you can day dream a little longer and more creatively in that coffeehouse or away at a scenic cabin with the fireplace going and the snow falling outside the window with a hot cup of cocoa? What am I saying? Environment is everything. Sometimes you have to step outside of the office to let the neurotransmitters go. A change of environment creates some space for creativity and imagination. I have been dubbed around the office as the "candle guy". For some reason I am so much more productive with the candles lit and the jazz music playing in the background. Try it sometime. Your environment is important to your productivity and creativity. Maybe you need to get out of the office for an offsite brainstorming meeting or reflection time? Maybe you need to add some paint to the walls and maybe some warm feeling decor? Give it a shot, I bet it helps. PS- Christmastime seems like the best time for this. The Christmas decor makes for such a warm environment dripped with imagination.

Thanks for your prayers. I am back in the office this week. We are full steam ahead in end of the year evaluations and new year planning. Some very cool opportunities are waiting for us on the horizon. I am not at liberty to share at this time but certainly will as time permits. I am healing well and should be 100% by Christmas hopefully. Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support. Keynote: seek the Lord, not opportunity. Opportunity inevitably comes after one has sought the Lord!

I wonder if we could create a new rhythm when it comes to holidays and birthdays. At the present and in times past these occasions tend to make us lean towards selfishness and have sent us on a mission to satisfy OUR needs. But, what if we used these occasions to satisfy the needs of OTHERS? After all, what needs do we really have? Are they really needs or just merely wants? If you look at the world around you you will see greater needs than that of your own. The beautiful thing is that you and I, we have the influence and the resources to provide some of those needs. So I say, why not? It starts by simply stepping out of your original mind set and or comfort zone and creating a new rhythm in your life to bring awareness and provision to the greater needs of human beings across this world. We can make an impact today. Instead of sending me a card or a gift, make a donation to provide clean water to a community in need. Since I will be completing my 28th year I thought it might be cool if you could give $28 towards the cause. 100% of your donation will go towards clean water. Lets do this thing! You can change a life today and celebrate mine at the same time


Check out my @mycharitywater campaign.  Help me raise money for clean water for my bday.  http://www.mycharitywater.org/givenow

In case you care, here is a list of books that I am currently reading. I always get inspired when I see what other people are reading so if this is helpful then so be it, if not, then so be it again.

Radical - by David Platt
Purple Cow - by Seth Godin
Forgotten God - by Francis Chan
Sun Stand Still - by Steven Furtick
Building Social Business - by Muhammad Yunis
I currently find myself reading through the Psalms in our Bible Reading Plan

Enjoy!

I was reading an article recently that shared a blurb from the American Census Bureau. It stated that last year Americans spent 41 million dollars on pumpkins most of them only to cut up and set by the front door. I wonder if it is worth us rethinking how we celebrate holidays. That is a sickening fact. It is time that Americans begin to rethink the celebration of our holidays and see how we can divert the usual monetary flow for the greater good of the world. Think about it. What if we created a holiday were one day every year we gave over 41 million dollars to provide clean water for the different countries in need which in return would prevent diseases and early deaths? What if we created a holiday were one day every year 41 million americans opened up their homes to orphans that had no place to go? In just a few years there would be no more orphans in this world. What if we created a holiday were one day every year we gave 41 million dollars to micro finance individuals to create small business in the less developed countries of our world and worked towards some sustainability in communities? I would love to here your ideas as well...you fill in the blank...what if we created a holiday were one day every year_______________

Is caring for orphans radical because it makes one uncomfortable? Or is it the norm, and how we were created to move & live? When you read the Bible what do you see? Does your life reflect that of the scriptures or rather your own interpretation of them? THINK ABOUT IT

We are working with BitterSweet Creative to give us a face to the organization. We are brainstorming daily to come up with some ver creative ways to organize information and display it attractively. NRP is also connecting with Christian Alliance for Orphans, Show Hope, and Safe Families to create some synergy and mobilize the nation's capitol to advocate and provide hope for orphans. Some very exciting stuff is on the horizon. Shelly and I just met with the NCC Mom & Dad's group to talk about orphan care and they are moved to action. I am so thrilled to see the potential but most of all the action that is getting ready to take place in our community.

Gifts of Water from Water Missions on Vimeo.

Are you looking for a way to give thanks this Holiday season? You can do that by teaming with your family, co-workers, friends, etc...to bring clean water to those in need. Check out this video and take the challenge at Water Mission International. I dare you...I double dog dare you!!

I just attended the story conference in Chicago. We had such great times. Chi-town was on one of our goals for this year so I was happy to mark it off the list. It was my first time spending time there. I have always just flown through and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Chicago is big, clean, and a sole provider of all types of meat. I thoroughly enjoyed. In fact, one day we had a progressive lunch and ate at four different places. Crazy I know but worth the experience. That was a really long intro to say that I have been challenged lately with telling the right story. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and he began a story that is beautiful, glorious, full of love, grace, and everything good. He began a story that is majestic and wonderful and it is our job to tell that story. Here is what I have been chewing on lately in my readings. All stories have themes. We derive themes from the big idea, the priorities, the consistent points of the story. The Bible has a theme, Jesus' life has a theme, and your life has a theme. The question to ask yourself is, "What is the theme of your life?" Now, the answer should parallel with that of Jesus' life theme. So, what is Jesus' life theme? Well, as you read through the Bible and look at the life of Jesus and the Words of scripture one can see that the central theme is HUMILITY. Jesus' life was such a pure example of humility and the Words of scripture reveal to us how much God hates pretense and arrogance. Here is the deal...If your life's theme is not humility then you are telling another story, not the story of God. Ten times out of ten the story is about you. We need to take heed to this and constantly remind ourselves to clothe ourselves in humility. Here is a good way to protect yourself from falling into the death trap of pride- continually ask yourself, "what is my motivation for what I am about to do?" It is very easy, too easy in fact to fall into a cyclical pattern of doing ministry or performing our responsibilities only to satisfy our need of self-grtification. One day we received praise for doing something in our particular jobs or responsibilities and people thought highly of us or made something of us and so we decided to make a career of it. Now every time we write that article for work, make that video for church, give that presentation, preach that sermon, write that blog and steadily check that hit counter, post pics or update our status on FB and anxiously hope for comments, or perform any task at all, the main motivation is us hoping people will like it and talk about it for days to come so we can feel great about ourselves and what we accomplished. The only thing missing in that is....the story of God. We have to guard ourselves from this cycle of self-gratification. It is good for nothing and it leads to death. My heart is challenged by this and I want to embrace this tension all the days of my life and lean towards humility. Are you with me?

We are launching campus alpha tonight for round 2. Tonight we will be giving away a Nintendo Wii, playing cornhole, and eating lots of pizza. If you don't think that is spiritual, think again? It is going to be a great season. We have been praying for this day. A lot of prep has gone into making this a reality. I am so thankful for our team. What is even more exciting? There are 6 Universities across the nation that will be using our Alpha videos on their campus this fall.

We are meeting with the National Director of Christian Alliance for Orphans today on Capitol Hill. We are so excited to have this opportunity to connect with Jedd Medefind. We are praying that this could give New Rhythm a larger platform for the #orphansnomore initiative.

I hung out with the FCA Leaders on the East Coast this morning. I love connecting with FCA. They are good people. Love what they are doing to reach youth and developing leaders. I had a great time leading worship with them. They booked me for next year already for the entire week!

We have a few things on the radar the next few weeks. This coming Tuesday I will be leading worship at the Regional FCA Conference in Baltimore MD. I always love the opportunity to connect with the FCA guys. I love their ministry and what they do to raise up leaders. This coming Thursday through Saturday I will be leading worship at the PYM District Youth Leaders Conference with Jeff Deyo in Williamsburg. The following week I am heading to Chicago to connect with Willow Creek's Orphan Director to talk about partnerships with New Rhythm and attending The Story Conference. The week after that Shelly and I will be meeting President Jimmy Carter as we work together to build a house for Habitat for Humanity. So excited to meet President Carter and give our time to invest in home that will bring hope to a family in need. Finally, that weekend we head to Atlanta for the Catalyst Conference. We go with our entire staff at NCC. It is one of the best conferences I have ever been to. I always walk away from it with a few things that stretch my perspective and challenge my heart towards change. It is going to be good. After all of this we will be getting ready for my second surgery at the University of Maryland Hospital. Not so much looking forward to that one but I trust the Lord as we walk through it. He has been faithful and never ceases to amaze us as we walk in obedience to Him.

We have had some great meetings this week about making New Rhythm Inc. official. We met with BitterSweet Creative Group on Monday to talk about Logo and Branding for the organization. That was fun thinking about all the creative ways that we can market and function as the face of a company. Then last night I met with a lawyer to go over all the warm and cozy details of paperwork for a 501c3 status. It doesn't look like it's going to be too bad but I am not the type that enjoys details and paperwork. But these are all necessities in bringing the vision to reality and accountability. We are so very excited as you can imagine. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers for us as we continue to journey through this process.

We launched New Rhythm Project last night at our NCC Week of Justice Event. It was such a cool thing to see. We had different Child Welfare organizations from DC present and we were so blessed to hear real life stories from those involved in adoption, foster care, and mentoring. What a great opportunity to bring a New Rhythm to the community. The big idea: We are not doing our due diligence if you don't think of the church when you think of Orphans. We must do something and do it now. You can be the solution for children in your community!! For more information on the evening or how you can get more involved email us at newrhythmproject@gmail.com.

Our ABILITY to find the right path depends on our SUBMISSION to GOD (read that again). Show me where you made a bad decision and I will show you where you did not submit to God. Show me a decision you made that brought glory to God and put you on the correct path and I will show you where you willfully submitted to God. **Remember, direction, not intention, determines our destination.  You can have the greatest intentions and still end up at the wrong destination. It’s all about your submission to God.

Transition are a great tension. If navigated well with sensitivity they can become a blessing on both ends. We are in the process of transitioning (notice I didn't say loosing) a lot of our leaders to our new launch at Potomac Yard. This is a bitter sweet journey. On one side it is tough to let go because of the investment given to each leader. However, it is a joy to see each leader take a step of faith to expand their influence in other areas. The transition is also a great opportunity for others to take a step of faith into leadership positions where they have been serving. So, if handled well, transitions can be a win win for the organization and encourage others in their faith. If you are navigating through a transition keep a good attitude, look back enough to honor the investment, and keep moving forward to invest in the successors.

This month we will finish up the Alpha Videos and distribute them to a number of different colleges in the nation. I am so excited about this opportunity. We never thought it would have such an impact when we had the idea a year ago. Here is a sample of the first video.


Alpha_more to life? from National Community Church on Vimeo.

Check out our Baptism video. Behold he is making all things new. If anyone is in Christ they are a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come!!


Baptism by the Bay 2010 from National Community Church on Vimeo.

I had my check up with the surgeon yesterday. Looks like everything is healing well. The pathology reports came back negative which means there is no trace of the tumor and the surgery was successful. Thank God for His grace in finding this thing the way we did. If I never got my braces I would have been in trouble. Deep breath......thank you God! I will see the surgeon again in the middle of September and we will discuss the next and final surgery that will hopefully take place in the middle of October. Thanks so much for your continued prayers as Shelly and I continue to Navigate this journey.

This past weekend packed full of very moments. Saturday night I joined the team at Ebenezers to lead worship. I had such a great time with those guys. The environment and vibe at Ebz is just awesome. The sound is pretty much the best of all of our locations too so it's always a blast to jam out there. Then Sunday morning I spoke at Georgetown. I loved having that opportunity to share the Word with our congregation. It was my first time back in the preaching mix since I had my surgery. Such a cool moment to be able to articulate what God has been doing inside of me over the past few months. Then Sunday night we had our baptism celebration at Sandy Point right next to the Bay Bridge. That was a great time of hanging out and celebrating what God is doing in others lives. I was so proud of Shelly. She had the privilege of baptizing one of her girlfriends. What a cool moment. One thing that was especially cool. After this packed filled weekend I was not tired or exhausted when most times I am ready to just crash. When you are able to participate in the things that God has gifted you to do, it ends up being more refreshing then exhausting. Leading music and teaching/speaking are the two main things that I feel like God has wired me to do. I made a commitment to myself this weekend. I need to do more of the things that God has directly called me to and learn to delegate the rest. It's the moments and experiences that we have with others that cultivate our lives. I want to be a part of those moments with others. I don't want to miss any moments due to being exhausted because I failed to be a good steward of my time.

We are continuing our Legends series this week at NCC. I will be sharing a message about the prophet Nathan. One thing is very interesting about Nathan. The written records of him are very scarce. In fact there are only four accounts of Nathan in the Bible. However, his impact continues to proceed his life span. Nathan had a great influence on King David. He was there for David at the most pivotal points in his life. It is scary to imagine what course David's life may have taken if it wasn't for the prophet Nathan. To hear more, join us this weekend at NCC or tune into our podcast or videocast at theaterchurch.com.

You can always tell and feel the difference when someone has a gift of hospitality. They seem to go the extra mile to make you feel comfortable and welcome. You can always tell when someone does not have that gift as well. You know it as soon as you walk in the door or as soon as you call customer service with a question (ahem budget trucks). Hospitality can make all the difference. That is one of the things we have desired since we have been in our new home. For the past two weeks we have had people over and grilled out almost every day. I must say I am loving it. Hospitality is a great thing to strive for. You never know how you can make a difference in somebodies life. It is the moments and experiences that we share with others that cultivates our lives.

We are almost three weeks into our new home. What a blessing it is. We love our new place. it has so much character and the location is amazing! We could not be more satisfied. There is a really cool back story to getting this home. Well, it wasn't very cool at the time but now, looking back, we are so thankful for God's hand at work in our lives. It was in January that Shelly and I decided to look for a home to purchase. We were ready to start a family and we were renting on the Hill, which is more than a mortgage itself, and it began to feel like we were taking cash each month and throwing it into the trash can. So we decided it was time to make an investment since we both felt like we would be around these parts for a while. We searched and searched and learned everything there was to know about home buying and foreclosures. We put an offer on one home that Shelly and I absolutely loved and lost it. Then we searched again, all the while hoping we would find one before the first-time home buyers deadline. We were on a mission. Finally we found one that seemed to be a good fit for us. We got the contract and prepared for the 30 day waiting period to get all the paperwork in line. After the 30 days we waited and waited and signed two more extensions making it 40 days. You can imagine the waiting period. We had to move out of our place so the next tenants could move in so we were homeless for what we thought was going to be only a couple days. After the second extension we found out that the house was not able to be sold because the owners did not pay off their second mortgage. Are you kidding me? At this point we had already unpacked all of our stuff into the garage of the new house. Now we had to rent another truck, pack up all our belongings again, and find storage to keep our stuff until we found another home. Unfortunately now the deadline was over for the tax benefit. Nothing was going our way. We doubted our process and wondered if we totally missed God. Then we found out that the first home we put a contract on, the one we thought we really wanted, had become available again because the people had a problem securing the loan. We couldn't believe it. We thought for sure this was God working on our behalf. So we put yet another contract on the house and waited and waited. After two weeks of waiting we found out that they gave it to someone else without even contacting us back for a counter or final offer. We were devastated. How could this be happening? We decided to stop looking because the whole deal took a toll on us physically and emotionally. We did not know what we were going to do but we did know that we were done searching for homes. After a few weeks our realtor emailed us about a property that he had seen and thought it would be worth us looking at. He thought it was a great home that was priced well below its worth. We shot him down and said we were not interested. The next day we felt like driving by the property just to confirm that we should not be interested. Well, we took a look and became interested. To make this long story short we made an offer along with four other people. After making a final offer we got the contract. What's even more ironic is we moved into the house two days after my surgery. Well, our family moved us in two days after my surgery. After all was said and done we were homeless for more than 90 days, we missed the $8,000 tax credit, and our settlement fell on the day after my surgery. I know, sounds crazy right? However, the house is the best location of all the homes we saw, it's $90,000 cheaper than the last house we had a contract on, Shelly will be able to stay at home with the children if she wants to, and we got this home after we got out of the way and let God do what He wanted to do.
If we are honest our human nature desires to gravitate to logic. We think if it's not logic it's not of God right? Well our story goes against all logic and believe me I thought we made the wrong decisions because of it. But then I read the Bible and nothing in the Bible is logical.  God brought us an amazing gift in a home and an amazing story to go with it when we stopped trying to make it happen and removed ourselves from the equation. Not only did we get a great deal out of all of this but we also learned a great lesson that we will take with us for many years to come. I hope this post challenges and encourages you in your life. Always remember, it may not look like the way you think it should. Leave that part up to God.

I am so grateful for our freedom that we have as a country but most of all I am grateful for the freedom that we have in Christ. I had a thought today though as I was reminiscing over our relaxing weekend. Do we live as free as those who are persecuted or are we the ones imprisoned? Meditate on that for a bit. Happy Independence Day! Remember our true independence is dependence upon Him.

We had our annual staff retreat this week. We have such a fun time with no agenda but to play and pray. It is so relaxing and the team connection is amazing. So thankful to work with an organization that makes these time priority. We hiked out to St Michael's with the staff and families for a two day R & R. I think our numbers doubled this year. It is so cool to see how our staff has grown in just one year. I think there were like 17 children on this trip. There may have been 4 or 5 last year. So cool to have this cohesion among our staff. We enjoy life that is for sure!! Here is a pic of all the gentleman around the pool table. If you will notice, someone had the the idea for everyone to sport a mustache so I apologize ahead of time:)

You have heard the term before I am sure and you have probably had no problem understanding the term or believing it, or have you? I have been in the ministry for ten years now and I must admit that I am not sure that I have a grasp on the act of unconditional love. I thought I did, but now I am not so sure. This thought was initiated from my recovery from surgery. I have had two conflicting emotions during my recovery process that have perplexed me. The first one came rather quickly when I came home from the hospital to rest and recover. The feeling was amazing. I have not relaxed that much or had that mental state of relaxation for years and years. This is sad but true at the same time. Now, after a few weeks, I have started to feel a slight bit of depression because I have not been able to do anything or produce any results for quit some time now. This my friends is a problem. I have either trained myself and/or society & ministry has taught me to produce, accomplish, & do something in order to receive love, acceptance, or affirmation. These emotions tell me that I do not yet fully understand or believe in the unconditional love that Christ offers me. It's unfortunate but ministry in and of itself can direct you and condition you to think and act contrary to the Word of God. This has been a revelation to me and I am on a journey to retrain my mind, my actions, and how I act or respond to others in this area. The Bible is very clear. There is nothing that we can muster up or do that can make us worthy to receive God's unconditional love. It is just who He is. He made us with perfection and precision. His love is offered to you in every spectrum whether you are close or far away. It does not come once you think of something really cool to implement at work and then get the attention of others as a result of it. It does not come after you have written your first book. It does not come after the purchase of your new home or the birth of your first child. Nothing, nothing, nothing you can do makes you eligible. It is done. It just is. We have to really train our minds to comprehend this because we have been conditioned to think otherwise for so long. Think about how this effects you as an individual. Do you really believe in unconditional love? Does the way in which you live your life and spend your mental energy reflect unconditional love? Think about how this effects you as a leader or a manager of an organization. Do your actions and expectations reflect unconditional love? Are the people under your supervision able to express themselves in a way that honors God and follows His leading? Think about it. This could be the thing that transforms every area of your life and most importantly your perspective of God Himself. Please don't misinterpret what I am saying. This is no excuse to sit around and become a flake in the wind. This is only a desire to inspire you to find out where God is moving in your life and act on it instead of chasing the tumbleweed in the wind to try and produce results that in the end just brings countless feelings of exhaustion and emptiness. So you have heard the term before, but do you really believe it? Your heart will let you know for sure. I want to, but I don't think I am there yet.

Christ Holds It All Together

I am back in the office today. I have to admit I am not sure I am going to last the whole day but I wanted to come in and give it a shot. Feel like I need a beach trip for some inspiration. Lol! I am going to work on the Alpha Videos this week so we can get them ready for national distribution. So excited about this opportunity. Who would have thought that a random idea a year ago would make such a huge impact. I love it!

As my surgery has been approaching I have been faced with the temptation to worry. Divinely enough, my particular reading topics this week have been related to worry vs. trusting. It seems that trusting is far more relaxing and energizing then worry. I even came across a great definition for worry in my readings from the Christian Atheist, "worry is the sin of distrusting the promises and the power of God." Wow! So quite honestly worry is a sin. When you worry your perspective of God is false. You minimize His power and His truth. When you put it that way it seems preposterous to worry, right. Who am I to take the reign from the creator of all things and profess, by worrying, that He is in fact NOT able. Ouch! I do not want any part of that. However, when you and I worry, that is exactly what we are doing. Be encouraged by this scripture today and know that worrying will accomplish absolutely nothing. Trusting in Him is way better use of your life and energy.

Have you ever looked at one of those pieces of art that play tricks on your eyes? You know, you can look at it one way and then turn it and see something totally different. Pretty freaky huh? I think that can happen to us sometimes when we read through the pages of scripture. We can read something that perhaps we have read before a few times and out of nowhere see something totally different. This can happen for a few different reasons. One, the Holy Spirit can bring something to your attention and enable you to digest scripture from a different perspective or you can read a different version of scripture and see different things via different linguistic styles. This definitely happened to me when I read through 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. I have read this passage before, in fact many times before. I have always understood the mentality that you should work hard for a living and provide for your family and not be lazy. Reading this passage through the lens of your household makes perfect sense, right? But what if you read it through the lens of the church. Yowzer! It puts new meaning to the phrase “if you don’t work you don’t eat.” Have you ever felt this way or ever heard someone say, “I don’t feel like I am getting fed at this church”? My question to you would be how have you invested in that church? Because this is saying if you don’t work first then you do not eat. Or how about the next passage that reads “now we are getting reports that a bunch of lazy good for nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated!” Jeepers! I don’t know about you but I want to make sure that at no time do I fit the category of a lazy good for nothing in the church. I don’t want to simply take up real estate in the church and spend my time spectating. On the contrary, I want to invest my time for which Christ Jesus invested His entire life for and remain a participator in this organism that we call church. Where are you on this scale? What does your church experience look like? Sitting and standing with an occasional head bow? Or are you investing and sweating to share the message of hope? If it’s not the latter than do something now to change it. Sign up for a ministry this weekend at your local church. Find an area of need in your community and meet it. Get creative but don’t get lazy. Time is ticking!

Shelly and I have the awesome privilege of celebrating a 4 day weekend for Memorial Day. I know what you are thinking, "Doesn't everyone get a 4 day weekend for Memorial Day?" Well the answer is no. Pastors rarely get a 4 day weekend and for myself and Shelly, it has been a really long time since we have been able to enjoy a 4 day weekend. I am so thankful for my team at Georgetown. They enable me to take time off and the organization never skips a beat. I do not take that for granted. A great team gives you the opportunity to blow off some steam. Corny I know. But anyway, Shelly and I are going to make the trek to  a remote town in WV for a few days with the family. Its an annual family reunion trip that has gone on since way before I arrived. Excited to pop up the tent and kick back for a bit with the guitar, a cornhole set, and possibly a fire. Should be a good times and great relaxation in preparation for the busy week ahead filled with moving, weddings, and surgery. Via Con Dios!!

You have heard the term before and it mostly resonates with a bad connotation. However, I wonder if it's exactly the place where God wants us to get to. As I read through the Bible I do not see people or situations in control. On the contrary! It is to our advantage to be "out of control" even though it goes against everything inside of us. It is when we are "out of control", that God is in control and quit frankly I cannot imagine a better place to be in. I do understand however that this is easier said than done. Recently I received some news that shook my control. A few months ago while getting my wisdom teeth removed my oral surgeon removed a cyst that was wrapped around the root of my right wisdom tooth. It turns out the cyst was a rare dental tumor that deteriorates bone. The good new is that it is benign and will remain that way. The bad news is that the only resolution to the problem is to remove the bone a centimeter in each direction to eradicate the tumor from ever coming back again. So.....I will have to undergo two surgeries. During the first surgery the doctors will remove a portion of my jaw bone and replace it with a titanium rod. Then 3-4 months later I will undergo another surgery where they will take bone from my hip and graft it in place where they removed my original jaw bone. Yes, this is going to be a bit of a journey and yes I am going to be ok! My movement and facial structure will remain exactly the same. The only side effects will be numbness on the bottom right half of my lip and I will loose my back two teeth but they will get replaced in the end. Now, I would not be honest if I said I was not nervous. However, I know in my heart that this news did not come as a surprise to God. In this case I have no other option than to turn over the control to Him and trust Him with my life. So yes...I am out of control right now and it seems like the right place to be. In other words, "I am out of control and proud of it!" I am humbled and honored that God would trust me with this journey. I will do my best to keep you updated on the process. Shelly and I appreciate your prayers for us. Can I encourage you today to pray and ask God if there are any areas in your life that He would like you to release control? I can tell you this...it may not be easy...But it is the best question you can ask!

I am reading through 2 Kings for our LXVI Reading Plan and I came across this portion of scripture that made me stop in my tracks and evaluate my life. I wanted to encourage you to do the same. OUCH! How does your life match up with this passage? 2 Kings 17:


 ^32-33 They honored and worshiped God, but not exclusively—they also appointed all sorts of priests, regardless of qualification, to conduct a variety of rites at the local fertility shrines. They honored and worshiped God, but they also kept up their devotions to the old gods of the places they had come from.
 ^34-39 And they're still doing it, still worshiping any old god that has nostalgic appeal to them. They don't really worship God—they don't take seriously what he says regarding how to behave and what to believe, what he revealed to the children of Jacob whom he named Israel. God made a covenant with his people and ordered them, "Don't honor other gods: Don't worship them, don't serve them, don't offer sacrifices to them. Worship God, the God who delivered you from Egypt in great and personal power. Reverence and fear him. Worship him. Sacrifice to him. And only him! All the things he had written down for you, directing you in what to believe and how to behave—well, do them for as long as you live. And whatever you do, don't worship other gods! And the covenant he made with you, don't forget your part in that. And don't worship other gods! Worship God, and God only—he's the one who will save you from enemy oppression."
 ^40-41 But they didn't pay any attention. They kept doing what they'd always done. As it turned out, all the time these people were putting on a front of worshiping God, they were at the same time involved with their local idols. And they're still doing it. Like father, like son.

Feeling the itch to hit the road again for a Worship Experience Tour. I miss it and it's been too long. You know that feeling that you were created to do that one thing and you don't feel like you are doing it. Well i am getting that nudge to get back on the wagon. It's been a good season of rest but it's time! I am in the process of making some old and new contacts, putting a band together, and writing some songs. I love the journey of leading others in lifting up our Creator God. There is nothing else like it. There will be a new site up soon. Look for it! Send me an email if you have a venue and would like to host an experience!

Shelly and I have been on a housing search since January. It has been a trying season for sure. We bid on one house twice and lost it both times. We received a contract one one house, moved in our belongings and then lost the entire deal due to the lack of diligence on the sellers part. We have experienced every kind of emotion in the past 5 months. Though it has not been easy, it has been a good journey of testing our character and our faith. What do I mean by testing our faith? For the past month we have been homeless to a point. Our belongings are packed up in storage and we have been staying with family and friends with no comfort or security of a home. This situation has drawn us closer to God and challenged both of us in making sure that our 100% security is found in Jesus, not in safety, a comfortable home, logic, finances, or anything else but God himself. When the act submission comes, then His timing follows. Recently our Realtor e,ailed us out of the blue and said he found what looks to be a diamond in the rough. It was an older home, newly renovated, right off of RT50, and on half an acre of land with a gorgeous backyard. It also happened to be eighty thousand dollars less than the homes we were previously looking at. After viewing the home Shelly and I both agreed to putting a contract on the home and after competing with four other offers, they accepted ours! It's not over yet. With our previous experience we know that anything can happen between now and then but we are one more step closer to securing a home and establishing a family. My feet are tapping but I will not dance until the keys are in my hands:) 

I love reading. The more reading the more 2nd hand experience you receive from the author. One can acquire a whole lot of experiences through reading. I remember when I first started to enjoy reading. It was in elementary school I think. I found out that the more books I read the more free pizza I got from pizza hut. What a deal! The program was called Book It! I wonder if that started the trend? Who knows. Anyway, in case you car here is a list of the book I am currently reading for May. Mo Money Mo Knowledge!

Everybody Communicates Few Connect- John Maxwell
Christian Atheist- Craig Groeschel
From Garden to City Reading Plan

One of my favorite people to read about in the scriptures (besides Jesus of course) is Joshua. I love his courage and leadership in times of uncertainty. His faith is so inspiring. Yesterday, I read a portion of scripture in the last chapter of Joshua that stood out to me like a 3D TV made by LG. Joshua gathers the people together, the old generation and the new, to steward the story of God and pass on the leadership to the next generation. You may have heard the speech before, it ends with, "choose this day whom you will serve. For me and my house we will serve the Lord". What stood out to me was the paragraphs before when he shared the story of God and how He delivered them and provided for them and never once let them go. Joshua was stewarding the story of God for the next generation. He was really asking them who they would serve. In a sense he was being sarcastic and laying it all on the table to Glorify God above. That challenges me on how I am stewarding the story that God is writing in my life. What am I capturing for my kids to see God? How am I slowing down to write or collect artifacts that reveal God's story and his faithfulness in my life? How am I stewarding God's story for my family, my peers, and total strangers? Shelly and I are in the process of buying a house. Last night we talked about the importance of placing around artifacts that we have collected from trips and/or different times in our lives so we can share the story of God with our guests. We also are thinking about tailoring our personal stories into children's stories for our kids before they go to bed at night to instill in them God's faithfulness to them and their family at an early age. There are so many ways to steward the story. Get creative and do it today. People are waiting with anticipation to hear your story.

Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
 ² Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River ^[a] and worshiped other gods. ³ But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, ⁴ and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
 ⁵ " 'Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. ⁶ When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. ⁷ But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.
 ⁸ " 'I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. ⁹ When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. ¹⁰ But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
 ¹¹ " 'Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. ¹² I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. ¹³ So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.'
 ¹⁴ "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. ¹⁵ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

We right in the middle of our Miracles Series @NCC. I don't think it's coincidence that as I connect with people during the week I am finding that so many are in need of God to do something in their lives that is beyond human ability. It is interesting to think about though. All of the miracles that we face are really micro miracles compared to the macro miracle that God performed when He created something (all of creation) out of nothing! Wow! That is encourages. I will put my hope in trust in the One who is able. Whatever situation you face today know that God is more than able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than you could ever ask for or imagine. Would you have ever thought of the salamander or the ocean's tide?

Potomac Youth Leadership Conference from Ben Engle on Vimeo.

Great times in Orlando. I feel like my seretonin levels rise to a new level when I come to Florida. Here are a few of the trip highlights:

*dinner at Maggianos with Matt Chandler, Francis Chan, Brian Mosely, and Mark McCarthey
*meeting Lou Giglio and hearing his first session at Exponential
*experiencing Chan's workshop on true submission to God
*breakfast at the hotel was amazing
*palm trees
*meeting Dave Ferguson and the Exponential Team
*Downtown Disney & the Irish Pub Doughnuts (thanks Chris)
*Downtown Orlando with Nate and Ashley
*SouthEastern University Chapel
*The new Kia Sportage is really nice and handles well
*we made a few turns that led us in the wrong direction more than a few times:)

I am still downloading thoughts from the session in my heart and brain. I will share some thoughts when it's complete.

Hung out with Kristian Stanfill and the band this weekend. Great guys..great time! Kristian is one of the worship leaders at Passion City Church in Atlanta. They recently released a new album. You should get it, its good! Off to Florida in the morning for Exponential Conference. Should be great times! Always love the opportunity to hang out with church planters from all over the nation. Super stoked about connecting with Lou Giglio and Matt Chandler. Enjoy your week!

We found out that we just lost a house after being in contract for 40 days. Some weird things have happened that were way out of our control. As frustrating and devastating as it is and sounds..we are still confident in the Lord. Perhaps God is protecting us from something that we do not yet see. We have two choices. We can get mad and get even, or trust in God with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding, and enjoy a life of peace and patience. After contemplation we have decided to go with the latter. So for now we will embrace this story that He is writing in our lives, enjoy the moment, enjoy the process, and enjoy the people. An interesting opportunity is coming on the horizon that I cannot yet share but I will keep you posted. Here is what I (we) are trusting in today:

Excited to be at the Potomac Youth Leaders Conference this year. I will be leading worship along with Jeff Deyo. If you are a youth pastor or youth leader in the area you should check it out. Always a good time with the PYM team.

Shelly and I are in the process of creating an organization that will resource the local church to live up to the standard of James 1:27: "Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and without fault is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help, and keeping yourself free from the world's evil influence." 
Pure and without fault is a heavy adjective. If I am honest, when I think of the church today as a whole, I do not think this is the best adjective for the church. That is a problem. The need is obviously great and there is so much more we can do. So we are currently fleshing out a plan to equip the local church to be the hope for their community. New Rhythm Project will work to educate, advocate, and facilitate for foster care, adoption, & mentoring. Please pray with us as we continue to develop God's plan for NRP. Stay tuned for different ways you can get involved to help the cause. 

Shelly and I bought a house!! We are moving in today and tomorrow. We are so excited about this opportunity that the Lord provided for us. Going to be a long sweat equity day but worth every drop.

As we have been reading through the Gospel's in our year reading plan I have been encouraged in so many ways. This month especially I feel like God has given me a new perspective on offense. In one way, Jesus was always offending people when He went about teaching. His teaching was so simple yet so challenging. For those that were not ready to hear it, they got offended. But so what, right? It was the truth and in the end it changed their entire lives. I think sometimes I am way more concerned about offending people than I am at making sure the truth is exposed. I need to be more unapologetically apologetic. On the flip side Jesus taught about offense as well and how we should respond. He of all people had reason to be offended. After all, the very people he came to embrace and love, killed him. But, he was always willing to forgive because He came to this world to play offense. Jesus made it very clear that when you hold on to offense you are not playing offense. Make sense? The goal is to go into all of the world and share God's story with anyone and everyone. However, if we are worrying about who did this and who said that, we are no longer playing offense and we are missing the point. That challenges me to let go of the little things and pray though the big things. There is much work to do here and no time to stay on the fence thinking about our offense when we should be playing offense. Am I making any sense?

This weekend is bumping with lots of celebration and events here at NCC. This Friday we will start the Holiday with 2 Good Friday services at our Ebenezers Location at 5pm & 630pm. On Saturday we will host our annual Easter Eggstravaganza at Lincoln Park on Capitol Hill and Quincey Park in Ballston. After the Egg Hunt you can come on back to Ebenezers for our Baptismal Service that will happen at 630pm. Finally, on Sunday, you can choose from one of our 5 locations and 9 services. We'll add a new location to the mix this Sunday as well with our newest launch at Gala Theater in Upper NW. So mark your calendar for one or all of these celebration opportunities and we'll see you there!!

We have a saying here at NCC that goes like this, "a change of pace + a change of pace = a change of perspective". Its true isn't it? Especially when it comes to missions trips. We sacrifice time, money, and energy.  Travel to a place we have never been to before and are not familiar with and boom. Something clicks. I love the feeling. It's like you are really walking out the pages of scripture. You are no longer reading stories that don't make sense to you. You are living the words written in the Bible. You are trusting God with all your heart and leaning on Him with everything because you have no cognitive category of where you are or how to navigate through it. That is how it was for us in Nicaragua. We were reading through the pages of Jeremiah and they were becoming so real to us as we spent the days destroying the old facility and tearing down walls to build up new ones. It was awesome! It was all good! The problem however is often times found in the return to normal life. The change in pace and place is good and it will bring a change of perspective to your life, but most importantly, are you walking obediently to the pages of scripture when  you are right in the middle of the place where God has placed you. If the Bible only comes alive to you when you leave the country for a week then something is terribly wrong. In the same way God uses you across the world, He desires to use you across the cubicle. In the same faith you practice in an unfamiliar land, God wants you to practice the same faith in your very familiar neighborhood. So what is it going to take? Maybe apply the same thought to your everyday life. Change up your normal schedule. Throw in a curve ball and force yourself to get uncomfortable and go in a different direction and watch what God can do. He has called you to be a prophet to the nations and that means right here and right now!

We had such a great team in Nicaragua. There were 17 of us. Which means 17 different backgrounds and personalities. However, we meshed so well into a family so quickly. One of the girls comments on the last day was, "we are like one big non-dysfunctional family, i could not have picked it any better". God did some amazing things in us and through us. I was reminded of the scripture in Corinthians when Paul talks about the body of Christ. We are all different parts that make up the full body. I think we all got a better understanding of that verse on this trip. I loved the fact that we represented different cultures and language on our team as well. Each day we blessed our meal in a different language. Some of the different languages were: English, Spanish, ASL, Nicaraguan Sign, Cantonese, amd Southern Virgina:). We were all acting as one body throughout our week. It just felt good. Everyone was doing what they were created to do. As a result there were no insults, bickering, quarrels, or anything of the such. It was a miracle in the making:) I wonder if at home (USA), if we were all doing what we were created to do, and not trying to be people we were not, if there would be more fulfillment, more accomplished, and less quarreling. There is something to think about!

From before you were born, you stepped into a story that was written by God. In Jeremiah 1 the Bible reads that "before you were in your mother's womb, He knew you." God had a story in mind for you since before you were even breathing air. What an amazing concept. Stories can be so powerful. We can loose ourselves in stories and they can even be a catalyst of change in our lives. Some of us will never be the same because of some of the stories that we have heard, seen, or experienced. Last week 17 of us got the opportunity to share in the story that God is writing in Nicaragua. Its amazing enough to know that God is the author of your story and on top of that He gives us moments to be a part of someone Else's story too. God is such an amazing author and orchestrator of life. What an awesome privilege to be the ink in His book. Are you living the story of God? Are you allowing God to write your story, or are your writing your own? His-story never ends. What are on the pages of your story? It's never too late to hand over the pen!

We accomplished some more demolition today. 2 more walls came down and we hauled hundreds of pounds of rubble off to another site. It was another scorcher at 95+. One moment today was considerably special. Right after we finished blasting the first hole in the wall before lunch, Matt (the missionary here), grabbed the sledge hammer and started hitting the wall himself. One by one pieces flew off and the team cheered him on. He wasn't able to hear our cheers but you could feel the encouragement in the air. The vibe was big. He was swinging away and we were cheering away at the top of our voices. It reminded me of the time when the Israelites were in battle and as long as Moses hands were in the air they were winning. When Moses got tired and his arms fell, they started to loose. Then others came along to encourage him by holding up his hands right along side of Moses. In the end they won the battle. In the same way we are here as a team to lift us the hands of the Barlows. They have been doing this long before we got here and will continue to press on as we leave. As we were watching him hit that wall I was so honored and encouraged to be a part of this vision. Matt is a little older and less in shape so it made the story seem that much more inspiring as he was pounding away at the walls and they came crashing down. Their investment here has prepared the way for walls to come crashing down and due to God's amazing grace we get to be a part of the story. What a feeling! Off to dinner again. We are heading out tonight for the church service. The Pastor asked if I would share the Word tonight so say a prayer and believe with us tonight. We have our fun day tomorrow. We will be going to explore a Volcano, view a lookout spot at Granada, and shop a bit at the Mercado. Thanks for your prayers. Well update again soon.

We made it safe here in Managua. Its 95 degrees! We started day 1 with demolition to tear down and make way for the coffee house. Its no coincidence that while we were swinging the sledge hammer, we were singing, "tear down theses walls...and hope us rising.., and the church is called "the way" Go figure! That seems to be the theme of our trip. We are tearing down the walls of injustice among the deaf and building up to provide others the opportunity to see "the way"! Dinner time...