Need I say more?!?!?!

Nepotism at it's finest!

I am astonished. It must be nice to be the President. Obama is releasing 245 of his closest friends and relatives from Guantanamo Bay! The Anti-Christ? Hmm could be! This is very disturbing to say the least!

Hello is there anyone out there?

Well since I have had zero responses to my last two serious posts, I thought I would give humor a try! I saw this first bumper sticker today as I was driving to an appointment. I couldn't stop laughing at it!



And I saw this one as I was looking for the first one and thought it was very funny too!

Movement of the Holy Spirit!

On one of the Sunday's we were away from Center Point over the holidays, was to go with my Mom to our old church Dove Church Wilmington. We had been putting off going there for quite some time, mostly because we had no desire to miss Ray's preaching, and the people we have come to love so much at CP.

DCW does not have a pastor, the church has been led for several years by the elders of the church and I must say that they do an excellent job with the teachings, and they all have areas of concern in the church that they address with a certain level of expertise.

The Sunday that we did attend, they had a couple that had recently moved here from England and they shared their testimony and journey to DCW. It was truly an amazing testimony of patience and diligence to God and the vision that only He can instill in us and that only He can make happen. I wont go into all of the details, but after the service they asked if anyone would like to come up and pray with them, about 85% of the church went up to get prayed for and there were people laughing, people crying, people getting ministered to in various ways.

It was inspiring to see the Holy Spirit moving throughout the entire church. God was truly using this couple as an instrument to disperse the Holy Spirit.

Sunday night at our Small Group we discussed this along with the sermon about Revelations (which was once again wonderful). We prayed for the Holy Spirit to move in similar ways or even more intimately through Center Pointe.

I will leave you with this scripture and word of advice. John 14:14-17. If we ask God to use th Holy Spirit to sweep through Center Pointe in ever-changing way. IT WILL HAPPEN.

Not a Gator Fan, but a good Christian example fan!

Tim Tebow is something special. Not only is he one heck of an awesome football player, who even though he is a Buckeye killer, I have tremendous respect for him not only as a football player and probably the best QB ever in the NCAA. I hope I do not ruin my friendship with one certain fan, but I am jumping on the Tebow bandwagon, because he is an intense young man with a huge heart for Christ. Tim is a born again Christian and in one of these videos there is actually footage of hm leading some Florida prisoners to Christ. GO TEBOW, oh and Jared one more thing....make sure you watch the bottom video in case you haven't already seen it!

Amazing how people can point out your failures, but ignore your accomplishments!

I realized something today, EVERYONE what makes mistakes, ok I didn't just realize that today, but what I did realize is that EVERYONE and their brother will point out your mistakes as soon as you make them, but 1. fail to realize their own mistakes and 2. fail to realize the things you have accomplished. I for too long have bent over backwards for people and every single time I put my heart on the line for someone, I get BURNED. With the exception of my immediate family and even they can say and do some devastating things. My wife, mom, and one certain cousin! My mom always apologizes, my wife sometimes apologizes (it is hard for her to admit she is wrong, because it is not very often when she is), and my cousin who as of late has gotten better at forgiving. I want forgiveness for not handling certain areas of my life appropriately. I have hurt a couple of people that are close to me with words that were said out of anger and I should be living my life more according to James 1:19 "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry my family", I love my family and I do not want anything to happen to what we share. Sure there are things things that need work, but whose family doesn't need that. Please pray for our family and more importantly my extended family! There is alot happening with my in-laws and they need prayer. 1. Pray for my brother-in-law to find a job. He has a 4 and 1/2 month old baby and is having problems finding a job. 2. Pray for the relationships in the family that somehow they be restored. Diana needs her family, and it means everything to her! 3. Pray for salvation, and for clearity that they may see what God has done in their lives. 4. Pray for forgiveness for our actions and theirs. 5. Just PRAY. I remember watching "Facing the Giants" and one of the lines that has stuck with me almost everyday is "You cannot justify your actions, based on someone elses actions" How many times in our lives have we said "Well this person did this so I am going to do this (even when we know it is wrong)" I have done that at least a million times in my life and I have been striving not to do that anymore. I want my actions to be justified by God and Him alone. God is a great and just God. He is fair even when we think He is being unfair. He is fair. God is the only person we should be worried about pleasing because if we are pleasing unto Him, surely we will be pleasing to everyone else! Have a wonderful week everyone. All our love from the Smith's.

Stuck in Neutral, on One big hill

Life has not been the same since attending Center Pointe last April. Every Sunday Ray seems as though he has delivered a message that was intended directly for me. Every Sunday I feel like I have left Church fulfilled and overflowing with more joy than I go into church with. Lately though, even after all of that I have felt like by Tuesday I am wishing it is Sunday so I can get some more of that good stuff. The Sunday before last Ray preached on giving God His time first. So I promptly started doing this and the results have been amazing. I have felt like His word is influencing me in a whole new way, BUT and this is a BIG BUT. I still feel empty regarding church, I do not know what it is, I don't know why things are this way, but I just feel like I am on an island in the middle of the Artic Ocean. Cold, alone, slightly depressed, and seperated from the love of God and from the new christians that He has put into my life. Diana and I came from a church where we had relationships with one family out of 50. Upon coming to Center Pointe we quickly started building new relationships with almost everyone, but that too has seemed like they are fading fast and I am not sure why it seems this way to me, but God can not be intending for this to happen ......or can He? If it is a test, I don't want to take it, because I know I will fail. It truly has me questioning my place at Center Pointe as well as my place in church in general. I have friends who have been in church all their lives and when faced with similar circumstances they left the church and started a church in their home that has grown into one of the biggest churches in Southwest Ohio. I am not saying that I want to leave Center Pointe and start a church by all means my walk with God is not that strong. All I am saying is that God needs to offer me some serious profound direction for me before I fall apart in all of this. God I need you to show me what is you have for me and what direction it will take me. My heart is to follow You no matter where it is You will have me go. I am the clay in Your hands mold me and make me who You want me to be and place me where you want me to be at. If it is Center Pointe....great....If it is somewhere else, light the way, and I will follow!