Today is Wednesday November 2nd, one day past the due date of our 4th child… a boy. This afternoon we will go to our last doctor appointment and pick a day that we will induce, most likely that will happen on Friday. I still find it somewhat hard to believe that we are about to have 4 kids and with Friday coming quick I have a lot of work to do before I take 2 weeks off to spend time with the new addition and help wherever I can, yet here I am typing on a computer instead of getting some of that work done.

The reality is I’m ready… I’m ready to meet my boy, I’m ready to start this whole thing over again, I’m ready to go through all those emotions at delivery, I’m ready to figure out what our new normal is. As I write this I’m reminded of the post I wrote a few weeks before Paige blessed our family.

Although I’ve been down this road before and I know what to expect this time is different. I’m not quite sure why… maybe it’s because this is the last time I will get to experience this, maybe it’s because I’m older and already have 3 great kids and I’m being selfish about how the new addition will affect our flow, maybe it’s because this one is a boy… maybe it’s because I’m so blown away that God would bless us with another child, maybe I feel so overwhelmed that God would trust us enough to raise him.

I don’t know the answer… I don’t know why it feels different and to be honest it really doesn’t matter.

What I do know is I’m absolutely fired up to meet my son. I can’t wait for that moment when my wife holds him for the first time and I get to witness the miracle of childbirth again, there is something that happens in that moment. It’s both emotional and spiritual… There isn’t anything I’ve experienced that is more powerful in my life than that moment.

So in a matter of days I will be a father of 4, only this time a boy will enter the Rainey family. Although I don’t know how different it will be with a boy, I do know I can’t wait to spoil him and argue with his 3 sisters and his mom about holding him.

Now it’s time to get to work…

-Rainey

60 days ago I started on a journey that I honestly didn’t think I would finish, but someone at church let me borrow his set of Insanity dvd’s so I decided to give it the ole college try. I’m glad I did…

I’m married with three kids and my wife is pregnant with our 4th. I don’t really have anywhere in our small cape cod to get up early in the morning and workout without waking someone up, so I knew this was going to take some serious dedication on my part and a tremendous amount of support from my wife to help me find time to get the workouts in. I have the best wife going and she was great during the process.

I love so many things about Insanity, but most of all I love that there is nothing to buy except the dvd’s. No extra equipment to purchase or store and the workouts aren’t as long as P90X. I love the variety it gives you. You don’t do the same 1 or 2 workouts 6 days a week, it keeps it fresh.

I do have a love/hate relationship with the actual workouts… I’ve yet to complete one without taking a break. The workouts truly are Insane! Heck the “warmup” is rough to get through until you get several weeks under your belt. I can honestly say I’ve never, and I mean never, sweat as much as I do during a workout. I quickly learned to have a towel within arms reach while working out.

Results… I’ll be honest and say I didn’t really expect 6 pack abs in 60 days and I didn’t follow the meal plan it recommends. I didn’t measure my chest, arms, etc. I simply weighed myself and snapped a picture on day one, day 30 and I’ll snap one on Saturday when I complete the program. Now before I get too far I want to say I didn’t start Insanity to lose weight, I don’t think I was overweight (I’m 6’1″ and weighed 187 lbs). I started Insanity because I was 36 and out of shape.

So about 10 days in I started to feel changes to my body. Besides waking up sore every morning (that is still the case today) I could feel my posture changing. No longer was I slumped over when I sat or walked. I could feel things tightening up in my legs and chest area, there wasn’t much happening with the gut I had.

About 30 days in I really felt different… Seriously in one month I knew my body was changing. I snapped a picture and it wasn’t until a week or so later when I looked at the two side by side that I could see that gut I had was about 1/2 the size it was just 30 days before. I was shocked and motivated.

About 45 days in I started to really see differences. I now have real biceps, granted compared to a lot of men they aren’t much, but they are the biggest I’ve ever had, lol. My gut continued to shrink and It was about this time that I realized I was going to complete the program.

After 60 days… My legs are toned, my shoulders are toned and my body in general is much tighter. My gut continues to shrink and I’ve lost 6 pounds. I started to feel the room in my shorts/pants from my shrinking stomach about 2 weeks in the program and I can honestly say that now I should buy pants a size smaller than I have, but I’ve got some money invested in my jeans )

The bonus! When I started the program I didn’t plan on going on a diet or really changing much in the way I was eating. But I quickly realized how difficult the workouts were and decided that I wasn’t going to waste all that effort by continuing to overeat, so I decided I was would watch my portion control. Shortly after that decision I decided I would start snacking on more healthy foods and drink nothing but water and/or Gatorade (with an occasional soda). So what’s the bonus?

The bonus was the byproduct of working out was the change in my eating habits. This isn’t to say I didn’t have a weak moment here and there and overeat, but those are extremely rare moments. Me busting my tail for 40-60 minutes a day naturally changed my eating habits. That my friends is a bonus!

This idea isn’t new… When I start my day with some scripture reading and prayer, the byproduct is me thinking about Christ more during the day. I’m more in tune with what God is doing in my life and what God is doing in others.

I love what Insanity is doing to my body, but I love what God does to my soul…

We all have things that are byproducts to the things we make important. The question is what’s important in your life and what is the byproduct of it?

-Rainey

The store we walked to.

 

About 2 weeks prior to my trip to Mexico my middle daughter Morgan and I somehow got on the topic of how most of the world lives. We talked about how little they have, not just toys and material things, but little food and limited options they have. I can remember having this conversation and thanking God for this moment, not just because I was “telling” her about it, but because she was engaged, interested and kept asking questions. I still remember being in Old Navy and Morgan telling me that when she grew up she wanted to help people that didn’t have much. I almost broke down and cried right there.

On the way home that afternoon Morgan proceeded to tell me that she was going to save her money to give to me so that I could take it with me to Mexico and right before I left she handed me a zip lock bag of $2.25 and I told her I would be praying for how God to give me an opportunity to give it away and I would let her know what happened.

Now before I say what happened I first need to be honest with some of my thoughts… A few days in I realized I hadn’t given the money away and I started thinking about what “I” could do with it, I knew I needed to tell Morgan what happened with it. I was starting to wonder if there would be an opportunity and then my flesh started getting in the way… I mean it’s just $2.25, what could “I” possibly do with that to make a difference? The truth is “I” can’t do much with it… But God can.

Yesterday we were working at a children’s home and at one point Tim asked me to go to this little store right outside the children’s home, so I went with two other ladies (Cindy Anderson and Erin Kuntz) and none of us really speak much spanish. Anyway we bought 25 pepsi products to give to the team and I gave her a tip and we came back to hand out the pepsi. We ended up handing out some to the care takers as well and realized that we need to buy a few extra’s, so Erin went back up to buy a few more and when she came back she had 20 pesos left and I told her to go back and give it to the lady working. I’ll be honest… I didn’t even have Morgan’s money on my mind…

So when Erin came back I asked how it went and she proceeded to tell me this. It turns out the this lady, the owner of the store has a daughter (whom I met when purchasing the original 25) that just graduated from kindergarden and they were going to her graduation party that afternoon and they didn’t have any money to buy anything, but now with the money she just received she does. She mentioned that with that money they would now be able to buy a desert to celebrate her daughter’s graduation.

Again I wasn’t thinking about Morgan’s money… That was until Erin said “Now you have given away the money Morgan gave you”. Wow! I couldn’t believe it… 20 pesos is a little over $2 (give or take depending on where you buy something) and it was then that God reminded me of the theme of this trip. “It’s easy to miss Me (God)”.

I am so grateful that God moves even when I doubt, even when I don’t see it at first, even if I never see it. I’m still overwhelmed that God used my little girls $2.25 in such a BIG way and it again hits home that it is so easy to miss what God can and will do, even when we think we have so little to offer. The disciples thought Jesus was crazy when He asked for the 2 fish and 5 loaves to feed the 5,000+ and I thought it was crazy that He could use $2.25 in a big way.

God thank you for moving in my life in spite of me and thank you for the truth that it is so easy to miss You. My prayer is that I continue to look for you in everything, I pray that my daughters, wife, family and friends look for you in everything, because I know how easy it is to miss what You are doing in our lives.

I couldn’t be more proud of my daughter Morgan, who had more faith than me that God would use $2.25 to bless someone in a big way.

Thank you Jesus!

Andy Rainey

It’s been almost 2 months since my trip to Haiti and the effects are still felt. It was a week where God clarified some things for me as a husband, father, friend, leader and Pastor. It was a week that I know I will look back on in the coming years as a week that changed the course of my life. It was a week that continues to challenge me.

I came back from Haiti with a lot to process… Not only because of Haiti, but because of the work God was doing in me. Months prior to the trip I felt like God was chasing me and I was wrestling with so many things, it was in Haiti that God started to put the pieces together.

I heard from God in ways I hadn’t in a long time and I heard some things I needed to hear. And then I came home…

Home felt different and even today I still feel like I left part of me in Haiti. I’m not sure really how to explain it. I don’t feel called to be a missionary in the since of moving to another country, but I came back with a burden that I had a responsibility to do something to affect “the least of these”. That’s when God went to work.

God put conversations together that built on one another, he put people in front of me that started to stir something in me, then it all came together. It was in a Panera when one of the many conversations I was having about what God was doing in me that I knew what it was I was called to do. It was as if God was on the other side of the table when the sentence was uttered that has now become so apart of me that I can’t escape it; “we don’t do anything unless it’s relationally based” (paraphrased).

I couldn’t believe I had missed it… We could have ended the meeting right there, all the pieces were in place. Since that meeting just a few weeks ago, God has opened up doors and I can’t wait to step through them.

Imagine if we decided to simply love on people who are struggling… People who struggle financially, emotionally, spiritually, etc. Imagine if we loved on them and served them in practical ways until they asked why, imagine loving on people long enough to get to know them. Imagine once we got to know them we were then able to serve them in much bigger ways… Helping them with life skills, job skills; helping them with parenting skills and tutoring their kids. Imagine doing projects and those people you are loving on are working right along side of you… Imagine loving on people and finding out that you have more in common than you thought, that you care for them more than you could have imagined. Imagine for a moment if we were purposeful on who those people were and made a decision that we were going to impact a community starting with the basic need… Love.

That’s where I’m at… The only thing is I’m done sitting, I’m done imagining it… I’m ready to do it. And I’m absolutely FIRED UP about it! I can’t wait to get started and see what God does.

-Rainey

 

I don’t do resolutions… Resolutions seem to black or white to me, if your resolution is to diet and you slip up and have a bad week or two it seems easier to give up. A goal however is something you’re always striving for, with a goal you know there will be bumps in the road and there will be sacrifices you have to make. Goals are a work in progress. Attempting to reach a goal is a journey…

I also believe in putting things in writing, there is something powerful about getting your goals on paper. I wish I did that more… Maybe that can be one of my 3 goals for 2011.

Goal #1

Although 2010 was a great year for me I feel like my relationship with Christ often took a back seat in my life. I’ve come to realize more than ever that without Christ taking the forefront of my life, I’m exerting a lot of energy trying to make things happen on my own. So this year I’m going to work on putting God first and live out of that place. I know when God is leading my life I’m a much better husband, parent, friend, leader, pastor, etc.

Goal #2

Family! Again 2010 was a great year, but it was one where my family often suffered due to my drive to be successful. I have a job that I absolutely love, I really am living the dream… But it isn’t mine it’s better! God has not only blessed me with the best job going, but also with the best wife and kids anyone could have. Unfortunately I’m not sure my family has felt the way I feel about them. So this year my goal is to set and keep clearer boundaries so that I can be fully present with my family when I’m with them. I’m way open to ideas here, I’ve not handled this very well on my own. So let the suggestions begin!

Goal #3

Learn… I would say I’m a learner. I love to learn, I want to learn, I need to learn… However I often try to learn too many things at once, which really dilutes all the things I’m learning in the process. So this year it’s one, well maybe 2 books at a time. I want to absorb information and learning opportunities and take the time to process what I’ve learned instead of moving onto the next thing.

These 3 goals will not only take discipline on my part, but also accountability. So to all my friends (all 5 of you that read this) you are welcome to check in on me, call me out when I’m off track, cheer me on when I’m doing well and pull me up when I’m down… Because I’ve also learned that I can’t do it on my own.

 

-Rainey

What if we took Starbucks seriously… What if it is really that simple… What would happen? Who would you reach? What kind of life change would happen? How different would Christmas be?

Isn’t it what we are called to do anyway? Why aren’t we doing it more? What is preventing you from doing it? What’s the excuse you give? The answer is simple, but many of us don’t want to admit it… It’s fear! We don’t do it because of what someone might think, how they might react, what they might say, the questions we are afraid we can’t answer…

Jesus as He is ascending into heaven gave us very clear instructions “Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirt” (Matthew 28:19). The simplest definition of disciple is a learner. It’s about getting to know and be more like Christ.

Here is the thing… We won’t get to see the baptism part until we have introduced Christ to people and yes we certainly do that with how we live our lives, but I know plenty of people that “behave and are good people” yet aren’t Christ followers. I believe in stories… Stories provide hope to people, stories are memorable, stories inspire, stories are so powerful Jesus Himself taught with them.

So what if we took Starbucks seriously… What if we invited a few friends, co-workers, neighbors, family member, etc. to Starbucks and we bought them a great drink and we shared a cup and shared a story. What if our story is the work God has done or is doing in our lives, what if your story spurred them on to think about God maybe for the first time, or the first time in a long time. What if your story was the crack God was waiting for to do a work in not only them, but you. What if your story put them on a path to know God and then their story affected others. What if simply telling your story of what God has and is doing in your life changed everything.

What if it really is that simple? What would happen? Who would you reach? What kind of life change would happen? How different would Christmas be?

What if we took Starbucks seriously…

-Rainey

I knew when I started this 3 part blog I would take some time between part 2 and part 3, but I didn’t think it would be 4 1/2 months. With that said… Here we go.

I will not adequately be able to put into words the range of emotions I felt from Saturday to Saturday… It was a week where I saw, felt and heard God move in big ways.

To better understand it might be helpful to read part 1 and part 2.

It really is hard to believe all this happened in one week, but it did. It was a normal Friday night and we were having what has turned into what we call our bff night with some neighbors my wife and I have gotten to know very well. Anyway, the phone rings and my caller ID says “Dad’s Cell” and I instantly know something is wrong. My dad is 80 years old and doesn’t really know how to use the cell phone he recently purchased… I answer and it isn’t my dad on the other end, it’s my mom.

Even now… 4 1/2 months later, simply typing this is bring all the emotions back. My mom tells me that dad has had a stroke, not only that it was days before she decided to call me AND days before she was able to convince him to go to the hospital. I still remember walking around back and forth on the back deck with my mind racing… It’s surreal to think about really.

The early diagnosis is that there will most likely be affects from the stroke that will affect him the rest of his life, but only time will tell on what those will be. The next few days seem long and then Sunday comes… On my way to Church I decide to call the hospital and check in on my dad and see how things are going and that is when it became real.

As I finish up the conversation with my mom she asks if I want to talk to dad… I don’t, I didn’t want to… But I figure he could use to hear a few other voices so I say yes. I don’t know how I got to Church that day… I couldn’t tell you if I ran every light or drove in the other lane. One thing I’m 100% certain of, as soon as I heard my dad’s voice I wanted to get off that phone as soon as I could.

It was obvious that my dad wasn’t the same… It was obvious that he was trying to act like everything was OK, like it’s always been. That’s my dad, always being strong, never showing a weakness, always in control… Growing up I saw that as a strength, something I admired, I strived to be like. That was until Christ chased me down and changed everything.

Being strong is a strength, but not ever showing when you’re scared, when you’re in over your head, not admitting when you don’t have all the answers, when you are wrong… That isn’t a strength.

Anyway… I got off the phone with my dad as soon as I could and I cried… I was angry that this happened and I was so upset that there was nothing I could do, I was helpless. Which is exactly where God wants us sometimes and this was one of those times.

Well fast forward to now… 4 1/2 months have passed and I haven’t seen my dad since September, but I talked to him on Thanksgiving and he sounded great! Like his old self… Now time will tell if he acts as good as he sounds, I know that his health and age have certainly affected my dad, I know that my dad isn’t the same man I grew up with… But I tell you this; God has answered my pleas, my begging… I know that doesn’t always happen and it won’t always happen, but He did this time.

My dad has recovered well beyond the man I spoke with on the phone that day on the way to church. I know there will be a day sooner than I want when my dad won’t be around to talk to on the phone or talk to about the weather in florida, so my pleads have changed.

I’m now pleading with God for strength, courage and opportunities… Opportunities to tell my dad how much I love him, how crucial he has been to me, what a great dad he was and is. Strength to step into situations that my dad simply can’t do anymore, but is too stubborn to realize. Strength to lean into conversations to let dad know what Christ has done in my life… Lastly courage; Courage to speak boldly about who Christ is and all that He offers.

I don’t want to look back on this time and not have a conversation with my dad about eternity… I simply can’t sit by and wonder if he accepted Christ, I have to ask him for myself. If I don’t the week from heaven and hell could very easily turn into a lifetime of regret, which is another way of saying hell.

-Rainey

I will not adequately be able to put into words the range of emotions I felt from Saturday to Saturday… It was a week where I saw, felt and heard God move in big ways.

It’s now Monday morning (July 5th) and I’m on my way to the airport to head to Monterrey Mexico for the week to help Back2Back with clean up after Hurricane Alex and I really don’t know what to expect. Part of me is wishing I was still with my family at the lake, especially after what happened to Morgan. The other part of me is excited to get back down to Monterrey, but I already feel myself being guarded.

As we arrive in the airport and get through customs and introduce ourselves to the other Church from Michigan I can tell this isn’t going to be like the other 2 trips I’ve been on. For starters we were staying off campus at a Motel, so the camaraderie that happens in a typical group will be lacking. So far as I reflect I realize I’ve made the trip about me… That is never a good thing.

As we drive to the Back2Back compound we see devastation… Bridges are gone, cars have been moved and have crashed into each other because of the force of the water, 3 lane highways are no more they have collapsed, there is debris everywhere and as we attempt to go over what was once a bridge to the compound we get stuck in a hole and have to exit the van to push it out in 6-8″ of running water.

Again I’m reminded this isn’t going to be like any other trip. We walk the rest of the way to the compound and I’m amazed at the damage the compound has and after a very quick update we get to work digging a trench.

The next day we head to Rio III and I’m shocked… Not at what I see, but what I don’t see. Where there was once hundreds of homes there is nothing, I mean nothing… I again feel myself put up a guard to protect myself from experiencing all that is going on, I make the decision that I wasn’t going to let the reality of the situation sink into my soul. I wasn’t going to allow what I see, hear and feel to affect me. Why? I’m not sure…

As I continue to think about all that we experienced that week, all that we did, all that we saw and heard I realize I not only protected myself from most of it, I limited what God wanted to do in and through me.

Fast forward to Thursday night (July 8th) and we are able to have a worship service and one of the staff tells us of a God encounter he has, it’s just what I needed to hear. Then they offer to pray for us… Again just what I needed.

I go up for prayer and something simple yet profound is prayed over me… “This trip isn’t over yet (I’d leave the next morning)”. How true that is.

I’ve been more impacted since the trip than I was during the trip. I’ve been retracing all the things I saw, did, heard, etc. I’ve asked God to speak to those things, I’ve been seeking God about what I am suppose to do, what I am suppose to learn, what He wants from me… He’s been speaking.

God has been reminding me of who I am in Him. God has been putting things on my heart. Although I wasn’t present in the moment, I believe God is making up for lost time and it has me rethinking a lot of things. Mostly this; Where else have I/could I ask God to move? Are there other times/areas I have “guarded” myself from all that God might have for me and could I ask God to redeem those like He is this past Mission trip?

The biggest take away for me on this past trip came from a Pastor from a community that Back2Back supports and he said “today you guys are an answer to prayer”. Wow, I don’t think I ever thought of it that way. I just came to help, I didn’t think of it in the realm they were… Again I wonder, where else are we answers to prayer? How often do we miss God moments because we are so focused on a task, rather than what God is doing?

All this to say; I want to be more open to the things God is doing, than the things I’m trying to get God involved in.

Here is a video I put together from our trip, it’s just a glimpse of what we did/experienced.

-Rainey

I will not adequately be able to put into words the range of emotions I felt from Saturday to Saturday… It was a week where I saw, felt and heard God move in big ways.

I’ll start at the begining… The day before I was scheduled to leave for a Mission Trip to Monterrey Mexico only to be told it was canceled because of Hurricane Alex, so I decided to join the family at Indian Lake for the weekend. Then Saturday morning I get a call that LifePoint had an opportunity to go and help with the relief efforts, so my long weekend with the family was just cut short by several days…

Later that same day I experienced the longest, most intense 3 seconds of my life… Go ahead count to 3. One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three… Doesn’t seem that long does it? I mean what can really happen in 3 seconds? A lot!

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and we all decided to take a boat ride and do some “tubbing” on the lake. I say tubbing lightly, it was really coasting with a tube tided to the end of the boat for the most part. My nephews went and fell off with no issues… My 7 yr old niece goes and no big deal… My oldest daughter Abi (9) goes (And does awesome!) falls off and no big deal, then it’s my middle daughter (6) Morgan’s turn.

She was a bit scared at first and something in me felt nervous for her and I prayed quietly that God would keep her safe and give her courage. She gets on is doing amazing and actually asks to go faster… To say I was proud is an understatement…

Here she is

As you can tell we are flying at this point, lol. Everything is going great, just waiting for the inevitable… The fall off.

One thousand one… One thousand two… One thousand three…

3 seconds changed everything. 3 seconds almost changed my life and my families lives forever. It was those 3 seconds that I still replay over and over in my mind… 3 of the longest seconds of my entire life.

As I said… I was waiting for the inevitable, the fall off the tube. Then it happened… And here it is.

The picture doesn’t look that bad… But the unthinkable happened. As you can see Morgan (unlike all the others) didn’t fall off the back of the tube, but instead fell off and stayed inside the tube. Instead of falling off the back and sitting in the water, Morgan fell of and stayed inside the tube. Her legs dangled above the tube while her body forced up by her life jacket was stuck under the tube, her head now face down in the water… She was stuck under the tube and she was drowning… Literally.

There I was on the back of the boat taking pictures, watching all this unfold…

One thousand one… One thousand two… One thousand three…

Here is what I remember… I let go of the camera and as I dive fully clothed in the water I hear Janna, my wife, yell “Andy get her”.

One thousand one… One thousand two… One thousand three…

As I hit the water I’m amazed at how quickly/intensely I’m praying… Pleading to God to protect her from taking on water, my mind is racing with what to do once I reach her. I remember thinking “what will I do if she is unconscious”? I have no idea how I got there, I don’t know if I swam or if the momentum of the dive got me there. All I remember is popping out of the water and still seeing my daughters legs caught in the tube, I quickly flipped the tube off of her and grabbed her.

She wrapped her arms around me as tightly as she could and I grabbed ahold of the tube as my brother-in-law pulled us in. I’m exhausted… My mind is racing with thoughts of “what if”… She is crying and I’m all but crying and all I want to do is hold her.

As we drive in the boat to McDonalds for ice cream… Yea you read that right, we had earned some ice cream at that point. My mind was racing with a million thoughts, but mostly I was grateful… I know that afternoon God intervened on our behalf, I know there is no way that Morgan in her panic could have held her breath and not taken on some water. I know without a doubt that God was on that lake and for whatever reason stepped in so that I still have one of my little girls.

3 seconds… It’s 3 seconds I’ll never forget, it’s 3 seconds I wish never happened, it’s 3 seconds that changed my life, it’s three seconds that grew my faith.

-Rainey

John 15:5 simply states “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

I’ve read that verse… I get that verse… And now… I’m starting to live that verse.

For longer than I’d like to admit I’ve operated within my skills and my gifts and to be honest I’ve done OK. But then something happened… I simply got overwhelmed with everything I had going on and finally, yes I mean finally came to the realization that I simply couldn’t do it all and what I was doing wasn’t nearly as good as I thought.

It was in this overwhelmed moment that God gave me this picture of my life. I was out in a row boat in the middle of a lake and my boat had a hole in the bottom of it, as a matter of fact it was clear that it had always had this hole in it. I had a bucket and was bailing it out fine, I was actually able to handle the water in the boat…

Then all of the sudden the water starting coming in faster and faster. At first I just worked harder and took less breaks and no matter how tired or how sore I was I just kept on bailing out the water. It seemed like I was doing OK, but I knew I was lying to myself and then I realized it… I couldn’t keep up.

So I stopped… I threw down the bucket and gave up, which is exactly what God has wanted me to do all along. It was then that God said to me “Andy you were never created to bail that water out by yourself.”

That was a turning point for me… This verse came flooding to my mind (pun intended). I started my meeting with God before my meetings with others… I started seeking God before I starting seeking me… And it was like a light switch was flipped.

All the sudden things looked different, my energy level returned, things sounded different. I started to think differently and I found myself working/living out of this new place… This place where I meet with God before I meet with my tasks, my job, my day… I’ve started to walk with a new sense of boldness/confidence in what I believe God has called me to do/be.

I’m learning that John 15:5 is way more than just a nice verse to read… It’s a verse that can turn your world upside down. It’s a verse that can flip a switch in you to help you walk in boldness in Christ.

If you can get this verse… Then the sky is the limit, because you will have just tapped in to the most powerful source there has ever been and will ever be… The God of creation!

- Rainey