He's Alive!

I just wanted to check in and let you know that I am still alive. It has been a crazy week or so since I have been back from Nicaragua. The trip was simply amazing! I hope to post some stories and pictures when things settle down a bit.

Why have things been so crazy since we got home? Well, we came home to a freshly painted living room, a manicured yard and some awesome new accessesories to our home. We have great friends and family! All of this overwhelmed us quite a bit, but it also inspired us to go ahead and put in some hardwood floors, which we've been talking about doing for a long time. We figured that it couldn't be too hard so we decided to do it ourselves. Did I mention that I scored a big fat 0 in the craftmanship theme on my spiritual gifts test? A week and a half later (and 10 nights in a row of 2 a.m. bedtimes) we almost have our house back together. Hopefully when we do I can get back to blogging those deep insights that you have come to expect! Ha!

Thanks for your patience!!

To Be Continued....

when I get back from a ten day trip to Nicaragua. Pray that God would use us in ways that we never would have dreamed of. I'll update you on how things went when I get back.

God is Cool!!

Two things happened to day that made me stop and think..."God is so cool"

1. I had a meeting at 8:30 this morning with a core team that is leading 30 churches in Charleston through 40 Days of Community. I was feeling pretty insecure about leading this meeting for several reasons...(I'm a 25 year old kid - they are mostly senior leaders at their churches). I stopped by the office to pick up some materials that I was going to give out and I bumped into one of the administrative assistants at Seacoast. Out of the blue she said something like, "Josh, I just want to tell you that you do an incredible job during our meetings. It seems like you always pick up on the great ideas that are presented and you bring great insights to the table." There is no explanation for why she would say that to me. I have never received a compliment before about how I do meetings, and I know that God knew that I needed the encouragement. (The meeting went great...productive)
2. Lisa starts her rotations for PA school August 29th. (By the way, she's the smartest person I know) Her first 5 week rotation was supposed to be in Florence - 2 hours away. We have been stressing about her being away for 5 weeks. She got a call today telling her that the rotation was switched to East Cooper Hospital - 5 minutes away from our house! Wow! No explanation for that one either.

I was reminded today that God is interested in the details of our lives! Feel free to share any thing that has made you stop and say "God is Cool!"

Things I'm Into

I thought that I would let you in on a few cool things that I like:

1. Marriage - I don't know what I would do without Lisa. She stretches me in so many ways. Yesterday she talked me into shaving my head.
2. Jaguar Urban Golf - This has taken way too much of my time lately. Proceed to this link with caution. It also brings up an interesting conversation about marketing to the video game generation.
3. Better Together by Rick Warren. This book has been challenging me in every way over the last couple of months. I can't wait for 40 Days of Community at Seacoast.
4. The Boat House Restaraunt - Filet and Crabcakes with Collard Greens and Mashed Potatoes!
5. Seacoast Church League Softball - I played this year for the first time in about 5 years - it's the most fun I've had in sports in a long time.
6. Fantasy sports - I'm playing in a blogger's fantasy football league this year...which leads me to # 7
7. Blogging - I was a skeptic at first but this is fun.

Leadership Line Drives #2 - Sexual Sin

All I have to do is mention the names Jimmy Swaggert and Jim Baker to remind you what the consequences of sexual sin in leadership can be. Although these are probably the most notorious names that we associate with sex scandal in ministry, they hardly scratch the surface. In a recent survey, 54% of pastors admitted to viewing porn on their computers within the last year. Todd Rhoades had a great post about this a couple of weeks ago. So how do we avoid sexual sin in leadership? Here's some safeguards and what they look like in my life:

• Accountability

I have two guys that I talk to about this at least once a month. I also have a program on my computer called x3 watch that sends a report to my accountability partners and my wife every month with any questionable websites that my computer has registered. You get that level of accountability in your life and it's going to be hard to "stumble"

• Practice what you preach

I met with two couples just this week that have allowed sexual sin to tear them apart. I am constantly counseling men on the danger that lust and sexual sin will bring. No doubt every relevant Christian leader must address this issue regularly. Practice what you preach.

• Consider the consequences

Haven't considered the consequences? Write these down on a notecard and carry them around with you:

1. Your relationship with God
2. Your Wife and Kids if you have them
3. Your ministry
4. Your credibility
5. Your reputation
6. Your Blog (I had to throw that in there for any blog addicts)
7. Your Future

That is just the beginning of what's at stake if you mess around with this stuff

• Develop Healthy Habits

I won't spend time alone with anyone of the opposite sex other than my wife, mom, and sisters. That sounds extreme, maybe even a bit old school, but my marriage and integrity are worth it. If you are married, spend time with your spouse...have a regular date night. Spend time on your appearance for your spouse. Don't stop doing the things that you did to attempt to win him\her over.

• Spend time on your relationship with God

I believe that the first step towards sexual sin or any other sin for that matter is to neglect your relationship with God.

I would like to think that my love for God is enough to keep me from falling into sexual sin, but I would be stupid not to put up some safeguards in my life to hold my feet to the fire.

If you were Satan, would you spend most of your time hounding the sheep or would you try to strike the shepherds?