We returned last night after spending 10 days in Orlando. So great to re-connect with family and friends. Dara and I have an overnight strategy in our travels to Orlando. We leave at 6pm, drive for a while with the kids awake, then (in theory) they fall asleep for the remainder of the drive. It actually worked last night and we had a solid 4+ hours of peace and quiet on the tail end of our trip. So great to be home. I love Charlotte.

I'm excited to say that Center City Church has affiliated with the Church Multiplication Network. This is the largest church planting organization in the world. The phenomenal leadership and vision is a part of the Assemblies of God (based in Springfield, MO).The A/G is also the largest missions organization in the world, with missionaries reaching over 250 countries around the world. We are proud to partner with the efforts of this great organization!

Dara and I are spending the week in Orlando. We are helping out at a gathering of pastors from across the world called General Council. Top that off with a coinciding event called National Youth Convention and that adds up to 24,000 people at the Orange County Convention Center. It's so great to connect with friends from all over the country that come together for this event. We will be running like chickens with our heads cut off all week, but we are going to have a ton of fun!

Dara and I have a routine that we go through every time we have to make a big decision. We pray together, then pray separately, then pray together again. If we both feel peace, we move forward. If one or both of us feel hesitance, we don't move at all.We have learned this lesson the hard way over our 7 years of marriage. There are things that we have had to pay a big price for (financially and emotionally) that we could have avoided if we would have just been more patient.We felt this the past month as we felt like we were supposed to move to Uptown Charlotte. We never found anything - until...

We have our new contact info set up for Center City Church. All correspondence and tax-deductible donations can now go to the following:Center City Church401 Hawthorne LaneSuite 110-219Charlotte, NC 28204Web: www.centercitychurch.net (online giving now set up here)Email: [email protected]: 704.706.4313Fax: 704-370-0430

I am reading the story of the life and leadership of Joshua (found, coincidentally, in the book of Joshua in the Bible). His story is so compelling. He was the right hand man to one of the greatest historical figures in the Bible, Moses (of 10 commandment fame). God used Moses in an incredible way to deliver the people of Israel out of captivity in Egypt all the way to the brink of claiming their own land. Moses died before seeing this become a reality and Joshua was left to lead the people of Israel into this promised land.I love how God speaks to Joshua as he calls him from a position of...

A big thanks to Will Morgan for helping out with the design on these info cards for Center City Church. I needed something quickly to have on hand for fundraising purposes and Will hit a home run for me. We needed something simple and effective. Will came up with this design to put on business cards that we will have on hand by the end of the week. This will hold us over until we nail down our logo and move forward with some branding and graphics.FRONTBACK

Let me make an admission: I really don't like fundraising.However, I am willing to do anything and everything within my power to go after the vision that God has put in our hearts to bring Center City Church to Uptown Charlotte.We have been doing it for a year and a half now and it gets really old. My pride is totally destroyed after asking everyone I know and even some that I don't for money. Multiple times. That's all a part of this process and I needed this season to get over myself and my pride.Even though I don't like it, I know the only way to get this vision off the ground and keep...

I absolutely love this quote that Pastor Steven Furtick (Elevation Church) just posted to his Twitter account. Not sure who the quote is from, but it goes like this: "Statistics show that if they don't start, they won't finish."I love this idea. God has wired me to create. I want to try new things and see new ideas constantly pushing us to innovate and explore. One of the scariest and most exhilarating things in life is to try to do something that's never been done before. It's summed up in one of my personal favorite quotes of all time by Ralph Waldo Emerson:"Do not go where the path may...

I am very, very bad at chess.If it weren't for my good friend, Vinnie Zarletti, I wouldn't have a clue what I'm doing. But Vinnie's elementary chess lessons actually proved to be quite valuable as we search for a home for our family in Uptown Charlotte.Vinnie is my only friend that is a self admitted chess fanatic. He taught me a few moves that I have since forgotten, but I remembered this basic concept: whoever controls the center of the board has the upper hand. The person that controls the center of the board can defend and attack effectively.As we were praying about moving to Uptown...