Making the right decision is paramount when it comes to leadership. Whether you are leading a business, church, home or relationship, proper decision making has a ripple effect that touches more people than we can imagine. Sometimes the right decision is much harder than other options. It takes more time. More effort. More patience. And it's absolutely worth it. I feel this on a constant basis as we continue to navigate the early days of Center City Church. There are so many things that we can do to spark things. To push when we are supposed to wait. To move forward prematurely. That is when...

I absolutely love what I do. My vocation is people. And I love every single person that has come into our world. I am so inspired by the men and women that fill our world. And our world continues to expand every single week. I have a deep value that I hold to, however. Nothing is more important than my family. Nothing. Dara, Max, Mary, Jack and Ben (my wife and kids) are the most important people in my world. Granted, I am very much a Type A personality. I am a driver. A visionary. I love what I do. And to be very honest, I have been guilty of my priorities being out of order in the past....

The original idea was to do a sermon series called I Love Charlotte during the month of August at Center City Church. We would focus on Christ-centered service in our community and combine that with service projects throughout our community. I'm happy to say that it went amazing. But it has become so much more than I originally thought. During this series, I have prayed that God would spark a commitment to lifelong service to our community and our world. I have been blown away by the creativity and passion of our church as they have responded to this call to love and service. I am getting...

I had the privilege of meeting Naeem Fazal today. He is the lead pastor at Mosaic Church in North Charlotte. Great church doing great things in our community. I was so excited to hear of the things that they are doing to serve the greater Charlotte community. They started a service to the community called "What If Everyone?" He told me about 300+ people from two churches (Mosaic and The Branch Church) that came together to serve recently. So inspiring. I'm excited to see how we can partner together to love and serve our city. We're all in this together! If you love this city, check out their...

Our family so enjoyed an amazing week in Myrtle Beach, SC this past week. We had a blast just being together. Here's a quick rundown on how we do vacation: - Early morning sea shell collecting- Teaching the kids how to boogie board- Max (6), Mary (5) and Jack (3) played "punch the waves" (self-explanatory)- Max and Mary rode a mechanical bull- Hours at the pool that included a gigantic water playground & lazy river- Putt Putt golf (everyone got a hole in one)- Afternoon naps with the balcony door open listening to the ocean- Amazing local restaurants. - A trip to the old school ice cream...

I will be unplugging from all forms of communication (August 16-23) besides the ones that include playing with my kids and hanging out with my wife. Vacation!

Join us this Saturday, August 21st, as we head to Elizabeth Traditional Elementary school one final time before classes begin next week. We will be doing two shifts of work, 9am-12pm & 1pm-4pm. Come if you can! Your service is making a difference in our community!Contact Pastor John Gum at [email protected] for more information.

This has been one of the most important weeks in the life of Center City Church. For so long, Dara and I dreamed of starting church in a community we love with people we love. That happened Easter 2unday 2010. And four months later, I believe we have stepped into a new season that has introduced us to the role and the personality of our church in this city. I have been teaching a series called "I Love Charlotte" for the past three weeks. This series has been accompanied by several different service projects throughout our community. Habitat for Humanity. Charlotte Rescue Mission. Friendship...

Here are some shots from the before and after of our service project this week at Elizabeth Traditional Elementary School. Huge thanks to the group of teenagers from Bethany Church in Wyckoff, NJ that teamed up with our church to tackle this huge project. Amazing results after some really long days and hard work!We are hosting another day of serving this amazing school on Saturday, August 21 at 9am. There is still plenty of work to do, but this will give you a quick glimpse of the huge strides made this week. If you want to join us, email Pastor John at [email protected] and we'll...

I am so grateful that God gave us his word and instruction through the Bible. I find life in the words that are written. I believe every word in the Bible is true and gives insight and life to my soul. I am thankful for the men and women that have invested into my life and shown me the value of reading and applying the Word of God to my life. If you have trouble understanding the Bible, find someone who is farther along than you in their faith journey. Ask questions. Have a tenacity in your faith that leads you to dig deeper and understand more. Don't settle for surface faith. I love the...