Out Of Pocket

For those of you who check my blog often, I apologize for not posting recently. I have been "out of pocket" for the last 9 days. I have only been in Morgantown 3 out of the past 9 days and have had little or no computer access. I have had much to blog about but no time or access to blog. Last Wednesday, Drake and I went to TN to meet with Crossroads Church partners and then I came home for the weekend and left again on Monday morning to have some down time with the family. Needless to say, things have been backing up while I have been gone and I have hit the ground running this morning with much to do before Sunday. Since I can't blog about everything about the past 9 days, I thought I would just hit the highlights and then later blog about a few of them in greater detail. Here goes:

* Drake is the man and I am thrilled about his role and involvement at Crossroads. I am excited to see him grow and develop as God continues to work in him and use him!

* I am SO thankful for our TN ministry partners! Hillcrest Baptist Church in Morristown, TN is such a great inspiration to me and I am so stoked at what God is doing in and through them! CPC (Churches Planting Churches) and Steve T. really blow my doors off. Their commitment to Christ and to planting new churches is awesome and always fires me up! It was good to be with both of these ministries last week.

* I loved visiting with my cousin Heath while I was in TN. It is tremendously cool what God is doing in his and Lisa's lives and I am stoked for them as they radically follow God's will for their lives! I'll be praying for you guys!

* God's grace is amazing!!!! His hand on my life, my ministry, and Crossroads Church is truly astounding. A little less than three years ago, Crossroads Church started with 20 people in a picnic shelter and this past Sunday, in one Sunday, we raised over $14,000 for our new building!!!! It takes my breath away. God is up to something big and I am stoked just to be a part of it to say nothing about leading it. This is crazy cool and the ride is just speeding up! Go God; I just want to follow Your lead for Your great glory in Morgantown and throughout the world!

* Crossroads Basketball is so fun but we are nursing an 0 - 2 losing record. We'll get'em Saturday Kent! Come out and cheer for us at 1:15 at Chestnut Ridge Church.

* The words "family vacation" is an oxymoron when you have little kids. I told Becky that we are not taking a "family vacation" again until Mary is 6 or 7. The next vacation I take will be a Shane and Becky vacation or just a Shane vacation. Kids don't need a vacation. It only serves to increase their propensity toward self-indulgence and they don't need any more of that than they regularly get in our everyday culture.

* I love Rebecca Anne Suiter. She is the most amazing woman! I have never in my life met a more intentional person and this carries over in her parenting and it shows in my kid's lives. And the way she loves me is amazing! I am so thankful for her!

* What God is doing and up to at Crossroads Church is just blowing my doors off. I hope we don't miss the significance of where we are right now as a church and how God has brought us to this place. I also pray that we never get comfortable and settled and that we are never OK with people going to Hell. If we continue in faith and obedience, we are going to look back in another 3 years and be blown away at all that God has done. It is going to be SO exciting!!!!!

* I can't believe that we are taking 20 people to the Dominican Republic for a mission trip in just 3 weeks! I expect this to have a life-changing effect on me and on Crossroads as a whole.

* New building in just a few more months! That is crazy cool!!!!