Today is the day after, hopefully of our last full Sunday with a mobile church label. Our first home base opening hopefully this week sometime will lead us to the mobile school setting for one more breif moment to pray over that school and all the people who have come and gone, all the folks who work at the school and share their space with us and in closing of one chapter to begin another - to thank God for what He has done and what He will do as we leave the school all together and go to our new ministry campus. Preaching a message in the school for the last time in that setting was bitter sweet. I thought a message on Gratitude was fitting and God gave me the words to share and the scripture to apply it. What started out as a TOUGH morning, with Adger my male huskey headed to the ER at 4:30, finally getting to church an hour late for setup and nothing was setup and I had my hair on fire trying to get things setup and in place, video not working for part of my announcements - decisions made on the fly and all the while, stopping long enough before the 11 service to just say - God, this is for your glory and if things dont work, thats okay. If nobody comes, thats okay because someone will and that someone just might need to hear your word above all else. With 4 new students yesterday and a chance to make a lasting impression - I think it went well. The effort and the stress was worth it. Looking ahead to what comes next - I have no idea but isnt that the place where God wants us? I mean totally relying on him? I have no idea what Sunday Student ministry will look like, I have no idea what LOL on Wed nights will look like, I have no idea about much but I do have an idea that God will be part of it and he will shape it how it will look, how it will feel, how it will come to life. I fully trust in that He will lead this thing. Ecclesiastes 2:17 - So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows wheither that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor. For a person may labor over wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. A person can do nothing better that to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To give person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Last night with a few folks missing from LifeGroup, we decided to do a little planning for Jamaica since most everyone was there who is going. I finally spoke to our lead person Amanda from Faith Church in Michigan and I put together a group on FaceBook to get the folks together and talking and asking questions and telling everyone about themselves. It was awesome hearing what God is doing there in and through her church. Amanda and her team will be a lot of fun as we serve Christ together in June reaching the lost and the hurting in the good people of Jamaica. I fully know this will be a life changing experience for everyone. With all this being said, I want to leave with you today a question. That question is what do you have to carry? - Are you serving Christ today because of His grace and that you love His word over your life? The people you are serving today, is that message in your actions and in your words showing others that deep root in your heart of Christ? If not, I wonder what is that message you are giving.... a few weeks back we were serving a meal to the folks at the Center of Hope in Charlotte. One student took away after serving these folks for over an hour - her experience had her say that the folks were grumpy and most of them didn't say thank you. Maybe it was you, I dont know. Maybe it was the message you were giving out for you to come away with that message and that experience. If Christ is the root in your heart - it will show. It will show in all you do, the way you act, the way you love people - it will show on your face with a smile and JOY that never leaves. I want to serve the people around me, the people in Jamaica, the new students coming into the LOL and the Flood on Sundays with that root joy in my heart being lived out. I have that in my hands... it is what I carry. In Luke 17 - Jesus heals 10 folks who had been suffering from Lepresy. After each of them were healed only 1 came back to say thanks and show gratitude. Will you be that one today? Thank you Lord for where my heart is today. Thank you for the quiet unseen things you are doing in me so that I can do the work you have me doing through me. May those things bring you praise and honor Lord. Nothing is a chasing of the wind when serving you. There is purpose and a great plan behind it all. As I was struggling yesterday with everything that needed to be done before the service, you calmed me and gently shared with me that it would be as you want it to be. You would use whatever was needed - just as long as the 1 person who needed it received it. I pray for that one person yesterday Lord who needed to hear your word. I pray there was more, I pray for that complacent teenager who is at a place in their faith journey where they are wondering about their walk with you, its been a long time since they have felt you in their life and now that they are having to own their faith because they are not a child any longer - I pray a vision like this mission trip to Jamaica and Thirst Camp in July will shake their faith core Lord and put them back on track in their lives with you. May your power and glory and YOUR love for them be like never before. Nothing of you is chasing after the wind. You are the wind in our sails of life - You sustain us and give us hope. You give us life and you give us purpose. I will carry what you have given me for it is yours that I carry this struggling heart of mine to honor you in all the ways I know how to. Show me the path ahead Lord and I ask that you continue to show me direction. In Jesus name I pray today, Amen