My greatest leadership challenge of my week comes every Wednesday at 5:30pm. That is the time that tee ball practice starts. It's my charge as the coach to effectively fill fifty minutes with baseball knowledge and application to the kids. And I've come up with a theory: Trying to coach five and six year old tee ball is equivolent to trying to teach gnats to fly in a straight line. We are having a blast. It's very much like trying to manage chaos, but it's fun and my boy is loving every moment! So proud of Max. I love being his coach. I love being his Daddy!

We are beginning a six week series titled "The Gospel of Matthew" at Center City Church this weekend. We are going to take six stories from this amazing book and unpack them each week. This week, we are looking at the calling of one of Jesus' disciples, Matthew, to follow Christ (Matthew 9:9-13). This is an incredible story of a despised man that encountered Jesus and was given a second chance. Matthew was a tax collector, despised for his trade that included rampant greed and dishonesty. Jesus called him out and he immediately responded. Matthew was forever changed by one decision to follow...

Center City Church has officially opened to the community. The realization of that hit me really strong early Sunday morning. I showed up to our beautiful venue with some of my closest friends to pray together before everyone showed up. And that's when it finally broke for me. After seven years of dreaming about this day. After two years of fighting hard to see this dream come true. It all hit me at once. Today was what it was all for. And tomorrow.The service was amazing. We had so many people show up that we love from our community. Friends that we've connected with over the past 2 years...

Growing up in Orlando, I had the unique opportunity as a kid to watch the space shuttle launch from my front yard. I remember the whole neighborhood would be inside their houses anticipating the launch. We would all watch the news and count down with them. "T-minus three minutes,forty five seconds." The anticipation would build."T-minus one minute, thirty seconds." We all wait, quietly anxious. "T-minus one minute and counting." We all ran outside and looked to the eastern skyline."Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Lift off!" We all stood in amazement as we saw the...

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxWt0p2T4YA&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]Produced by William Jonathan Morgan

We received word a couple of months ago that my grandfather, Bernard Docusen, is being post-humously inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame. What an incredible honor. Grandpa was an amazing fighter, but a better man. He taught me so much about life, love and pursuing my dreams.I just found out tonight that the men being inducted with him this year include Mike Tyson and Julio Caesar Chavez. Not a bad class to be inducted alongside.I miss my grandfather. I can see his smile so clearly now. He would have loved this moment.

I woke up this morning with such a huge amount of anticipation in my heart for what is coming. Center City Church begins officially this Sunday. All the dreams. All the energy. All the teamwork. It has all led up to this week.We have put so much energy into this to create an environment that is a safe place for your friends, co-workers and acquaintances to come and explore their faith. What better week to take that step of faith and invite someone to come this week? Easter. The opening of something of brand new. It's a day filled with intrigue. And it will be a day that could change the...

We have had an incredible initial response to our fund raising efforts to cover the cost of our new venue. We are asking people to cover the cost of one hour ($43), one week ($216) or one month ($864) in this beautiful facility. I just got word today that another person has stepped up to cover the cost of one full month! Praise God! This is a really practical way to help open the doors to our venue for the first year of our church. Every moment that we spend in this space has the potential to change a life for eternity. If you want to help open the doors, you can give online at...

We are six days away from realizing a dream that Dara and I have had for the last seven years. This is the same dream that is shared by so many that have given up so much to be here with us. Center City Church opens to the community this Sunday, April 4, 2010. It comes with the territory that this will never be accomplished without a fight. Dara and I are praying hard and strong for our family, our friends and our church. We live in the tension between the fact that there are forces of good and evil. God has called us to start this church. Satan does not want that to happen. And the battle...

Dara and I spent the day painting the day away at Clark and Salina Beasley's new house in Uptown Charlotte. These are two of our closest friends (along with their one year old, Salem, and Baby Mia that is due this summer). They are moving to Charlotte this week to join us at Center City Church. Clark and Salina are amazing musicians and worship leaders. But more than that, they are amazing friends. We share the ups and downs of life together. We celebrate together. We cry together. We are so excited to welcome them as the newest residents of the Elizabeth community in Uptown! I'm so blown...