ToddLive.net

1.  I’m baaaaack!!! I really enjoyed the blogging break but I’m ready to get back at it!

2.  I’ve been sick for about the last week and a half.  Finally went to the doctor on Thursday.  He took one look inside my ears and said, ‘oh my’.  Turns out that I have a double ear infection.  Therefore, I can barely hear and I feel like I’m screaming everytime I talk to someone.

3.  Tigers play Boston College today.  Let’s go Tigers!!  I’m in full college basketball mode since football is over.

4.  I think they should spend more time talking about global freezing than global warming.  It’s freezing outside!

5.  Don’t miss the kick-off of the Come Home series tomorrow!  Refuse to come to church alone.  See you at 9:45 and 11:15!

The staff of writers(meaning myself) here at toddlive.net are going to be taking a little blogging break over the next couple of weeks.
Have a Merry Christmas and we’ll see you in 2010!

1.  Staff Christmas Party tonight.  It shall be fun!

2.  I wrote 3 posts for this blog to be published this week.  Somehow they disappeared.  That doesn’t make Todd very happy

3.  If you missed last Sunday, you need to make sure to listen to the podcast of Pastor J.R.’s message from this past Sunday.  It was incredible!!

4.  C.J. Spiller should have gotten an invite to N.Y., as a Heisman finalist.  I feel like he at least earned that.  How in the world is a DT a finalist?

5.  The next few months at Freedom are going to be HUGE!  I can’t wait!!

6.  Begin now praying what God would have you give for the gift offering on Christmas Eve.  Joni and I are making a big sacrifice.  Why?  So that people far from God can experience life in Christ in 2010!!

7.  Christmas is my favorite time of the year.  I love the madness!

Hopefully if you attend Freedom, you recognize the value of praying for your church.  It’s an important part of the partnership process.

Here’s some things that can help guide you, as you pray (via Bill Purvis) :

1.   Pray for a holy, healthy church.

2.  Pray for people that are far from God to experience life in Christ.

3.  Pray for God’s anointing on your church.

4.  Pray that the people of the church will become fully-devoted followers of Christ.

5.  Pray for the leadership of the church.

Lots of times, people minimize prayer (All I can do it pray.)  Praying is the greatest work you can do for Freedom!

Since I have the honor of spending a good bit of time with Pastor J.R., I recognize the need to pray for him now like never before.  Nobody, including me, can understand the weight a Lead Pastor is under.  He  cares tremendously about what is going on in the lives of each person sitting in those seats on Sunday.  He loses sleep over the fact that there are people far from God all around us.  He is in a very unique position and it is imperative that we are praying for him each day.

Here are a few ways that you can pray for him (via Bill Purvis):

1.  Pray for him physically.  Pastors are under tremendous stress every day.

2.  Pray for his morality.  Because he is the leader, there is a huge bulls-eye on his back.  Pray that he would stay close to Jesus and clean morally.

3.  Pray for him mentally.  It is important that he is focused and filled with wisdom and creativity.

4.  Pray for him spiritually.  Pray for him to have great faith and leadership ability.

Every month, 1,500 Pastors leave the ministry due to moral failure, burnout, or trouble in the church.  Help me to pray that our Pastor doesn’t become another statistic.

This week, I am going to be posting some thoughts and direct quotes from Bill Purvis’ book Pray for Your Pastor.  It is a great reminder to take some time out of your day to remember to pray for your Pastor.

Today, I want to discuss why we should pray.  Here’s a few thoughts:

1.  Prayer changes your focus.  It aligns our heart and mind with God’s.

2.  Prayer transfers your burden. It helps to lift the weight off our shoulders.

3.  Prayer prepares you for major decisions.  You’ll feel more prepared to make the call.

4.  Prayer prepares you for temptation.  Satan wants to destroy you.  Bottom line.  Prayer helps you to be stronger!

God desires to hear from you.  Stop what you are doing.  Take some time to pray.  Do it now!

I spent some time today thanking God for what He is doing in my life.  He has given me a great wife, amazing kids, and an opportunity to have a front row seat to what He is doing at Freedom Church.  I feel like I am living the dream.  Just when I think life couldn’t get any better, it goes to a whole new level.

Here’s a little challenge for you:  Take 3 minutes and write down as many things as possible that you are grateful for.  You’ll be overwhelmed!

Thank you Jesus for all that you have given to me.  It is an honor to be able to serve the creator of the universe!  Please help me to never take for granted all that you have given to me.

Brayden,

By the time this blog posts, your birthday will have come and gone.

I can’t believe that you are 5!  Since you are 5, you can’t read this, so I guess I am writing for my benefit, not yours:)  However it will be cool for you to be able to read it one day soon.

I was thinking yesterday about how excited I was when I was able to hold you for the very first time.  You have brought tremendous amounts of joy to our lives.  I am extremely blessed to have a son that is as incredible as you are.  God has given me so much more than I deserve.

It is amazing to me the love that you already have for others and for God.  I want you to know that you have no bigger fan than me!  I can’t wait to see what the next 5 years brings!  I love you!!

Dad

1.  I am running a 5k tomorrow.  My goal is under 32:30, which would be a personal best.

2.  Some extremely generous person purchased tires for my car this week.  I was really confused when a guy from the tire store called me.  I am very very grateful for the anonymous person who purchased them.  Did I say I was grateful?

3.  I am headed to Clemson tomorrow for the last home game of the season.  If they win tomorrow, they will play for the ACC championship against Ga. Tech.  Go Tigers!!

4.  I don’t really understand all of the New Moon hype.  Josh made some really funny comments about things he would rather do than watch New Moon.

5.  Make sure you are at Freedom for the final week of Hide and Seek.  It is going to be bueno!!!

Yesterday, I posted some thoughts about The Dip.  Here are a few questions that you should ask before throwing in the towel:

1.  Am I panicking?

The decision to quit is often made in a moment.  Quitting is not the same as panicking.  Panic is never premeditated.  When the pressure to quit  is greatest, your desire to quit should be at its lowest.

2.  Who am I trying to influence?

Trying to influence a market looks different than trying to influence an individual.  Both are probably going to take longer and require more work than you thought.

3.  What sort of measurable progress am I making?

You’ve got to make some sort of forward progress, no matter how small.   You need to be consistently moving the ball down the field.

Godin encourages us to determine under what circumstances are you willing to quit.  Write it down.  Then stick with it!