Everybody has something they can do well. There are so many statistics about how every one has some sort of ability and how we all use so many different abilities every day that it would take someone with a great ability to concentrate on one thing for a long period of time to read them all and come up with a conclusion. That last sentence showed that I have the ability to write a really long sentence that is really hard to understand. Anyways - this week I have seen an ability that we all hate to see. This week I have seen how good Satan is at doing what he does. I saw Satan working in just about every area of my life - my marriage, my church, my relationships, my integrity, etc. This is not saying that every part of my life is a failure now, I could just really see how Satan has been working overtime to see my destruction. And I hate it. He is good at what he does. My last entry was about knowing the best thing to do and doing that thing the best way you know how, and this is what Satan does. He has been working for the destruction of mankind for over 6000 years. And he knows what he is doing. And what is worse is that it isn't just him, but also his followers. Just as I am writing this now, it makes me so angry!

And now I am reminded of something I read in my life journal time - be very strong and courageous. Oh how this must be our battle cry. Sometimes when I am tempted and I overcome it I like to look around and laugh - kind of an in your face laugh. I know they are out there, and I know they are there when I am tempted. And most of the time it gives me great pleasure to laugh in their faces. Its saying I know you are good at what you do, but not good enough. I can just see the sidelines full of angels and demons watching and me. A demon comes along and tempts me. God provides me a way out, and I take it. I laugh in the faces of the demons and the crowd goes wild. Angels shouting and bumping chests. Those loud horns blowing in the stands. Cowbells ringing. The kind of scene seen on a last minute shot, or a hailmary.

But greater than this scene is the scene of my Savior smiling - that proud smile you get when your father has seen you do something great. That smile that makes you feel like you are the greatest son in the world. That smile that makes you think you can do anything. That smile that says you rock son! Great job!

So the next time you overcome some sort of temptation, laugh in their faces, and enjoy the feeling of a proud father.

I read a quote that has really intrigued me since i read it. Here it is - "It is not enough to do your best, you must know what to do, and then do your best." This has rocked my world in so many different areas. How many times have I said, "Well, I did my best but I guess that wasn't good enough?" I have since realized that saying this is a cop out. It is a release of responsibility. It is an excuse. I hate excuses. I hate when I give excuses. "I did my best but for some reason things just flopped." That some reason is probably the fact that I did not really know what to do: I didn't fully understand the situation or how to correctly handle the situation or task. It is not just my responsibility to do my best and hope for the best, it is my responsibility to discover the best way to do something, then do it the best I can. I can make a cafe mocha for somebody and do the best I can, but if I don't know the recipe for a cafe mocha, it has a really good chance of being not very good. I might accidentally stumble upon the right way to make it, but that won't happen with every drink I make. This same concept can be put into play in every area of our lives - relationships, jobs, church, marriage, etc. It is not my responsibility to just be the best husband I can be, it is my responsibility to discover how to be a good husband, and then do that the best I can. I most know the best AND do the best.

I had a great time leading worship this morning. I woke up at 5:30 with the service on my mind. After my life journal time I spent some time examining the planned worship service. After Allison and I played through it yesterday I had some concerns about the flow and feel of the service. It just didn't seem to click for me. So I changed one song and finalized the story I was going share. Then I gave it a go, and I think everything went smooth. There was an energy this morning that is not always there. Of course there were guests, and that always brings a different feel, a little bit more pep in the step. But it was even something more this morning. You know when you walk away from something and you just feel good - that feeling you have when you have experienced something great, something above and beyond the ordinary - those are good feelings. That is what I felt this morning. I love it when that happens. I love the natural highs. God is awesome.

Thank you so much God for using me, for the gifts you have given me. Don't let me ever take them for granted!

Allison and I both took off of work yesterday, the original plan being to spend the day skiiing. After looking at some of the reports from the slopes, we decided to change our plans, and spend the day doing some miscellanious stuff in Pittsburgh. First we went to the Carnegie Science Center to see the bodies exibit. It was pretty fascinating. There were real human bodies, bones, skin, and just about every major organ there for viewing. Some of it was pretty gross, but all in all it was very interesting. We left the science center and headed to The Climbing Wall Inc. - an indoor rock climbing park. I was a little worried that Allison wouldn't be able to climb much, but she proved me wrong. She was awesome! The only climbing we could do was bouldering - no ropes just you and a ten foot wall. It was so much fun. We will be going back for some more. We finished the evening off with some Olive Garden and a nice drive home to watch Survivor.
It was a great day with my beautiful wife. I am so lucky to have Allison! She rocks my face off.

My life journal has recently started me on a journey reading through 1 Corinthians. When I saw 1 Corithians listed in my journal reading I got very interested. I am very intrigued by this church at Corinth and the state at which the church was in when Paul wrote this first letter. So many things about this church needed correction and instruction from Paul. Many of the things they were doing were not only wrong morally, but also spiritually.
I wonder what Paul would write to Life Point. I wonder what issues he would address as he wrote about the things that we practice . What would he write about the love that we show and have for this city? What would he write about our leaders and the way they lead there lives. How would we compare to the church at Corinth? I know the first issue he addressed with Corinth was their need for unity. Paul wanted them to be united in their thoughts that there would be no divisions among them. I think Life Point has this one down. We are united and ready to see great things done in this city. I guess it is all up to us. We determine what Paul would write about our church (if he could).

Today was a good day. I guess it still is a good day. Church was great this morning, with a couple of returning guests. We are in the process of training some individuals to help in our setup and media departments, which is good. Allison and I got home, ate, and she went to sleep while I completed my Sunday podcast update. I finished and Allison was still sleeping so I played some Tiger Woods Golf, watched some college basketball, then played some more Tiger Woods Golf. Allison was still sleeping so I decided to write some. And we have our couples small group tonight which is always a good time. So like I said, today was and still is a good day.