I want to praise God publicly today for the miracle he is about to do in the days to come. We are 4 days away from our August paycheck coming due and still $2,000 away from meeting our basic fundraising budget for the month. I have over a year of proof to see that God never forgets, never fails and always provides. Absolutely.If you want to be a part of the answered prayers, you can give online via Paypal at www.centercitychurch.net or you can send a check to:Center City Church2271 Barrowcliffe DriveConcord, NC 28027Praise God for what He is about to do!

We had a great service yesterday at Hope. Mike gave me the honor of preaching at our last service and the people were so incredibly supportive. I have been so blessed to be a part of such an amazing team of leaders and a great church family at Hope. We finished off the day with a great cookout and pool party. Fun and memorable day!

Tomorrow is my last Sunday at Hope Church. This is a really bittersweet weekend for me. On one hand, I am incredibly excited to be realizing a dream that Dara and I have shared for over 5 years by planting Center City Church in Uptown Charlotte. On the other hand, I have built some incredible relationships and joined arms with great men and women of God to launch Hope Church.I am spending the day at Caribou Coffee going over my message. Trying to find the words to say to a group of people that have meant so much to me is quite a task. The relationships that we have built with Pastor Mike,...

Six months ago I found myself laying on a doctors table with cords attached to my chest. The doctors were testing my heart to see if I was on the verge of having a heart attack. It seems that the stress of raising our salary and constantly worrying about where it would come from had finally caught up with me.I remember laying there thinking "this is no way to live." In all actuality, I was dying. Not just in my spirit, but the doctors told me that the stress was quite literally constricting my lungs. I had a moment with God that day that was very raw, very real and very honest. I decided...

This is a crazy season of life, but I'm so encouraged to say that Dara and I are living out our dreams every day. We are finishing an amazing season at Hope Church (this week is our last Sunday) and beginning another season that we've dreamed about for over 5 years.God put church planting in our hearts so deeply over lunch at a Chili's in Altamonte Springs, FL in 2004. We are now taking steps to seeing that dream become a reality in the Fall of 2009. Let me just say this: it was worth the wait. I'm so grateful for every season that we have walked through during that time of waiting. The ups...

10 days away from our August paycheck. Over $2,000 short in our account. Another amazing scenario to bring God all the glory when he provides.Sometimes this journey of raising our salary each month reminds me of walking on water. It's totally crazy to think that we have gone unpaid for the past 15 months. It's totally crazy for Peter to have stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus on the water (found in Matthew 14:22-36). I find such resonance in that story. When Peter fixed his eyes upon Christ, the miraculous happened - he walked on water. When he took his eyes off of Christ and...

I am so grateful that God hasn't called me to do life and ministry alone. I am finding this even more evident as Dara and I are jumping in head first as we start Center City Church in Uptown Charlotte. There are so many things that need to happen that are not in my natural gift set. I am incredibly comfortable with people, speaking, sharing vision, connecting with partners in our community, etc. I am not so good at things like handling detail oriented things. I'm so grateful that there are people that we love and trust that are surrounding us that are good at those things.We are all a part...

We got a $500 check in the mail today from a missionary family. You read that right. We have a friend that is itinerating right now (traveling the country raising money to head overseas). He told us that his family wanted to bless us as we have taken this step of faith to plant Center City Church in Uptown Charlotte.I was totally blown away.I think it's so amazing that generosity can come in so many forms. We have had everything from a $3 donation from a family in poverty to a $500 check from a family headed to the mission field to $15,000 from one family that loves and believes in us. I am...

I am a big believer in stating who we are as a church in a concise way. People need to be able to identify who we are quickly and then seek to find more if they are interested. I was driving by the church sign of Discovery Church in Orlando when this really struck me. Their sign says:Discovery ChurchA Christ-centered, non-denominational church.I thought that was so cool. I instantly connected with who they were and what they were about. All because of a church sign. We don't have a church sign, a building or even one service under our belt, but I already refer to our church plant like...

Our littlest munchkin, Ben (six months old), just said his first word today - DADA! There is absolutely nothing in the world like hearing that come from my baby. I love it. For the record, that makes it 3 for 3 with all of our boys saying Dada first. Mary said Mama. I guess it's a guy thing.It's a big day in the Docusen home. Another kid speaks!