Remembering...

Today is the one year anniversary of my father's passing last November. To say that I miss him would be a huge understatement. I can, without any hesitation, say that he was a great father, my personal hero, and my best friend. One memory of my father that is burned into my brain was the day that I had to tell my father that his father had passed away.

I was sitting in my parents house in Winchester, KY when I got the call from my cousin Darin. He did his best to tell me what was going on, but quickly broke into tears. Unfortunately, it was now my responsibility to tell my dad the bad news. I was going to be leaving that night, and knew I wouldn't be able to tell my father before he got home what had happened, and I wasn't about to tell him through a phone call. I left to meet my father at the house where he was teaching a small group.

I came in and asked dad to come to the back part of the house where I could tell him and mom what had happened. I had to watch my father crumble and weep tears that I had never experienced before. His love for his father was the same as mine for him. He always told me that he idolized his father, and all he ever wanted to do was make him proud. I knew exactly where he was coming from.

As I remember my dad today, I pray that I will one day be the same friend, father and hero for my son. Could there really be anything better?

More Hours = More Fun!!!

This week, I had put in around 30 hours of work by Tuesday. By the time this week is done, I will be somewhere around 70 hours in the office. I'm not saying this to complain. I'm just amazed that I've loved every bit of it. This Sunday, we are having our celebration service for the 40 Days of Grace campaign that we are just finishing up. Getting ready for Sunday morning has been a lot of fun this week. So many amazing things have happened in so many lives during these eight weeks that we couldn't use every testimony that was offered up in the service this week. We will be spotlighting six different people in our service, and Dave will be sharing the vision for Catalyst as we head into our future. If you plan on being there this week, YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THE FIRST THREE MINUTES OF THE SERVICE. I promise that you will not be disappointed. Have a great weekend!

JK <><

What a Day at Catalyst!

Today's topic was "Accepting Grace from God", and, I can honestly say, I've never enjoyed watching the people at Catalyst worship as much as I did today. It's always an honor to lead worship each week regardless of who is there. Leading at Catalyst each week, however, has become something I look more and more forward to each week, and today was no exception. I thank God everyday for the blessing that I have of being the worship minister at Catalyst. I can only stand in awe as I watch this church grow and move.

Get out of the way

The night before I went away to college I can remember a conversation I had with my father. I was about to head to Kentucky Christian College to study and become a youth minister. The months leading up to this moment are where my problems began. My father had taken a ministry in Mt. Vernon, KY, but I stayed with a friend in Bellville, OH to finish out my Sr. year of High School. While my family was 7 hours away, I took advantage of my freedom. I discovered alcohol and number of ways to get in trouble, and I loved it. This is where we get back to the conversation with my father.

I was having trouble sleeping, and I walked down the hall to where my father was watching SportsCenter, and felt it was time to 'fess up. I began to share with my father all of the things that I had gotten involved in while he was away. I felt a great deal of remorse, and finished by saying, "I shouldn't be going into youth ministry. God can't use someone like me." At that moment, I was looking for a fatherly pat on the back and maybe some advice. Instead, I got the death stare.

My father looked me in the eye, and he simply said, "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard!" I was shocked. This was not the response that I was longing for. He continued, "Who are you to say what God can and can't do? You're blocking God from forgiving you, and, until you can let go, God's forgiveness can't be present in your life." He went on to ask me if I'd, "ever killed a Christian?" I, of course, answered with a no. He then lectured me on how God forgave Paul for all he had done, and that, if God can forgive him, then He can obviously forgive me for drinking beer.

My dad preached hundreds of sermons in my lifetime, but this one has always stuck with me. The only time that we, as humans, can limit God's grace is when we don't accept it. I needed that. I needed to know that however deep I may have gotten in my life, only I could keep God's grace from working in me, and that God wants me to get out of His way so that doesn't happen.

This Sunday, Dave is going to be speaking about that very thing, and I can honestly tell you that this is going to be an amazing week. If you are going to be at Catalyst this week, be prepared to have God shake you up a bit, and be ready to let go. This may be harder than last weeks message of sharing grace with others.