I have now been working for FaithBridge Foster Care for three weeks and the excitement level I have for this is at an all time high. Basically I've spent the last three weeks just learning the ropes, following the other consultants around on visits and things and filling out lots of paperwork. Yes, it is indeed like drinking from a fire hydrant, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Technically it is a job, and I get paid for it along with a lot of other great benefits and those have been a great blessing to my wife and I. Still, I consider it to be much more than a job or occupation. It is a mission field and a ministry and I truly believe that God has ordained this partnership and has entrusted me with a huge responsibility.
FaithBridge's mission is "Changing the way America does foster care". It is great to work for an organization that you can tell 100% that every single employee believes wholeheartedly is a true statement. I am no different. I believe God wants to change the lives of millions of children across our great nation. For me, that starts in Floyd County and I am ready to stand on the front lines. Floyd County is the fourth highest county in the state of Georgia as far as the number of kids coming into care. Per capita, it is the number one county. What that says is that the need is tremendous. My new life verse right now comes out of Matthew 9:37-38 which says, "Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'" I believe that with all my heart. There is an amazing group of Pastors who have joined together to create Project 127 Rome, which is partnered with FaithBridge and I get to play an important role in seeing this vision come to pass.
This all got me thinking. How many times do we actually believe with all our heart that God is going to do something? How often to we just assume his faithfulness, but don't necessarily believe in it? What has happened to our faith? I can say this because I am as guilty as the next person. So often I agree to pray for something or someone, and I usually do once or twice. However, I can't remember the last time I just fell before the Lord and begged him to move. I love that Shane and Shane song "I Beg" because it just captures for me my heart right now. I want my life to be a picture of someone lying down at the feet of Almighty God yearning for Him to move and do something huge. God is sovereign and He is going to do His work whether we help or not. But how amazing is it that God allows us to be a part in His Kingdom coming to pass. God is going to completely change the way foster care is done in this country. He is going to use the church. You can either step up and be a part of it, or sit on the sidelines. Before you go getting mad at me, I'm not saying that you aren't a Christian if you don't become a foster parent, but I am saying that you are missing out on something incredible by not getting involved somehow. If you can't foster, then do respite care. If you can't do respite care, sign up to be a volunteer through the Church. If you can't volunteer, then hit your knees and pray for these children and for our foster families. If you've been blessed financially, then return that blessing and give to a Christ-centered cause knowing that your money is being used to change lives and bring people to Jesus.
We serve a King who loves children and who will not let them be neglected, abused and forsaken without desiring His people to be a part in the change that is taking place. I worked for the state with DFCS, but the state is not getting it done. There are a number of incredible people working hard at DFCS all over the state, but it's just not working. Floyd County is sending too many children away from home because there aren't enough families here to take them. Too many sibling groups are being split up. The hardest part of all this is that in most situations, these kids have done nothing to deserve any of this. They are the ones who suffer the most and too many times the Church has just stood around in our nice buildings and comfortable homes and done nothing about it. Maybe we write a $20 check once a year or we send out a simple prayer for all the children. While those things aren't bad, it is not enough. We must have the compassion and desire to see these kids be in good homes and have the chance to live a full life free from abuse and neglect and to have people who love them and care for them and are Jesus to them. I believe there is not greater calling than investing in the life of a child.
Okay, I will leave you alone now, but I pray that you are moved by this and feel led to do something about this need. If you want more information on FaithBridge, check out their website: http://faithbridgefostercare.org/
C&B
Hayes Party of Two
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
New Addition To Our Family
That's right, there is a new member to the Hayes family, one that we will cherish, spend lots of quality time with, take care of, and always be there for. Okay, no it is not a baby. Sorry to all those who constantly remind us that we do not have children yet and how much we should have one. We get it, haha. We promise to have a baby this decade.
Seriously though, many of you know how much I love music and instruments. Ever since my freshman year of college I have wanted a Taylor guitar. I played a friend of mine's and fell in love with the sound, action and the look of these beautiful instruments. For me as a worship leader, I have long felt it would be the best way to go. Unfortunately, these are very pricey guitars and there is just no way I could have afforded a $3000 guitar. However, the Lord is looking out for me. My friend Lawson Bost came up to me about a month ago after church asking if I was in the market for a new guitar. My response was, "yes, I am always in the marked for a new guitar, but I'm not sure my budget is." He told me he had a Taylor 714ce, which is one of the two models that I have really wanted for many years so my brain started turning and my heart started yearning for this guitar, but I didn't really think it would truly work out. Luckily for me, I was wrong.
Lawson let me borrow it a few weeks ago just to hold on for a little while and play it and see if it fit me. Well, of course I loved it. He told me on facebook one day that he really just wanted to bless me with it and that although he could get somewhere from $1800-2500 for it elsewhere, he wasn't looking for that. He told me to pray about it and talk to Brittany to see what we could possibly afford and then to let him know and we could even do payments. Lawson is a musician as well, but hasn't been able to play it very much and wanted it to have a good home. He is very passionate about cycling and wants to buy a nice bike. I won't mention the price we finally decided on, but it was the same price that Lawson had been thinking and hoping in his mind which both of us felt was fair and feasible. Brittany and I told Lawson and his wife, Jessica, on Sunday we definitely want to buy it and now it is mine.
My wife is so amazing to let me have this guitar. She knew had badly I wanted it and she wanted to get it for me as a surprise, but unfortunately things didn't quite work out that way. That is probably because I kept pestering her and making it blatantly obvious that I wanted this guitar badly. I only hope I can get her something nice in the near future. If anyone wants to donate some money to my "Get Brittany a Nice Gift" fund, let me know!
Here are some pictures of my new baby. Any ideas on a name for her? (yes it is a her, I had to explain to my wife that guitars are always female names for guys, similar to boats, it's just one of those unwritten rules of life)
Seriously though, many of you know how much I love music and instruments. Ever since my freshman year of college I have wanted a Taylor guitar. I played a friend of mine's and fell in love with the sound, action and the look of these beautiful instruments. For me as a worship leader, I have long felt it would be the best way to go. Unfortunately, these are very pricey guitars and there is just no way I could have afforded a $3000 guitar. However, the Lord is looking out for me. My friend Lawson Bost came up to me about a month ago after church asking if I was in the market for a new guitar. My response was, "yes, I am always in the marked for a new guitar, but I'm not sure my budget is." He told me he had a Taylor 714ce, which is one of the two models that I have really wanted for many years so my brain started turning and my heart started yearning for this guitar, but I didn't really think it would truly work out. Luckily for me, I was wrong.
Lawson let me borrow it a few weeks ago just to hold on for a little while and play it and see if it fit me. Well, of course I loved it. He told me on facebook one day that he really just wanted to bless me with it and that although he could get somewhere from $1800-2500 for it elsewhere, he wasn't looking for that. He told me to pray about it and talk to Brittany to see what we could possibly afford and then to let him know and we could even do payments. Lawson is a musician as well, but hasn't been able to play it very much and wanted it to have a good home. He is very passionate about cycling and wants to buy a nice bike. I won't mention the price we finally decided on, but it was the same price that Lawson had been thinking and hoping in his mind which both of us felt was fair and feasible. Brittany and I told Lawson and his wife, Jessica, on Sunday we definitely want to buy it and now it is mine.
My wife is so amazing to let me have this guitar. She knew had badly I wanted it and she wanted to get it for me as a surprise, but unfortunately things didn't quite work out that way. That is probably because I kept pestering her and making it blatantly obvious that I wanted this guitar badly. I only hope I can get her something nice in the near future. If anyone wants to donate some money to my "Get Brittany a Nice Gift" fund, let me know!
Here are some pictures of my new baby. Any ideas on a name for her? (yes it is a her, I had to explain to my wife that guitars are always female names for guys, similar to boats, it's just one of those unwritten rules of life)
Sunday, March 28, 2010
New Job, New Beginnings, New Plan
Obviously we haven't had enough exciting or great news to write about over the past few months, until now. Starting April 12th (officially), I will have a new employer. I have accepted a job with Faithbridge Foster Care (http://faithbridgefostercare.org/), a Christian placement agency that will place foster kids in Christian homes and local churches will serve as a support system for those families. I will be a Family Consultant working hand in hand with foster families through things such as Court, DFCS, services, coordinating volunteers, training them in different areas, and several other responsibilities that I am still unsure on. The church I currently serve at, Three Rivers Community Church, along with 5 other churches came together to start Project 127 here in Floyd County. The name comes from James 1:27, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." Basically, we believe it is the responsibility of the Church to care for these children, and not the state. Either way, the state of Georgia will pay for children to be placed in Christian homes through Faithbridge, which is just an awesome thought. I found out I got the job this past Thursday and then turned in my 2 week notice at DFCS on Friday making April 9th my final day there. Things have been more stressful the past few months than they have the whole time I've worked at DFCS, so the timing is perfect. It was time for me to move on. And now, I get a job with less stress, more rewards, better pay, better benefits, and I really get to make a difference in the lives of children and families for the glory of God and to build His kingdom.
This new job impacts Brittany and I in huge ways, not the least of which is financially. Not only will my salary be higher, but since I get a company car, I won't be having to fill up my gas tank nearly as much at all, and don't have to worry about as much wear and tear on my car, making it last a couple more years longer most likely. That will save us a couple hundred dollars a month. Also, they will pay for my insurance. We'll have to pay for Brittany, but that should save us money as well. We've talked and planned out a lot of things and as you remember from previous posts, we are working hard to eliminate our debt from student loans and credit cards. We are about to pay off our second credit card taking care of that debt which is awesome. Now, we can keep the same budget we have now and put all extra money towards paying off student loans. What that means is absolutely huge for us. Now, instead of taking 5 years approximately to pay of student loans, we can possibly take care of them completely in 2 years. What? That is crazy! God is so good and so faithful to provide for us and take care for us and continues to show his faithfulness over and over again and all we are and have is for Him! With all of our debt taken care of in a couple of years, we can look for a house and also prepare to start a family, which we are very excited about, but before you all start getting excited, we are not planning to do that real soon so calm down! Haha, but one day it will happen.
Brittany is on the home stretch of the hard, stressful life of Grad School and teaching and all that jazz. She finished her portfolio and turned it in last Monday and I must say it was excellent. She has her oral panel review ordeal coming up in about 2 weeks, on April 16th so be praying for that. We are counting down the days until May 8th when she graduates with her Masters in Early Childhood Education and cannot wait for this summer where a huge load will be lifted off her shoulders. Please be praying for strength, energy and perseverance so that she can finish the race strong and with excellence. I am so proud of her and so grateful that she is my wife. She is an example for me and an encouragement to me each and every day with her work ethic and all that she does excellently. She is a phenomenal teacher that God has not only called, but gifted to reach children in amazing ways.
Well, I will call it quits on this blog for now, but hope to start keeping up with things more often. Time is not an abundant resource of ours these days unfortunately. Hopefully that will change really soon. Thank you all for your support, prayers and encouragement. It means more to us than you can possibly know and we can feel how the Lord uses you to impact our lives and our marriage. God is good, all the time and all the time, God is good!
C&B
Hayes Party of Two
This new job impacts Brittany and I in huge ways, not the least of which is financially. Not only will my salary be higher, but since I get a company car, I won't be having to fill up my gas tank nearly as much at all, and don't have to worry about as much wear and tear on my car, making it last a couple more years longer most likely. That will save us a couple hundred dollars a month. Also, they will pay for my insurance. We'll have to pay for Brittany, but that should save us money as well. We've talked and planned out a lot of things and as you remember from previous posts, we are working hard to eliminate our debt from student loans and credit cards. We are about to pay off our second credit card taking care of that debt which is awesome. Now, we can keep the same budget we have now and put all extra money towards paying off student loans. What that means is absolutely huge for us. Now, instead of taking 5 years approximately to pay of student loans, we can possibly take care of them completely in 2 years. What? That is crazy! God is so good and so faithful to provide for us and take care for us and continues to show his faithfulness over and over again and all we are and have is for Him! With all of our debt taken care of in a couple of years, we can look for a house and also prepare to start a family, which we are very excited about, but before you all start getting excited, we are not planning to do that real soon so calm down! Haha, but one day it will happen.
Brittany is on the home stretch of the hard, stressful life of Grad School and teaching and all that jazz. She finished her portfolio and turned it in last Monday and I must say it was excellent. She has her oral panel review ordeal coming up in about 2 weeks, on April 16th so be praying for that. We are counting down the days until May 8th when she graduates with her Masters in Early Childhood Education and cannot wait for this summer where a huge load will be lifted off her shoulders. Please be praying for strength, energy and perseverance so that she can finish the race strong and with excellence. I am so proud of her and so grateful that she is my wife. She is an example for me and an encouragement to me each and every day with her work ethic and all that she does excellently. She is a phenomenal teacher that God has not only called, but gifted to reach children in amazing ways.
Well, I will call it quits on this blog for now, but hope to start keeping up with things more often. Time is not an abundant resource of ours these days unfortunately. Hopefully that will change really soon. Thank you all for your support, prayers and encouragement. It means more to us than you can possibly know and we can feel how the Lord uses you to impact our lives and our marriage. God is good, all the time and all the time, God is good!
C&B
Hayes Party of Two
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
What Is Christmas?
Every year it seems that Christmas becomes more and more materialized and les and less like Jesus. I hear people or read signs that say "Jesus is the reason for season." However, it makes me wonder how many people truly believe that. Is that just a catchy phrase to make us sound more spiritual. Don't get me wrong, I am not perfect and sometimes get tangled in our Americanized web of this holiday. I enjoy getting gifts as much as anyone. I enjoy giving them even more, although my wife and I haven't bought a single thing yet this year. If you've read our previous posts you understand how crazy our life can be, hence why no Christmas shopping quite yet, but we'll get there.
Okay back to the purpose of this post. What is Christmas? What is the first thing you think about? Is it Santa? Is it a tree with presents underneath? Is it your children? Or your family? What makes Christmas special to you? You see, all of these things aren't necessarily bad things. It's not wrong to give/receive presents, or to spend time with family and loved ones, or to give your children a sedative so they won't go nuts in anticipation, or even singing cheesy Christmas songs that have no meaning or value whatsoever (sorry, personal soapbox about certain holiday tunes). It's not about an argument over saying "Happy Holidays" as opposed to "Merry Christmas" although I could go off on that topic. Happy Holidays? I mean, really? Say Merry Christmas.
The truth is, Christmas has always been and will always be about one thing. Jesus. The holy, almighty God of creation, who has no beginning and no end, who was and is and is to come; I AM, sent his only Son to earth to fulfill the law, put an end to sin and death, and to become a sacrifice for those who would believe. This holiday is about the advent and descension to earth of the King and Savior of all! My charge to each of you is not just to acknowledge the birth of Christ, but to celebrate and it make it your sole focus. I heard someone say once we need to pray that God would allow us to see the world through new eyes. I think that applies here. We must look at Christmas with new eyes. Parents, read the story of Jesus' birth from the Scriptures and explain what it means. This is truly a celebratory time, but let us not just simply look to the coming of Christ over 2000 years ago, but let us also look to the second coming of the King! Let us prepare Him a way and prepare ourselves so that we are ready upon His return.
My goal here is not to guilt trip people out of having fun. As I said, there's nothing wrong with traditions or spending time with family, eating food (probably too much), exchanging gifts, playing dirty Santa or white elephant games, throwing parties, singing carols, etc. I'm just asking that you not make it the main thing this year. Let all of those things be a side item to the main event. Jesus is not the means to an end, HE IS THE END! Jesus is the reason we should do anything because in our sin, we deserve eternity in hell. However, through the redemptive blood of Christ and the mercy found in His grace, we can live and breathe and worship in everything we do. This year, actually pay attention to the words of the Christmas songs like What Child Is This? and Joy to the World and Silent Night and O Come O Come Emmanuel, Mary Did You Know and so many more that have great meaning. Sure, we celebrate Jesus' birthday and put up little porcelain nativity scenes where all of a sudden Jesus, Mary and Joseph look like they are from L.A. However, we must also celebrate the life we've been given for those who have been called and set free. We must celebrate that we have been adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High God and are an heir to the throne of grace.
I will look at the world with new eyes this year, will you? Will you join me in trying your best to keep Jesus on the forefront of your minds and hearts? Maybe instead of our typical New Year's resolutions like losing weight, saving money, or keeping up better with friends, we'll just start being the church. Let us live our lives with an eternal focus and perspective. Don't limit God. Don't limit yourselves. I pray that Christ will reveal Himself to you all in amazing ways this Christmas. I pray He will show you His plan and equip you with the necessary tools to carry out His perfect and seamless plan. I pray that you and your families will be saturated with the gospel and overwhelmed by the goodness that is in Christ Jesus and that you will tell everyone around you about the hope found in Him. I pray God will mend relationships, tear down barriers, change hearts, transform lives, soften hardened hearts, and bring about laborers into the Harvest. What is Christmas? In a word.....Jesus!
C&B
Hayes Party of Two
Okay back to the purpose of this post. What is Christmas? What is the first thing you think about? Is it Santa? Is it a tree with presents underneath? Is it your children? Or your family? What makes Christmas special to you? You see, all of these things aren't necessarily bad things. It's not wrong to give/receive presents, or to spend time with family and loved ones, or to give your children a sedative so they won't go nuts in anticipation, or even singing cheesy Christmas songs that have no meaning or value whatsoever (sorry, personal soapbox about certain holiday tunes). It's not about an argument over saying "Happy Holidays" as opposed to "Merry Christmas" although I could go off on that topic. Happy Holidays? I mean, really? Say Merry Christmas.
The truth is, Christmas has always been and will always be about one thing. Jesus. The holy, almighty God of creation, who has no beginning and no end, who was and is and is to come; I AM, sent his only Son to earth to fulfill the law, put an end to sin and death, and to become a sacrifice for those who would believe. This holiday is about the advent and descension to earth of the King and Savior of all! My charge to each of you is not just to acknowledge the birth of Christ, but to celebrate and it make it your sole focus. I heard someone say once we need to pray that God would allow us to see the world through new eyes. I think that applies here. We must look at Christmas with new eyes. Parents, read the story of Jesus' birth from the Scriptures and explain what it means. This is truly a celebratory time, but let us not just simply look to the coming of Christ over 2000 years ago, but let us also look to the second coming of the King! Let us prepare Him a way and prepare ourselves so that we are ready upon His return.
My goal here is not to guilt trip people out of having fun. As I said, there's nothing wrong with traditions or spending time with family, eating food (probably too much), exchanging gifts, playing dirty Santa or white elephant games, throwing parties, singing carols, etc. I'm just asking that you not make it the main thing this year. Let all of those things be a side item to the main event. Jesus is not the means to an end, HE IS THE END! Jesus is the reason we should do anything because in our sin, we deserve eternity in hell. However, through the redemptive blood of Christ and the mercy found in His grace, we can live and breathe and worship in everything we do. This year, actually pay attention to the words of the Christmas songs like What Child Is This? and Joy to the World and Silent Night and O Come O Come Emmanuel, Mary Did You Know and so many more that have great meaning. Sure, we celebrate Jesus' birthday and put up little porcelain nativity scenes where all of a sudden Jesus, Mary and Joseph look like they are from L.A. However, we must also celebrate the life we've been given for those who have been called and set free. We must celebrate that we have been adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High God and are an heir to the throne of grace.
I will look at the world with new eyes this year, will you? Will you join me in trying your best to keep Jesus on the forefront of your minds and hearts? Maybe instead of our typical New Year's resolutions like losing weight, saving money, or keeping up better with friends, we'll just start being the church. Let us live our lives with an eternal focus and perspective. Don't limit God. Don't limit yourselves. I pray that Christ will reveal Himself to you all in amazing ways this Christmas. I pray He will show you His plan and equip you with the necessary tools to carry out His perfect and seamless plan. I pray that you and your families will be saturated with the gospel and overwhelmed by the goodness that is in Christ Jesus and that you will tell everyone around you about the hope found in Him. I pray God will mend relationships, tear down barriers, change hearts, transform lives, soften hardened hearts, and bring about laborers into the Harvest. What is Christmas? In a word.....Jesus!
C&B
Hayes Party of Two
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Life, Love and Happiness
Yes, yes I know. It has been way too long since my last post. It's funny, I love to write and thought when we started this blog I would be updating it at least a few times a week, but so far is not turned out that way. Oh well, maybe leaving you faithful readers in suspense has an underlying value in itself. Well, to no surprise, we remain crazy busy with life and work and extracurricular activities. I had the opportunity to go to the National Youth Workers Conference in Atlanta, with my friend Travis and the ministry he runs called Pursuit Ministries, which is great by the way. Anyways, thanks to him I was able to get in for free all day on the Friday of the event. It was pretty cool walking around to all these different booths, getting free stuff, talking to people about what they do, and also getting a chance to self promote. It's not something I enjoy doing, but networking and promoting are part of life these days to try and open up new opportunities for worship leading and music and things like that so I made some posters and business cards, brought some CD's and did my thing. Hopefully that will lead to something, but it's in God's hands, not mine. I got a chance to hear Andy Stanley and Francis Chan give two great talks, an awesome worship band, and of course hear Shane and Shane do a late night show (sorry Brittany) which my wife wasn't happy about missing and the fact I was there, but I think she was able to move past it. I do owe her one though.
Thanksgiving was a great time as well. We visited the Housers in Vidalia and the Hayeses in Conyers each for a few days. Good food, great family time and despite the driving, we really enjoyed the time with family and just being away.
For Brittany, she just finished up her last two papers for the semester in Grad School and now has no more assignments until her last semester kicks off in January. I just wanted to take a few moments and explain to you a couple (of the neverending) reasons why this woman is so amazing. There is simply no way I could do anywhere near as much as she does with the excellence and effort that she puts in to it. If you don't believe me, just check out my college transcript, haha. Anyways, Brittany works her tail off teaching 4th and 5th graders every day. Now when I say teach, I don't mean just your common teacher who does what they have to and that's it. My wife is one of the most compassionate, caring, intentional people I have ever met and she loves her kids and wants to not only see them grow academically, but spiritually, emotionally and in any other way possible. She goes far above and beyond the call of duty, doesn't spoon feed her kids so they actually learn something rather than just get good grades. She deals with parents, teachers, students, lesson plans, grading, reading, and so on the list goes. Then, on top of all that, she spends 6 hours in class each week on two nights and does all the work required for her grad school classes and gets A's constantly with maybe a couple of B's scattered in there. She is incredible and has the strength and heart of a lion, but is so humble about it at the same time. I am so grateful to have someone like that in my life to help counteract my pride and laziness I display all to often. She challenges me to be better every single day.
Okay, so I know I've written a lot, but I had to catch you up. The state of Georgia is still making it very difficult for me to be effective in my work for DFCS, but I press on and try to do the best I can. It is good to see the Lord use me and I am certainly grateful just to have a job right now, but I have to admit it is really hard most days to get up and go to a job that I simply do not want to do and know that it is not my calling in life. However, I trust and believe the God of all, the King of kings, Jesus, is working for my good and has an amazing plan for me and is completely sovereign and in control. That allows me to do this as long as necessary and trust in His faithfulness. God continues to show his provision in our lives, his love, his mercy, his faithfulness, his peace, his joy, his patience and really all of his attributes. I serve a God that is jealous for me and longs for me to worship him and bring him glory in every single thing I do. It is my prayer that it would be my undending joy and desire to serve him, to know him, and to live like him every second of every day. sure, I will continue to sin and fall short, but praise be to the one who paid my ransom on the cross. He did it once and will not do it again because his grace is enough and his sacrifice was sufficient for me and now I am a son of God and no longer an enemy. The Savior King has set me free so I will commit my life to knowing him more and following him. I pray that this season we are all reminded that Jesus was sent to us from the Father to fulfill the law and change the world and draw all men to the throne in worship. Glory be to Jesus!
Thanksgiving was a great time as well. We visited the Housers in Vidalia and the Hayeses in Conyers each for a few days. Good food, great family time and despite the driving, we really enjoyed the time with family and just being away.
For Brittany, she just finished up her last two papers for the semester in Grad School and now has no more assignments until her last semester kicks off in January. I just wanted to take a few moments and explain to you a couple (of the neverending) reasons why this woman is so amazing. There is simply no way I could do anywhere near as much as she does with the excellence and effort that she puts in to it. If you don't believe me, just check out my college transcript, haha. Anyways, Brittany works her tail off teaching 4th and 5th graders every day. Now when I say teach, I don't mean just your common teacher who does what they have to and that's it. My wife is one of the most compassionate, caring, intentional people I have ever met and she loves her kids and wants to not only see them grow academically, but spiritually, emotionally and in any other way possible. She goes far above and beyond the call of duty, doesn't spoon feed her kids so they actually learn something rather than just get good grades. She deals with parents, teachers, students, lesson plans, grading, reading, and so on the list goes. Then, on top of all that, she spends 6 hours in class each week on two nights and does all the work required for her grad school classes and gets A's constantly with maybe a couple of B's scattered in there. She is incredible and has the strength and heart of a lion, but is so humble about it at the same time. I am so grateful to have someone like that in my life to help counteract my pride and laziness I display all to often. She challenges me to be better every single day.
Okay, so I know I've written a lot, but I had to catch you up. The state of Georgia is still making it very difficult for me to be effective in my work for DFCS, but I press on and try to do the best I can. It is good to see the Lord use me and I am certainly grateful just to have a job right now, but I have to admit it is really hard most days to get up and go to a job that I simply do not want to do and know that it is not my calling in life. However, I trust and believe the God of all, the King of kings, Jesus, is working for my good and has an amazing plan for me and is completely sovereign and in control. That allows me to do this as long as necessary and trust in His faithfulness. God continues to show his provision in our lives, his love, his mercy, his faithfulness, his peace, his joy, his patience and really all of his attributes. I serve a God that is jealous for me and longs for me to worship him and bring him glory in every single thing I do. It is my prayer that it would be my undending joy and desire to serve him, to know him, and to live like him every second of every day. sure, I will continue to sin and fall short, but praise be to the one who paid my ransom on the cross. He did it once and will not do it again because his grace is enough and his sacrifice was sufficient for me and now I am a son of God and no longer an enemy. The Savior King has set me free so I will commit my life to knowing him more and following him. I pray that this season we are all reminded that Jesus was sent to us from the Father to fulfill the law and change the world and draw all men to the throne in worship. Glory be to Jesus!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Everything Is Different Review and The Holidays
I have to start today's post with a quick review of my favorite band's, Shane and Shane, new album which is entitled "Everything Is Different". At first listen, it wasn't my favorite album and a few of the songs I was unsure about. However, I've had the CD in my car playing non stop for the last week and it has really grown on me. As all musicians, these guys continue to grow musically and lyrically. They took a very simplistic approach on this album using simple chord progressions and not a ton of extra programming and created an album that reflects their heart of worship and adoration. The lyrics are powerful and are completely saturated with the gospel found in Scripture. A lot of it is verbatim out of the Word of God, which is never a bad thing. As a worship leader, I do have to say there aren't a lot of songs on here that would translate well to a congregational setting, but I can assure you this album will challenge you, encourage you, lead you to the throne as well as comfort you in whatever emotions of life you are in at the time you listen. I've already figured out 4 or 5 of the songs on guitar and have enjoyed playing them. I wasn't thrilled that several of the songs were written in alternate tunings, but I can't really blame Shane Barnard for his creativity and growth instrumentally and as a song writer, it's quite impressive. It's hard to pin down one or two favorites, but the ones that stand above the others so far are Everything Is Different, I'm Alive, Worthy of Affection, Great Reward and their version of The Lord's Prayer, which I wasn't thrilled about at first, but really like now. You can go to http://shaneandshane.com/ to watch a few videos and get more information on the CD, but I highly recommend buying it and wearing it out.
In other news, Brittany and I finally had a chance to enjoy a date night together this past Friday. We drove down to Buckhead and enjoyed an amazing dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. In fact, we also enjoyed our leftovers the next day for lunch. It's nice when you pay a lot for dinner that you actually get a lot of food and can keep some for later. Anyways, I have been sick since last Thursday so that hasn't been too much fun, but luckily I have an amazing wife to take care of me and a really strong immune system as well. I seem to be almost all the way better now.
As the holidays near I get excited about a lot and also a little anxious. I love getting to spend time with family and friends and all the festivities that are involved with this time of year. I love Christmas music and it is almost time to start listening to it, haha. I don't like all the time spent traveling in the car or the money spent and stress that can sometimes come out, but I think we all are in that same boat. For example, there isn't much in this world that I enjoy doing more than giving gifts or serving people. Yes, part of that is my people pleaser side that I have tried to get away from, but most of it is just the enjoyment in doing something for someone else. However, since we don't exactly make a ton of money, we have be very frugal with how we spend, who we buy for, what we get. I mean, last year we couldn't even buy presents for each other, although my homemade Christmas card for Brittany was one of a kind and she loved it. Just ask her. With that said, I am going to try this holiday season to enjoy everything and to rejoice in the blessings the Lord has given to me. I will enjoy the driving, the spending, the planning, the activities, the cleaning, the wrapping, and all the "busy" stuff. I will also enjoy spending time with my wife as much as possible, time with family, both original and new. I will enjoy celebrating the true meaning of Christmas in that of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You see, in our country and culture, these times have become so much about go and do and buy and plan and bake and all these action verbs that cloud our minds and use up our time and bank accounts. But what if this year we decided to not focus on those things, but focus on what really matters? What if we rejoice in the goodness of our Savior? What if we enjoy actual quality time with loved ones and really engage each other in fellowship? What if we decided to not let the little things get us down or stress us out? What if Jesus was King of our lives and the object of our affection rather than the things we want or get this year?
I'm not saying that traditions and festivities are bad, so don't take that. All I am saying is prioritize what is truly important. If you are a parent, teach your children the joy of giving rather than the expectancy of receiving. If you are married, spend time with your spouse and treasure them high above stuff. Love and peace always and may you bask in the radiance of the glory of Christ this season. He alone can satisfy. He has created nothing that will give you more pleasure than Him.
C&B
Hayes Party of Two
In other news, Brittany and I finally had a chance to enjoy a date night together this past Friday. We drove down to Buckhead and enjoyed an amazing dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. In fact, we also enjoyed our leftovers the next day for lunch. It's nice when you pay a lot for dinner that you actually get a lot of food and can keep some for later. Anyways, I have been sick since last Thursday so that hasn't been too much fun, but luckily I have an amazing wife to take care of me and a really strong immune system as well. I seem to be almost all the way better now.
As the holidays near I get excited about a lot and also a little anxious. I love getting to spend time with family and friends and all the festivities that are involved with this time of year. I love Christmas music and it is almost time to start listening to it, haha. I don't like all the time spent traveling in the car or the money spent and stress that can sometimes come out, but I think we all are in that same boat. For example, there isn't much in this world that I enjoy doing more than giving gifts or serving people. Yes, part of that is my people pleaser side that I have tried to get away from, but most of it is just the enjoyment in doing something for someone else. However, since we don't exactly make a ton of money, we have be very frugal with how we spend, who we buy for, what we get. I mean, last year we couldn't even buy presents for each other, although my homemade Christmas card for Brittany was one of a kind and she loved it. Just ask her. With that said, I am going to try this holiday season to enjoy everything and to rejoice in the blessings the Lord has given to me. I will enjoy the driving, the spending, the planning, the activities, the cleaning, the wrapping, and all the "busy" stuff. I will also enjoy spending time with my wife as much as possible, time with family, both original and new. I will enjoy celebrating the true meaning of Christmas in that of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You see, in our country and culture, these times have become so much about go and do and buy and plan and bake and all these action verbs that cloud our minds and use up our time and bank accounts. But what if this year we decided to not focus on those things, but focus on what really matters? What if we rejoice in the goodness of our Savior? What if we enjoy actual quality time with loved ones and really engage each other in fellowship? What if we decided to not let the little things get us down or stress us out? What if Jesus was King of our lives and the object of our affection rather than the things we want or get this year?
I'm not saying that traditions and festivities are bad, so don't take that. All I am saying is prioritize what is truly important. If you are a parent, teach your children the joy of giving rather than the expectancy of receiving. If you are married, spend time with your spouse and treasure them high above stuff. Love and peace always and may you bask in the radiance of the glory of Christ this season. He alone can satisfy. He has created nothing that will give you more pleasure than Him.
C&B
Hayes Party of Two
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
