Right now I'm reading a book by Tony Dungee called Quiet Strength. I would highly recommend it. The last "coach" book I've read was by Joe Gibbs. I always find it interesting to see how leaders get to where they are. I appreciate these guys because they are walking out their faith in the public eye. Every move they make, people, press and the world are watching what they do. Do you ever think that you'd change what you'd do if you had that kind of press coverage? These leaders realize that they've been given a platform to share about the love of Jesus Christ. They get a chance to share Godly principles that have shaped their lives. It dawned on me as I was reading this morning that all of us have a sphere of influence. We may not have press conferences after big meetings or reporters knocking on our door to find out what we ate for breakfast but we have people surrounding us that are watching how we live our lives. So, how are you living your life today? Would a person see you and know that you are a Christian? Would they see the way you approach life and have people see Jesus through your actions?

My prayer for you today is that you recognize that you are an influencer for the kingdom of God and that you have a choice every day that you wake up, to use that influence to expand that kingdom. As cliche' as this might sound, let's get out there and do some good!

*Go Redskins!*

I shouldn't be surprised when God answers my prayers. As I look back over the past year a smile comes to my face. In the course of one year I have seen many people come to know Jesus and enter into a relationship with him. It's been an awesome year. Many kids have made fresh starts and are asking for help on how to go about this. So as much as I love to sit and reflect, the job has only just begun.

H20 is growing literally each week. We have more and more kids that are inviting friends that are hurting and need a touch from God. In order to make this all happen at H20 we have a large group worship time with middle school and senior high together. We then split these two groups up and have age appropriate messages and activities that help deepen our relationship with Christ. All this is awesome and great, but where the real discipleship takes place is in our small groups. We have six groups that meet each week right after the message to talk about how things are going in our lives. This is where the much needed discipling takes place.

Right now we are looking for people that have a heart for our H2O kids to help lead these small groups. If you would like to partner with H2O to see life change happen, call us. We need your help. Are you up for the challenge? Are you willing to give a night out of your week to help kids know and understand Jesus? When life happens these kids need to know that there is someone that they can count on when life gets tough. You can be that person. Think about it.

-Andy
arogers91@gmail.com
www.horizonschurch.com
757-373-3164

Okay, so now you know the worship music I listen to. Now I'll give you some Christian bands that I'm really loving.

An album that my daughter loves is TobyMac's latest offering which called "Portable Sounds" The thing I like about this album is the quality of musicianship and the production on this is phenomenal. You hear these songs on ESPN and other channels for their promo songs which is pretty cool. It's a very well done album. You've come a long way TobyMac from those DC Talk Rapping days!

Leeland is another band that is truly amazing. Their songwriting is amazing and they are really talented young musicians. The album is called "Sound of Melodies" and they have a new album that will be coming out soon which is supposed to be even better than the current album!

I'm a huge Switchfoot fan and any of their latest albums are very thought provoking and truly have a great unique sound all their own.

Reliant K gets a lot of play at youth group on Sunday nights. Their latest is called "Five score and seven years ago".

Check it out!

A lot of you have been asking me the question, "What is a good Worship CD or what is a good CD that I can buy for my kids. First of all, I have a wide range of musical tastes and I try to bring that into the music that I create. Here's a couple of albums that have really influenced me over the past year.

I listened to a lot of Hillsongs United this year. They had two albums that really are amazing. You may notice them playing in the background before the service starts. "United We Stand" and "All of the Above." I'm always looking for songs that bring me into the "presence" of the Lord and these two albums have many songs like "Fire Fall Down", "From the Inside Out", "No One Like You" that do just that.

Of course, I absolutely love Crowder and his new "Remedy" CD is growing on me. Passion CD's are always something that is a must in my collection.

Lincoln Brewster hasn't come out with a new project lately but his "Live" album inspires me to become a better musician/worshiper.

That's it for now. Have a great weekend!

-andy

I'm reading a book called Deadly Viper "Character Assassins" by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite. It's a survival guide for our integrity. As a leader I am scrutinized in many ways. I'm constantly reminded how I need to be above reproach. I've read through the first couple of chapters and the one quote that really stuck in my mind was this. We need to live by a "basic mode of operation: refrain from doing anything today we'd be uncomfortable reading about in the headlines tomorrow, watching on the eleven o'clock news, or being broadcast to thousands of people."

In this world we are lacking leaders that are men and women of integrity. Are you willing to stop the madness and start living what you believe? I believe it is time for each of us to rise up and be men and women of integrity, at work, at home, with our friends and even when we are alone and no one else in the world is there.

The book asks the question, "How would your life change if you knew you'd see it all played out on television tomorrow?" I already have a list that I've made of things that I'm changing in my life as a result of this question. I want to do something about it. Do you? It's never too late to change. You can start today.

Today's the day I live for one thing, to give you praise...in everything we do the praise goes out to you. How many times do we sing a song and we don't consider the words that we are singing?

Being a worship leader I pick a lot of set lists. During our camp I had to come up with four days of worship. The most amazing thing was that none of our set lists were long enough! We'd put together a seven song list which translates to about an hour of worship and we'd get to the last song and the kids wanted to continue. The first day we ended up going back to the notebook and choosing extra songs. The songs weren't the thing. They were the catalyst to entering into the presence of the Lord.

What is it that the kids experienced that caused them to rise up and worship like that? I believe that it was coupled with the fact that they experienced the Holy Spirit. That experience caused a mini revival to break out. At first there were many that had a hard time participating because there was a lot of baggage that they brought to camp. Once they started dealing with those things, they were able to enter in. They felt the freedom of forgiveness and the life changing power of being in God's presence.

How can we tap that power in our everyday life!? Does that mean we quit our jobs and we go to the church and worship 24/7 for the rest of our lives? What we need to do is have the revelation that we need God. We need Him and we need to understand that we have been created to worship and praise him. "In everything we do, the praise goes out to You." The key is that in all things we acknowledge God. Acknowledge Him and not just to yourself but to others. I had a friend named Hap Gregg who was a fantastic soccer player. He became a Christian and wrapped his brain around the fact that in all things we worship Him and praise Him. Every time he scored a goal in soccer, which was quite a lot because he was an amazing player, he would yell at the top of his lungs, "Thank You Jesus!!!" A lot of us were embarrassed by his outbursts, but he caught the idea that in all things we worship and praise Him. For Hap he didn't have to go into a closet to be in God's presence. He lived a life that remained in His presence. In everything we do, the Praise goes out to you!

So, I'm not sure how many of you are Redskins fans but I've been one all my life. My Grandfather taught me what it meant to be loyal to them when I was just a little guy. We would watch them faithfully after the Sunday dinner. Needless to say all us guys would hurry through dinner so we wouldn't miss a play. I've been a fan during the drought of the 70's and during the amazing 80's and during the current drought of the 90's and 00's. It's frustrating. Each pre-season I think that this is going to be the break out season and they will go to the NFC championship game and then the super bowl but there is always something that holds them back. How can such a talented team never seem to get it all together? Dan Snyder has proved one thing since acquiring the team that even when money is no object and you purchase some of the most expensive talent in the land, it's still not enough.

So, what's the missing ingredient? There's a lack of team unity. Back in the glorious 80's we weren't that talented of a football team if you compare them to the current team but they all united together. When they played together and sacrificed for each other and for Coach Gibbs as a whole they were simply unstoppable.

I know that there have been a million comparisons between church and football over the years but here goes. The church has many talents. They have a depth of leadership potential than any other place on earth. But unless we all learn to work together we will go nowhere. It says in the Bible when two or three are gathered in my name I am there also. We have to see that it takes more than one star it takes a group of "heroes" that are putting others above themselves to make Christ known.

Have you ever felt like you are being tumbled around by life and you are totally out of control? This summer while on the Brazil Missions Trip we took the kids on a White Water Rafting Trip. The conditions on the river were optimum as we just had six inches of rain the night before and the water level had risen causing the rapids to be, well, "more rapid"! (see picture)

There was a section of rapids where all of the boats waited in a line to go down a huge waterfall. We all waited patiently and watched the other boats go over the edge. During this part I began thinking about once that boat is launched there is no turning back. Once you get into the current it is almost impossible to go backwards.

Last week I was at a pastor's conference and there was so much information coming at me it was like a fire hose that was turned on full blast. I was trying to digest as much as I could but it was overwhelming. God totally wrecked me in many areas of my life that I thought were under control. It was as if that raft had just been released and I had fallen over the edge. Now what? God requires more from me? The one thing that stuck in my mind after I came back that God wants all of us not just part of us. Just when I think I have a handle on things God reminds me that I don't have it all together. He has the handle on the river of life. On each of the boats was a world class oarsman who had many hours on the river and knew how to steer around the rocks. We need people in our lives that have been over the edge and lived to tell about it and now can give us advice on how to trust in God.

We were next in line and about to go over the edge and although it was a pure adrenaline rush going down I remember thinking that it wasn't as bad as what I had imagined. Having the expert in the boat totally put my mind at ease and knowing that the other boats ahead of me made without losing a passenger made me feel better too. I looked back at the next boat and cheered them on.

That's how it is in Life. We have those that are ahead of us who are blazing the trail and we have those that are beside us walking through our everyday life with us and then there are those that are behind us that we can encourage. Where are you in your relationship with Christ and others? Do you have a mentor or coach in your life that is a seasoned Christian that can help you out? Do you have peers that are beside you that you can lean on as you go through life? Finally, do you have those that are baby Christians that you are cheering on and discipling them? Having all three of these types of relationships give us the balance that we need. Have a great week!

I'm sitting here at the boys bus stop waiting for them to get picked up. They have to drive all over the neighborhood and thirty minutes later they get to school. If they walked they could be there in ten minutes! Crazy how that works.

This Wednesday Jay, Jim and I are going to a conference in Atlanta, GA. The conference is called the Catalyst Conference. It will be a time for us to listen to amazing speakers, get new ideas for our ministry and just reconnect as a team. Pray for us as we travel and more importantly pray for our families while we are gone.

See you Sunday!

-andy

"Just Being"

Last night was a typical night in the Rogers' House. I came home just in time to give Missy a peck on the cheek before an H2O student came by to work on a project. After that the kids all came in and then it was homework and then off to football and soccer practices and me off to Bible Study. I remember walking in the door later that evening and sitting down and Missy snuggled up next to me for a brief moment. We didn't talk, we just looked at each other for about 30 seconds. And then she got up and said she was off to bed. It was a moment that I cherished. I woke up this morning and remembered that moment.

Just being. That moment where there are no words, and no actions just enjoying one another's company. So many times I think that we feel we have to be saying something or doing something and we miss those moments just enjoying one another's presence.

I think our relationship with God needs to be that way too. How many times do you go to God and get right to the agenda of asking Him for things and demanding answers! I believe that God wants us to spend time with him and just be. We can be changed by just being in His presence. He created us to have a relationship with Him. Try it! It's amazing what happens when we take a moment to catch our breath and "just be"with our creator, father, friend.

Today's the Day of Decision

Everyday I wake up I have a choice to make. Do I live for my own selfish desires or do I die to myself and do what Jesus wants me to do? It's the age old struggle. I'm not the only one that constantly battles with this, am I?

God has given us a choice. The King James Version says, "Choose ye this day whom you will serve." So according to this scripture its a daily decision.

I constantly am reminded that my life is not my own. There is a real sense of satisfaction when I do what God wants me to do. It's because this is what God created me to do.

What did you do over the summer? That's what many students are being asked by their friends now that they are back in school. What would you say if you were asked that question? Many of our youth traveled the world to share Christ with those in need. Others experienced mind blowing worship and great concerts and amazing speakers at our camp and their lives were completely transformed by God. Many of our kids are trying to put words to what they've experienced with God. Over the summer we've witnessed amazing times of ministry at H20. God has shown himself strong in many kids for the very first time. We asked the question what it means to go deeper. For many @ H2o they have rededicated their lives, and are living for Him, 100%. And now they want to do more for God.

Now they are asking the question, "how do I go deeper in my relationship with Him"? We've found that Intimacy with God goes hand in hand with service and showing God's love to others. With intimacy comes a fueling up for what God wants us to do in our "Oikos" or sphere of influence. My sphere for instance is our middle school kids and our senior high kids @ Horizons Church. My goal is to influence and disciple these kids and show them what it means to be a follower of Jesus. If I'm doing my job we will be sending these kids into their schools and they will have a major influence on those around them. Already we are seeing the effects of this type of ministry. Our kids have found others that are hungry, hurting and they are sharing with them how God can fill the void they have in their lives.

Kids are coming to our Sunday night meetings at the prompting of their H2O friends and they are hearing that there is hope and that they are not alone. We are excited to see what God can do with these young willing vessels.

What'd you do over the summer?

Well, it's been a whirlwind summer. I've been to Indonesia, led a youth team to Brazil (Just call me "Pastor Chief" !)went to camp for a week not to mention all the Wacky Wednesday events we've had like King's Fest, Beach trips, and tubing, BBQ's just to name a few. I love this time of year. It's the one time out of the year that I get to spend a lot time with our youth group kids.

Missy and I are taking a week off to go to the Outerbanks in North Carolina to chill a bit and then we are preparing for the busy fall season. Thanks to all of you who made this summer an amazing one and we look forward to see what God is going to do in the fall. I feel that this will be a big year for us at H20.

We've been given a mandate last year regarding the "more than four" campaign and that coupled with moving in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are going to see exponential growth in this upcoming year. See you in September!

-andy

Summer Camp. Can you remember those times that you spent packing up and leaving the family for a week to go to a camp? I remember the feeling right before you got on the bus and feeling excited and nervous all at the same time.

We are preparing to go to a Camp with our Middle School and Senior High Youth Group and every time I prepare for these camps it brings back fond memories.

Some of the times that I've felt closest to God has been at these camps. There is something about going away to a place in the mountains and get alone with our friends to go for God. Over the years I've seen kids lives transformed. It's so awesome to watch God work in people's lives.

This year our theme is "Going Deeper" We don't want to just scratch the surface with God we want to dive in and go all the way not looking at what is behind us bet pressing into what God has for us with everything we have.

Pray for us as we get away. Pray that our kids have a great time and that God will speak to our hearts.

Just a quick update to let you know that we are being blown away by the presence of God in Brazil. We´ve been a part of a worship camp at the YWAM base here in Piratininga. The very first night The leader asked if we could come up and pray and our team prayed over people. Using translators and the Holy Spirit, the team was able to minister to hundreds of worship leaders and artists. We ministered to orphanages and day care during the day and ministered at the camp in the evening.

We are completing our ministry time and prepare to come back home. Please keep us in your prayers and I´ll update you soon!

The Summer Season has begun! In the midst of all the busyness of missions trips, summer camps and ice cream scooper nights God is speaking to me.

I've been reading a book called "The Vision, A Call To Discipleship" by Pete Grieg. The "Big Idea" of this book is to stir our hearts to live "dangerously, obsessively, and undeniably" for Jesus.

As I read this I saw pictures in my mind of H2O kids worshiping and ministering and not being ashamed of their "need" for God in their lives. I believe that we've been in a cleansing and healing time at H2O and that God is preparing us for a "launching" out into the world that we live. We are to be that group that calls Jesus their all in all and are not ashamed to tell others about them.

This year there is a call to fasting and praying on 07-07-07 and there will be a meeting of young people in Nashville on this date that are gathering to pray, fast and worship on behalf of this nation. As you go through your summer and relax and kick back don't relax your grip on your relationship with God. This is a time like no other for those that are off from school and don't have a lot going on during the summer to get away with God and spend inordinate amounts of time with him. Be jealous of your relationship with Him just as He's jealous for you!


"Follow Me" -Jesus

I'm Back! Bali is Burning with the Fire of God. We released "The Burn" which was a 24 hours of worship to bring the presence of the Lord. Indonesia, the largest Muslim nation in the world has caught this and now they are continuing "The Burn" after we are gone. I'm amazed at how God knitted together the hearts of leaders from all over Bali and our team to proclaim that God is going to re-claim this island nation for His own once again. The grip of the enemy is loosened and God's light is penetrating the darkness!

We saw people from all walks of life. Hindu, Muslim, and ex-patriots come face to face with the one true living God through worship.

There is a scene that I won't easily forget that I want to share with you. We started worshiping right on the steps of a large shopping complex that is situated right on the beach. The next thing we know, there are literally hundreds of people gathered listening and experiencing worship. Sean talked with some of the people as we continued to play and asked them what kind of music that we were playing and they replied, "healing music!" People recognized God's healing and love through the worship that was poured out. God wanted to show Himself through our little group of worshipers, and He did!

Another snapshot was at a conference we were playing at. A mother who's son was about to be sentenced to death because of drug trafficking came to this meeting desperate for God to move on her sons behalf. and asked us to pray for her. She begged us to pray that God would spare her son's life. I'll be honest that I felt that it was a hopeless cause and that it would take a miracle for God to change the courts hearts in this matter. Well, the heavens opened as we prayed and God heard our prayers and now this young man will not get the death sentence! How awesome is that? In addition to that his mom invited Christ in her heart and she's serving today at an orphanage! I believe that this whole family will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus! God is amazing and awesome.


We ministered at many different churches and God totally opened the door for His purposes to be fulfilled. We also had some fun but even in the midst of fun God showed up. I had a chance to witness to several Balinese people while just sitting on the beach. God also used some of our team as they played a worship set at of all places, the Hard Rock Cafe'. God brought "The Burn" to many that had never stepped into a church before!

We also saw God's faithfulness as we tried to ride some of the most amazing waves in the world. God saved me from being swept away by a rip current that totally caused me to cry out to God and He heard my prayer and needless to say I was able to paddle back to safety. Thanks, God!

During "The Burn" I was able to play guitar for over four hours (my fingers are still burning blaze!) God totally used every worship team to minister to Himself as we totally exalted His name. This was a testimony of the body of Christ coming together and doing what we were created to do. To proclaim God's greatness! Thanks so much for all that supported this effort and the effects will not soon fade! It's only the beginning. It'll keep growing and soon the whole world will see God through His people worshipping Him in Spirit and in truth.

I'm getting on the plane in a 1/2 of an hour. I'll be offline for a while. I am keeping a journal and I know that this is going to be an awesome trip. God's preparing us for great things. Each of us. Those that are staying behind and praying have a part to play. Those that supported us financially have enabled each of us to go. Those that are on the trip are prepared to be instruments to be used however God sees fit.

I've got that funny feeling in my stomach like you get when you are at the top of the hill of a giant roller coaster and you are about to start down the hill! It's a thrill to be a part of what God's doing.

Will be back online in a few days! I will keep you all updated....

T-minus five days and counting until I head out to Bali, Indonesia with Sean Feucht and a crew of worshipers to join together to worship together and seek the face of God for the people of Bali.

I'm praying that God works miracles and shows Himself strong through His body of believers in Bali. We are there to encourage the ones that are working full time to reach their Indonesian brothers and sisters.

I just found out that Beto Taverez, a missionary that our H20 Missions team will be visiting in Brazil this summer will actually be in Bali the same time I am. God is calling his worshipers together to make a difference in this land!

Please pray for us while we are gone on this trip. God is pulling everything together and I'm truly am blessed to be a part of where God is at work!

Last week I received some news about a long time friend. She and her family members went up in a small plane in Florida and during the flight, went off course, ran into some wires and crashed. No one survived. She was my age and was in my youth group at the church I grew up in. Just last month she buried her mom and now this. The family members surviving those that were on that plane are in shock as you can well imagine. This Saturday we are gathering to remember her life at her funeral.

I remember getting the email and thinking, "why?" Why did my friend's life get cut short? Our lives are so precious, so brief, like a breath on a winter morning that you can see for a moment and then it disappears. My thoughts turned to my family. I am about to get on a plane to Indonesia in a few days to share the gospel in Bali. I thought of how I'm leaving Missy and the kids for thirteen days. I thought about the fact that if I get on that plane that I might not see them again.

The only solace that came to me was the fact that God has things He wants me to accomplish in this life and He's not going to call me home until I get those things accomplished! He's in control. I can't live in fear. I need to live in that place where I know I'm in God's hands.

Psalm 119:50
My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

-andy

There is power when someone confesses the name of Jesus. A number of years ago a good friend of mine took a detour from his walk with Christ. He became very distant from youth group and I sought him out and he became very defensive and said that there was nothing I could do or say that would convince him to change.
As he was walking out of my office I told him that he was right. Nothing I could tell him would change his mind but I reminded him about the power of prayer and said that I would be carving out time every day just to pray for him. It worked. Six weeks later he came back to my office and said he was ready to make a change. He was heavily involved in drugs and he had a tough road ahead of him. We prayed and fasted together and asked God for a miracle.

As we were praying one day I felt compelled to tell him to confess Jesus. I told him to start confessing Christ to those friends that were dragging back into that world. Two things happened. Many were unable to handle that name when he confessed Christ before them and they ceased being his friends. Others wanted to know more. With that confession of Christ this young man was set free of the addiction to drugs. But that's not the end of the story. Many of his friends that he confessed the name of Jesus to wanted to know more. They desired to be free too.

Today this young man just graduated from seminary and is now a pastor. God is so faithful. He's in the business of redeeming those who need redeeming. Confession of Christ, yeah, it's good for the soul!

11-12 You did it: you changed wild lament
into whirling dance;
You ripped off my black mourning band
and decked me with wildflowers.
I'm about to burst with song;
I can't keep quiet about you.
God, my God,
I can't thank you enough. Psalm 30:11-12 (message)

God wants us to be missional. He wants us to reach out beyond our borders to share what we know to be true in our own lives.

I have a saying at the bottom of my emails that says, "the light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home." tonight after youth group I was thinking about how much I desperately want us to fulfill the call that God has for each of our lives. We have committed ourselves at H2O to be life long disciples of Jesus and we've committed to bringing others along with us. It's that simple. But it means we have to choose everyday to be obedient to that commitment.

This past week @ H2O we talked about the "Water Girl" or the "Woman at the Well". Jesus had a divine encounter with her and she ended up getting "clipped" by Jesus and she was changed forever. He read her "mail" and she knew this was not your average Jewish guy asking a Samaritan woman for a drink. The interesting thing that I continue to marvel at is the fact that she couldn't contain this experience she had with Jesus. She was so amazed and then she took the news that the Messiah is here among us and became the first missionary by telling that good news to everyone she could! Have you been touched by God in this way? Has He totally disarmed you by exposing truth about your life? Have you aloud him to dispense grace that abounds for all of us today? Open your heart and let God change you forever.

Are you feeling depressed? I am. In the past three weeks I've been on a Spiritual high. It started with our amazing sermon series that Pastor Rich was doing on Secrets. God really used this to touch many people's lives in our church. The following weekend H2O Youth went to Acquire the Fire and we were ushered into the presence of the Holy Spirit and God worked in so many miraculous ways. We had an incredible worship night the following Sunday and then it all culminated last weekend with the nailing of our sins to the cross. Sunday night and the kids gave testimonies of how God moved in their lives in the past three weeks and were challenged or "dared" to be truthful with God and with each other.

It was like riding one long continuous wave. And now the wave has come and gone and I'm coming up for breath and am feeling a little depressed. The weight of the world is felt once again now that the rush of adrenaline is over. I live for those moments that I'm with God and He feels like He's right next to me but I also know I have a responsibility to live for Him even when I am not "feeling" His presence as intensely.

A former first lady was dealing with depression while her husband was in office. This became public knowledge and a reporter was asking how she was dealing with it. She told the reporter that the way she got out of that depression was to focus on others. She started volunteering in the DC public schools helping kids with reading. Gradually, as she got her mind off of her problems and concentrating on helping others she was healed of her depression.

Someone once told me that we have one life to live. There's our born date and then eventually there'll be a date that we'll leave this world. In the middle of that is a dash. It's what we do in the "dash" that God cares about. Whether that means we are on a Spiritual high and feeling like God is right next to you or you are just being faithful and "being Jesus" for someone. God wants you to know that He's with you and He's given us the Holy Spirit to guide us and comfort us when we need comforting.

I'm recovering from a crazy busy weekend. I used to lead a youth group a few years ago in Northern Virginia. A friend of mine that was in the youth group has since gone on an graduated from Belmont University in Nashville. He and his fiance' came to Stafford this weekend for a pre-marital counseling retreat. In the midst of all my other busy weekend activities we got together and they shared how they are preparing to take that leap of faith and get into a covenant relationship with one another. I felt that my own marriage was strengthened by going through this process with them.

All this to say it really made me think how important it is to come into a marriage with open eyes. When I dated Missy there was a day when I realized that I would give my life for her. From that moment on we have never looked back. In our fifteen years of marriage we have had great times and rough times. The reason why I believe that we've made it this far is Christ and Christ alone. I left to my own devices would inevitably self destruct. But Christ's example to me is serving others. I know that but don't live it out every day. Thank God that I can clear my conscience and ask for forgiveness and know that Missy indeed forgives me for my shortcomings. That's why our marriage works. Because Missy is committed to forgive me and I'm committed to forgiving her. If we didn't live like that we'd be miserable! I came across a quote this morning that is a great quote to live by. Be blessed!

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if he or she were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do so with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.
Og Mandino

This morning I had my Saturday all planned out and had a to do list a mile long. I started to get to work on my list and I noticed my neighbor across the street was setting up his big grill in the driveway. I walked over to see what was up and he said that the neighborhood was having a get together because a neighbor down the street was leaving for a special assignment for an extended period leaving his wife and two daughters. He asked if our family could come and hang out. So we pulled some steaks out of the freezer and got a pot of Missy's leftover world famous white chili and popped over. Yes, I was happy to forget my to do list but more importantly I felt this is a great connection with my neighbors and I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to do this. We swapped stories about our kids and shared experiences that we all have had over the years. We chatted about favorite vacation spots. We had so much fun getting to know one another better.

God spoke to me this week in my Experiencing God study that we listen to the Holy Spirit and simply do what He tells us. We need to act upon what God is speaking to our heart. I felt like this neighborhood barbecue was one of those moments. I did nothing more than say "grace" over the food and prayed for protection for my friend that is shipping off. We are planning on doing more of these barbecues over the summer and they invited me to bring my guitar and sing a few songs next time, so who knows what God has in mind. Today there weren't any salvation messages and no salvation prayers prayed. We simply shared our lives with others.

Living it out. That's what God has called us to do. And, when you feel a nudge by the Holy Spirit act upon it.

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:14)

It's another snowy/icy week this week and the kids were home four out of the five days of school. Did I hear something on the weather channel about more snow on Saturday? Only 30% chance. We'll see...

Worship practice Thursday was fun and we are slowly transforming my basement into a studio. It used to be our kids playroom, but we've moved toys back up into bedrooms so we can get all the amps and music equipment for our practices. Matt Williams and Julia Inabinet are our newest members of the team and they both play keys. They will be rotating in over the next few weeks. God is really drawing together a team that is high energy and musically gifted, but most importantly they have hearts that desire to worship God. Matt's also an acoustic guitar player. Watch for him this Sunday!

We canceled bible study which gave all of us a chance to catch up on any unfinished homework that we have. One thing that has been great about "Experiencing God" is that the study encourages and even forces us to spend time with Him every day. It's been so refreshing for me to hear the testimonies that are coming from the guys.

Lord willing and the snow stays away we'll be resuming bible study next week. Stay tuned for another update...

"I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints." -Psalm 52:9

Today was an awesome day. I woke up this morning to the pitter patter of little feet followed by the cheers that went up when they opened the curtains and saw the snow that had blanketed our yard and street and bought them a day of freedom from school.

I decided that since I have a high speed internet connection and a nice warm fire by my desk that I'd work from home today. I actually got a lot done even though there were five thousand times that my youngest asked me, "what are you doing?" and then after I explained what I was doing he'd ask, "why?" No matter how many times he did it, somehow it didn't annoy me. I enjoyed him wanting to be a part of my world. How many moments do we take to just spend some time answering our kids silly questions. It made me think of some of the times I spend with God and it seems all I do is ask the question, why? And my conclusion is this. Just like me, I think God enjoys us asking the tough questions. He wants us to get into His world. He wants to let us know how He operates.

My prayer for you today is that you will desire to spend time with God and get into His world and start asking Him questions and then quiet yourself and wait for the answers. They will come.

-andy

Well I know that this is officially my second entry but I wanted to officially welcome you to my blog. With this blog I want to take you on a journey with me in my quest to Experience God and be near Him. To some this may sound strange. Why would anyone desire to be near God? Because God desires to be near us. He created us to have fellowship with him.

At "The Well" (H2O's small group for guys) we are going to go through a book called Experiencing God. This is an intensive study that requires at least 1/2 hour a day reading through the lesson, spending time with God and meeting once a week to discuss what God showed us. It's intense! By doing this we will get in the habit of spending time with God every day and then sharing with others how God is working in our lives. It is my passion that not only I get to know God intimately but I want others to come alongside and join with me in this path that I am taking.

Each week I'll highlight things that we are learning in this study. Will you join me in my quest to be a living sacrifice?

Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship"

Not too long ago I was working for a friend pulling out bushes that were very overgrown. I had a trailer hitched to the back of my van and I piled it up with the bushes and went to the dump to dispose of them. I came up to the entrance with my first load and she let me by with a wave. I came back with a second load and there was another woman there and very rudely told me that my trailer was longer than eight feet and that I had to pay $25.00 a load. I tried explaining that the previous person let me through and she just yelled back at me saying that they didn't know what they were doing and I better pay up now or leave. Needless to say I was really ticked off at first but then I decided to respond by saying, "You're right, I'll go ahead and pay." You should have seen the look on her face! She was astounded that I didn't yell back at her and to her surprise, and mine, she replied, "Hold on, let me talk to the supervisor." She said, "Hey, you can go through, no charge." In the end I was able to dump all eight loads for free.

If you think you are wronged, you have a choice. You can used words that will melt animosity or you can use words that add fuel to the fire of hostility and anger. How do you choose a conversation that will bring hope and peace rather than frustration and resentment?

Paul tells us in Philippians Chapter 2 "Has there ever been encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from His love, any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic? Then make me happy by working wholeheartedly one with the other, loving one another by working together with one heart and one purpose. Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression, Be humble and always think of others better than yourself.

My prayer for you today is that you will choose to build up and encourage one another for the sake of Christ.

Peace!