Coincidences?

Coincidence: “An event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental”

I was reading Jentezen Franklin’s blog about “With the Ability…God Supplies”. He was explaining that when God gives you an assignment, he gives you all you need to fulfill it. The lesson here is: Don’t apologize for the skills you lack, but to discover the gifts God has given you and put them to work for his kingdom.
This got my wondering of what my life would have been like and how much better it could have been if I understood these truths growing up? And just like that, SMACK, it hit me; “Don’t concern yourself of what could have been. I let you go through what you did for a reason. Now take these experiences and your gifts and move forward. Now that you understand these truths, make the difference now!” Ok, guilty! I immediately went back to past conversations I’ve had with people saying, “I couldn’t imagine having a facility like Newspring growing up…and how it could have affected my life.” When the truth is, I did have the access but didn’t want to listen or step forward and accept my accountability for my actions. In other words, God allowed the things in my past to happen, so that I can help move his name forward at Newspring. It is no coincidence that Sara and I moved to Greenville without knowing anything about it. It’s no coincidence that I lost my job shortly after I moved here. It’s no coincidence that I decided to go back to school in my early thirties to learn a trade, and at that school I met one of my classmates, Brandon McClure. It’s no coincidence that I had a major car accident that could have destroyed many lives, but I escaped with minor injuries. It’s no coincidence that my classmate Brandon, in our last quarter of school before graduation, was tragically killed in a car accident while driving home from Columbia one night. Quick background: Brandon and I were polar opposites! Me: big talker, Brandon: good luck getting a peep out of him. Me: big socialite, drinker, as far from God as you could be. Brandon: complete opposite of everything I was. So I wrestled with the fact that he was killed, and I was spared. This troubled me more than anyone will ever understand! I kept hearing something saying to me that “I’m not finished with you yet”. But I just discarded that as “crazy talk”. Well, it’s no coincidence that Brandon had recently left a company he was working with, because it wasn’t the type of drafting and design he wanted to pursue. It’s no coincidence that I took his place at that same company after he left. I also believe that it’s no coincidence that I met a Scott at this company, who was continually talking about this church he went to. I had had enough, and wanted to see this place for myself. So Sara and I went one weekend in August 2007. We decided that we would give this church 3 weeks, and then try out another one MUCH closer to our home. We never made it to the second church. We kept saying to ourselves: “What an awesome church this would have been to grow up in”. We had no idea that there were plans for a Greenville Campus. Sara and I made the decision to join a church nearly an hour away, simply because of the changes it so rapidly made in our lives. Once again, no coincidences that a Greenville Campus opened up. “I couldn’t imagine growing up in a church like that”, well, now we’re expecting a baby girl, and I must say, it is no coincidence that God allowed my and my family to go through my trials and tribulations to get me to understand who he is, and that our daughter is going to have the opportunity to grow up in a church like Newspring. (Oh, and our daughter to be wasn’t expected). What a phenomenal opportunity our little girl is going to have! And the last non-coincidence, at least for the moment, is that my father completely blew us all away this past Sunday when he was one of over 200 people that gave their heart to the Lord. It’s a Christmas service that I will never, ever forget.
In the words of Ed Young: “God is preparing you for what he has prepared for you.” There are no coincidences!

Living with our mess

One thing that's always amazed me is how effortless some of my favorite pastors (Perry Noble, Brian Houston, Ed Young, Steve Furtick, to name a few) are able to relate everyday events in their life to the spiritual realm. And I had a thought that struck me the other day that kind of resonated: "Are we living with our mess?" I must admit Sara and I don't keep the ideal house. As much as we would like to always have the clean home, we just can't seem to stich more than a few days together at best. I don't mind admitting this because I truely believe that the majority of people out there leave dishes in the sink, clothes on the floor, shoes by the couch, etc.. We go through the week and simply ignore a mess is there because we've seen it for a while. We're used to the mess and become somewhat numb to the mess. When we are expecting company or have an advanced notice, we can usually do the "flight of the bumblebee" cleaning and everything looks tidy (who doesn't?). This is a lot like how I lived my life for such a long time. I went through life doing things that I knew I shouldn't' be doing, saying things I shouldn't be saying, and even thinking things I shouldn't be thinking. Basically, just doing everything wrong. Let me change gears real quick. I had lunch with my brother today and I told him that I totally believe that no matter who you are, when you do some sort of wrong doing, you can tell everyone that it doesn't bother you or put on a front, but in your mind, you know what you are doing (or did) was wrong. Bottom line, you know it was wrong! You tell yourself it didn't matter, or that it wasn't that bad. Or better yet, you'll lie to yourself and say you'll never do it again, but all you're really doing is spring cleaning and living with your mess. The interesting thing is, we all have a mess that we are living with. Let me repeat, we all have a mess that we are living with. This is a major lesson that I've recently learned through Christ. We all have a mess that we live with but know it's wrong. We keep living our lives and changing nothing, all the while we still know we need to change. I used to think that I might get involved with a Church when I got my life together. Newsflash to anyone thinking that same thought at the moment, that day will never happen. I thank God every day that he was patient with me, and through a series of events, led me to Newspring where I finally learned how to take care of my mess. I can't say it's been an easy change, but I will say that I can never go back down the road I used to wear out. My life has become extremely transparent since becoming a true follower of Christ because I've learned that we are all truely the same. We all have the same issues, concerns, addictions, thoughts....every thing, and every day! This is the simplistic beauty of Christ. He wants your mess so that he can clean it up for you. So let me ask you, are you still living with your mess?

Welcome, and Merry Christmas

Well, where to begin? I was looking for a release for all of the things going on in my noodle lately, and decided to start my own blog! Wow, what a crazy step. In case we've been out of touch over the past couple of years, I've been on quite a journey. I can't take credit for it of course, but looking back I can see clearly the intricacies of why I am where I am. My wife Sara and I are eagerly anticipating our first child. Our little girl will be born sometime around the end of March. We are planning on naming her Isabella Lee Davis (Lee after both of our mothers). I can't express how excited we are. I must say though, there is a lot of pink arriving at the house! The nursery will be under construction very soon (pictures to follow).
I can't end this first blog without giving props to my new found home in Newspring Church (www.newspring.cc), and all of the people that I serve with on a weekly basis (you guys rock!). Now, let me try and explain to those of you who may read this and aren't familiar with the church that Sara and I are members of. Those that read this and attend Newspring understand, and also know how hard it is to explain and describe Newspring to someone who's never been there (can I hear amens out there?) I have the sentiments of our pastor, meaning, I'll talk to anyone about anything. But if you don't take over the conversation, I am going to start talking about Newspring. Quick story: Sara and I were somewhat looking for a church, but we weren't kicking the doors in trying to find it. A great friend of mine that I worked with kept coming in every Monday saying "You're not going to believe what they did this weekend..." I've always considered myself a Christian (who in the South doesn't) but had never heard anyone speak of their Church with such enthusiasm. So we decided to try it out and see for ourselves in August of 2007. God's timing couldn't have been any better because I don't think it would've had the impact it did if we didn't go during the series they were in. Now, to explain a "series" to those that are unfamiliar, it is anywhere between 2-6 weeks of a particular subject that our Pastor addresses. I'll never forget walking in late one Sunday, our 3rd week visiting, and the lights were dimming. Sara was scurrying ahead to find an usher to get a seat, and I heard a familiar piano intro hook. As I was literally screaming over the music, trying to get Sara's attention, I stopped dead in my tracks and said to myself: "No way!" The band was opening up with Lincoln Park's "What I've Done". Ok, this is an extremely secular song being blasted over the speakers as the band was inviting everyone to worship. I thought, "this is my kind of church". I've never listened to this song and not thought about that morning. It still brings me chills. After visiting Newspring for several weeks, I finally "got it", thanks to our extremely annointed pastor Perry Noble. I always believed that being a Christian meant going to church to punch your attendance card, believing there is a God, and do your best. I was a Christian that was based on works and the belief that God would forgive me for the things that I did, because I meant well and went to Church when I could. I never imagined the journey that I would begin by simply checking out a church. For example, I've never enjoyed reading. I have an odd condition in both eyes and it's always bothered me to read for long periods of time. I can't read enough now. I can't watch enough evangelists on tv, I can't listen to enough services on Podcasts, I simply can't get enough information. God has made up so much lost time in my life by craming information in me at every turn. I truely understand what it means to be "on fire" for Jesus. I could go on and on, but will save that for the next post.