Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope that you have a wonderful time with family and friends.

Hope it was as awesome for you as it was for me…

Any Halloween costumes that you just had to talk about?

Something that I’ve struggled with in my time here in Greenville/Simpsonville Sc area is really embracing the local scene. Before I moved here, I spent my entire life in Memphis, TN. The music, the food, and the sports (specifically the basketball) are things that I miss greatly.

But God has really been moving in my heart about really letting some of those things go. It’s much harder than I ever thought. Allowing myself to love another city as much or more than I love my hometown. But in order to be more effective and genuine it’s a step that God is leading me through.

Now that we are looking for a house, taking another step in our family’s story, I am learning that I haven’t embraced the beauty of the Greenville community like I should. So in the next few weeks, I hope to do some of the things that make Greenville and Simpsonville unique.

We have a bro trip planned for camping.
I want to hike with my wife up into the mountains.
I want to experience some of the waterfalls that this community is known for.
I want to eat some local food. (still won’t replace Memphis BBQ :p )
I want to sit in one of the most beautiful downtown areas ever.

All in the month of October. So let me ask you this:

What makes your city unique? What is your favorite part?

You know in my life, this is something that I battle so often. I battle frustration. Frustration with my accomplishments or lack thereof, frustration with my attitudes, and frustration of just not being “Where I should be”

It doesn’t get easier is the advice that I’ve heard the last few weeks. That’s true.

My life has always been about a plan to get things done. My plan has changed multiple times. When i met my beautiful wife, when God told me to move to SC, when I started working at Brookwood and again since I’ve moved into the position of 5th and 6th grade director.

I love what I do. But some times it’s just frustrating missing the bigger picture. It’s my own attitude and desires that get in the way so often. But then I read verses like this and it comforts me:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NLT)

God transform me. You have so far and I pray that you continue to do so. For those reading this today, I pray that they begin to let go of their life and hand it to you and just be open to your guidance. Lord change us, lead us, and use us.

Just “c o l o r” it !, originally uploaded by ! آحــآسـيس.

This is meant to be a beginner’s guide to creativity. For peeps, that ask themselves the question, “How can I be more creative?” So it’s quite possible that you creative person might be underwhelmed by this list and for that I apologize, but please contribute in the comments to help everyone be more creative with out thoughts.

Well it’s one of the things that I pride myself on. I absolutely love the time where there is no box and we are going to create something wonderful. But maybe, you aren’t thinking that. You are thinking this is one of the times that you loathe. I can get that, some of my best friends hate out of the box thinking. But in order for us to understand one another better and maybe you are just looking for some inspiration. Here are a few ways to be more creative.

1. Take and View Pictures- 

Flickr is a great place to start. They have an explore feature that allows you to see some of the best photos uploaded. It’s a great feature and it’s where I find most of the photos for jcisonline.com. Even find a blog that has some awesome pictures on it. For instance, Jared Erickson, who is a designer that always has killer pictures of furniture and creative brands like this one, Nathaniel Cooper.

2. Go Outside-

I know this may seem weird, but to me, being outside is one of the most creative places I can be. Now don’t plan an activity outside just be outside and take it in. The smells, the colors, the animals, and plant life. Just observe. Nothing better than observing the most creative Creator

3. Watch Youtube and Vimeo-

A couple of my favorites are Mysteryguitarman and Nice Type channel on vimeo. Check their stuff out, I’m sure to give you some great ideas.

4. Pandora- 

I absolutely love Pandora. Listening to Music is big for most people, but Pandora will tell you about the artist and will also link you to the lyrics of the song. Both have given me loads of creative energy.

5. Talk to People-

As much as I love technology and there are so many other ways to use it to be creative, there is no substitute for talking to people. I’m not talking small talk. I’m talking Real Talk. Talk to them about how they met their spouse, how they came up with their kids’ names, or if they have any pets. Get them to tell you stories, not just facts.

These are just a few ways that I get some creative juices flowing.

How about you? What do you to get inspired?

I’m a huge Lebron fan. I think he’s incredibly talented and at 25 has a pretty awesome head on his shoulders. “I mean he hangs out with Warren Buffett” as my friend Julio told me yesterday! But during this whole free agency spectacle (which I absolutely love) I’ve had to ask myself the question, “Is Lebron an egomaniac?”

Now for most reading this, you think basketball is just a bunch of thugs, getting paid millions to play a game. Some of that is true, but there are basketball stars that really desire to make a difference in their community. Lebron has always been one of those guys. Athletes have always been a special type of people to me as well, because they make most of their money before mid 30s (if they’re lucky) and then have to live off of that for the rest of their lives. It’s definitely a different profession.

But with all the frenzy going on right now and Lebron just announcing that he’s having a special on Thursday night to announce his decision, I was definitely skeptical about the reports that he’s just a jerk milking people for money. But then I saw this story on ESPN about Lebron giving all the advertising dollars to the Boys and Girls Club of America. An organization that he has been heavily involved in since he entered the league. Now I don’t think he doesn’t have a huge ego, cuz let’s face it, he’s gonna be a billionaire and probably the greatest basketball player the world has ever known. But I definitely rethink my egomaniac vibes I was getting temporarily.

What do you think about all these shenanigans with free agency?

I’ve been not blogging for the past two weeks, purely out of busyness and lack of internet. My iPhone is jacked up and has some issues when I go out of town. And as much of an Apple fan as I am, it really upset me and it has nothing to do with AT&T at all.

Done with that soapbox… The week of 14th-18th of June was our Adventure Week program and last week I was on a mission trip to Bluffton, SC with our high school ministry. It was a great opportunity to learn about leading trips like this, and also a great chance to see students being involved in ministry. It’s been a beautiful two weeks.

Anyway, glad to begin getting in a routine again. And I have a lot of posts coming up this week trying to recap and go over a lot of our “VBS” thoughts and processes and a few things that have been on my heart that we talked about on the mission trip or in general in my life.

A lot of stuff going on. Hope your summer is going well and that everything is kicking this summer in your ministry and family.

So I want to know what you think: Mimosa or Turquoise?

I’ve been thinking alot about the innocence of a child and when Jesus says “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3 NIV)

What does that look like as we relate to His word and then pay it back and teach it to kids. Then as I was reading this passage this morning, I reflected on it’s simplicity. I’ll give you the JCSVFTWTCUKJV (JC’s shortened version for those that wish they could understand KJV) spill.

It comes from Joshua 11:6-7, Joshua had a huge victory and all these kings form an army together. As this happens, God seeks out Joshua and two phrases are the key for teaching kids on listening to God’s word and what to do with it.

Then God said

For kids, this is where I see what we have to teach. We want them to get to a point where there hearts are open to hearing God speak. As God pursues kids, we want them to be ever vigilant about hearing what God has to say in each and every situation. God is speaking, we must listen. We need to get them to pursue the Spirit, search out His word, and be silent to hear the still small voice.

So Joshua…

then respond. For kids, that’s really it. When Mom and Dad speak they respond. When their teacher speaks they respond. May not be favorable and we would like them to get there, but they most definitely respond. How can we get them to respond to the word of God?

Both are necessary, we need to hear God as He speaks and also respond to the word of God. Simple message, but how often does this appear in scripture?

God speaks, so _____ responds.

In my life, it goes something like this.

God says J.C. you need me, I respond by committing my life to Him.

God says, J.C. you are going to be in ministry, so I began to search for where and how (still don’t have it totally figured out, but am responding to where He is working)

God says, J.C. you are going to marry this girl, so I proposed and later married my amazing wife.

God says, J.C. I want you to trust me and leave your home and move to where you’ll be living without a job for awhile. So, I did and that’s how this whole Brookwood thing started.

And the reality is for us is that it’s this easy, allow God to speak, hear him and then respond. So teach your kids to search God’s word, listen for His voice and make sure to respond when you hear Him speak.

And make sure that you live it out in front of your kids as well

Cute Kid, originally uploaded by Joe Lencioni.

So I was asked to do a little post on milestones and kids. Generally the Milestones that we associate with kidmin are:

• Dedication
• Salvation/Baptism
• Preparation for the teen years

I know the last one is fringe probably between kids and students. But we’ll just put it on our list

I’d really like to focus on a specific aspect of the milestone for this post. You see milestones are generally used to provide reference points along the journey. They are should be viewed in a way that allows families to say, “Ok we’re on the right track”. They provide focus and guidance for parents. But honestly, I also think they can be tough to understand. If we see them a reference points then they hold the correct place in the realm of a child’s life. However, when they are skewed as goals or items on a checklist then the results could be ineffective.

The purpose of milestones is to give people a picture of the long term, the overall life experience of a child rather than isolated singular events. Why is this small thought important?

From Dedication forward parents begin to put pressure on themselves to perform well as parental units. By casting the vision of a journey rather than getting to salvation/baptism or to the teen years without error, we hope to see parents take some pressure off themselves and their kids. Not only that but provide proper opportunities for kids to question and grow in their view of God and Christ.

Over the next few posts I’ll talk about how I feel about the milestones mentioned above and also a couple more thoughts.