I've been back here in Tallahassee for a few days now, got back on Thursday from the Pastor's Conference in Tan-Tar-A, Missouri. Wow, it was incredible!!! Not nearly as amazing as Faithwalkers, but it surely is up there on my list!!! For Sam, Alex and I, it was a litte hard to get a lot out of it because we are not pastors, yet at least, so the topics didn't relate to us AS much, but I know there is a lot that we can apply to our own lives as well as the homegroups that we will be/are leading in Gainesville. Herschel Martindale closed up the conference for us on Wednesday night as he taught through Titus 3.
He presented a point, a key fundamental belief that most Christians miss, I think I may have missed it for a while. It's changed my way of thinking a lot, I've rethought my capabilites, my desires, a lot of stuff. He presented John 14:16-18; "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
He, the Holy Spirit, will abide with you, me, us, AND He will be IN us!!!!!! All of us!!!! God is inside me, He's inside you, everyone that accepts Christ as their salvation. How amazing is this? If God's very presence is inside of me, what can I not do? Can I fail? No. Can I quit? Not me. Can I burn out? Yes, if I forget this incredibly important piece of Truth. Can I really do all that Christ wants me to do, even though I don't know exactly what that is yet? Of course! These thoughts of God residing in me has changed the way I've thought about how to overcome sin and temptations, because we are the Temple!
This church plant is hard, it's a little unclear right now of what we are doing, but I will continue to do it. Sam & I are running this joint right now, with Pastor Matt in the hospital and Pastor Ryan up in North Carolina at a conference. It's a little overwhelming, but just enough that I can handle it. They weren't kidding when they said that this was Leadership Training. I love it though, having a lot of fun and getting to meet some cool cats up here. Miss Gainesville a ton though, I can not wait to get back and do the Lord's work with my brothers and sisters up there. He has really knit our hearts together, and it's such a blessing that you can only understand through experience because words can't do it justice. I'm off to the grocery store, so peace out. Chew on that verse though, ok?
