I pray that my home is the healthiest place in my life. There are so many opportunities in this life to serve and help. Just this week I was blessed with the opportunity to help a group of church planters navigate the early days of their new churches. It took me away from home for four full days. But I came home. And home has never felt as good it does today. Of all the relationships I have, I pray that my relationship with my wife and kids is the healthiest. Of all the friends I make along this journey, I pray that the friendship that has been cultivated between our family and those closest...

We will finish up our final installment of our series "The Gospel of Mark" tomorrow at Center City Church. We have taken seven weeks to look at seven different stories from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. I am excited to teach on the story of the healing of the blind man named Bartimaeus tomorrow (Mark 10:46-52). There is such application to each of our lives as we see this man pursue Jesus with abandon. I'm excited to unpack some things that God has really placed on my heart for our church. Looking forward to sharing this with our church family in the morning! I love what I do!

It is so great to come home to my family. After being gone the past four days, I relieved Dara of all mommy duties and sent her shopping and off for a day with her mom. She so deserves the time away!I took the kids to the park, shared a special lunch with them at Snoop's (a great burger joint in our neighborhood), played in the kiddie pool, busted out the slip and slide and then they crashed at the end of a fun day! I appreciate all the many blessings God has given. But none is greater than the blessing of an amazing wife and four amazing kids. Today was such a special day with the...

I am headed home after spending the week with some incredible people this week at the Church Planter's Boot Camp. It was so encouraging to see the creativity and ideas of these 60+ church planters from around the nation. I believe in church planting. I believe that starting healthy churches brings life and excitement to their communities. The future is very bright. There are dozens of new churches that are coming to communities across our country. Exciting times. So honored and humbled that I was able to be a part of this event. Now back to my favorite place on the planet: Home.

I am so enjoying being a part of an event called the Church Planter's Boot Camp this week. This is an event that is run by the Church Multiplication Network that gives preparation and training to new church planters. I am spending the week helping church planters think through every imaginable angle of church planting. Receiving the plan from God. Vision casting. Building teams. Fundraising. Crafting mission statements, etc. I am so inspired by the dreams that God has placed in their hearts for their community. I feel myself being energized and renewed for Center City Church by simply...

My earlier years in ministry were given to leading worship. I will never forget the first time I led worship at my church in Orlando, FL. There were about 2,000 people in attendance that day. I was 22 years old. Fresh out of college. Totally green behind the ears.The pastor looked at me moments before heading onto the stage and said, "Are you nervous." With my stomach turning, I looked back and confidently said, "A little." He looked back at me with his South Texas twang and said, "Good, you should be." And then we both walked into the auditorium. Let's just say that moment didn't inspire...

We enjoyed a surprise party tonight for Salina Beasley (one of the leaders in our church). We had around 25 people from our church community there tonight and I just sat back and soaked in a very special moment. Salina and I grew up together. We've known each other for 20 years. It struck me so strong tonight at the collision of worlds I was experiencing. Sitting in the room tonight was my little brother, Salina, our friend Christyn (who also grew up with us) and then 20+ people that we have met since our awkward teen years. All gathered together to celebrate Salina's birthday. Clark...

I wouldn't say that patience is one of my natural strengths. I want things now. Lessons on patience seem to be around every corner in my life.Proverbs 16:32 - Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city. I have a dream that all of Charlotte will know Jesus. His life changing, immeasurable love. I have plans that can help us to achieve the goal of telling as many people about Jesus as possible. But patience and timing are just as important as dreams and plans. I hate typing that. But it is so true. Proverbs 16:9 - We can make our plans, but the Lord...

The journey of church planting has had so many ups and downs. The most incredible challenges Dara and I have ever faced have come during this season of life. And the most unforgettable, incredible and unbelievable moments of joy have come during this same season. The season of fundraising to start Center City Church was one of the incredible challenges that we have walked through. This was a humbling and necessary season of life as God showed us that we could not do this on our own. We needed God's incredible provision to simply survive. And his provision has come through the generosity of...

The dream has been in our hearts since October, 2007. That's when we first started to dream about opening a coffeehouse/venue that would be for the community, used by the community seven days a week. Amazing, award-winning espresso beverages combined with a top flight multi-use venue in Uptown Charlotte.We have taken countless practical steps to prepare for the day that God would open the doors for us to be able to realize this dream. Five year business plan. Check. Desired coffee roaster. Check. Hundreds of hours of prayer. Check. Incredible doors open that can only be explained by the...