Rayden,
Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for walking with me. Thank you for loving me the way that you do! I am going to miss praying with you “in person”. I will miss our brain storming sessions. I will miss our sushi runs. I will miss your wit and never ending line of jokes. I will long to hear your encouragement. I will miss the sound of your laugh. I will miss that look you give…(that mix between wanting to laugh at me while holding back your commentary)… when I miss a three foot putt. I will miss hearing you teach. I am going to miss you.
You are a gifted man of God. You understand what it means to honor the people around you. You know what it means to serve the people around you. You are a pastor! I have heard you say that you would follow me to the ends of the earth. I would do the same for you. I would walk as far and as hard as you needed me to. One of the things that I have always admired about you is your willingness to “put others first”. Keep that spirit. It our job as pastors to lead the charge but it is never about us. We carry all the responsibility but need to stand in the back of the line. You do this well! Never take a front row parking spot. Never desire to have your name on the sign out front. Never close your door to the people of the church and always listen before you speak. Never neglect His word. If I had one wish for you it would be that you would live out our staff devotion we had today. ---- Seek His wisdom in all things. I feel so blessed to know you. I am going to miss you and I will continue to pray for you daily. You have a big challenge coming your way. You are going to do a great job. I believe in you!
I will forever cherish our friendship.

My day was empty….There are two parts to my feeling empty. The first part is that today I stood in front of a group of people that I love. It’s not just that I love them but they love me and my family. The past four years I have loved my church and served the people with their needs in mind. I have emptied myself in so many ways that today….as I stood before my church to tell them that I was going to serve God in another location, I literally felt empty. I know God has been preparing me for the next season of life for a long time. He has been preparing my heart and I guess in some ways purging my heart as well. Anyway, I got up this morning and in my prayer time I was overwhelmed with the thought that my time at Forest Hill is over. I had not really dealt with this part of the transition yet. I had not really let the reality of my time here coming to an end set in. I started my day with this question. “What does it mean to have something come to an end?” Well, for me-- I only have one clear reference point to this question right now. My current and perhaps very unhealthy reference point to something “coming to an end” is losing my mom. After a full life with her, all I have right now are memories. They are good memories but when I sit still and let them run through my mind they still hurt. So, when I think of something coming to an end ---it means that all I have left are memories. No matter how good the memories might be I feel empty when I think about the last four years of my life being summed up as a memory. The second part to my day being empty is the guilt I feel for my excitement for what God has in store. I feel somewhat guilty at how ready I am to be in Austin. I look out and see tears from people I am leaving and at one point I asked myself “what is wrong with you?” I should not feel the deep joy I feel…should I??? I mean it bothers me to know that my new church family met today and I was not among them. My day was empty because I was not at my church, I was not home. I am looking forward to my new coffee pot/popsicle meetings. I am ready to pray with, worship with, lead with, reach people with, grow with and dream with my new church. Although my day was empty----The Long Horn’s logo I got as an email today made me smile!

I got a weird email today from a stranger. They said they "love to hear me preach". But they thought my sermon Sunday at Church was out of line. I was confused by the email because although I preached last Sunday, it was not here. So, as confused as I was I still felt the need to respond. Their question was based on something I said Sunday but---I was not here to say it. Anyway, their overall statement to me was "why are you so narrow minded to think Jesus is the only way". Even though I was not here to say that. I am narrow minded I guess, because I wish I had been here to say it. Here was the heart of my response.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6

One of the criticisms leveled against Christians is that this belief is so exclusive. People say, “You telling me that you believe that Muslims and Jews and Hindus and Buddhists can’t be saved? That’s just too narrow and too exclusive for me to believe.” You are not the first person to say to me, “That’s just narrow-minded. It’s arrogant. Only religious bigots believe that Jesus is the only way.”
I say, "You know, you’re argument isn’t really with me. You’re argument is really with Jesus. He’s the One who said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.'” Is that narrow? Yes. But don't we want the pilot of a plane we're on to be narrow-minded? We want him to land it right side up. We want him to land it on the runway, not the freeway. It’s true that the claims of Christ are exclusive. But exclusivity is just part of it. Jesus came for everybody. Jew. Gentile. Muslim. Hindu. All the nations.

Jesus is the inclusive/exclusive truth. Think about these “I am” statements. They’re inclusive as well as exclusive.
I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger.
John 6:35
“Whoever” means Jews, too. Jews can come to Him.

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.
John 8:12
“Whoever” includes Arabs. Muslims can follow Him.

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.
John 10:9
“Anyone” means Buddhists, too. Buddhists can enter by Him.

I am the good shepherd... And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.
John 10:14, 16
“Other sheep” includes all non-Jews. Hindus can become part of His flock.

I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
John 11:25
Whoever means atheists and agnostics. They are invited to believe in Him.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.
John 15:5

Yes, this is exclusive truth. But “whoever will” may come. It’s inclusive, too. This is why we set our focus on reaching all people for Christ.

Most of you know that I journal everything...Over the past several months I have had to keep a lot of my thoughts to myself. I am surrounded by people, phone calls, emails and meetings but feel very alone. I am not depressed nor do I feel unloved....It is just that with everything I am processing, my mind is busy but my words are few. My heart is full and this is my prayer.
Father, I praise You as the living Vine in heaven. And I thank You that You have made me a living branch on earth. I confess how little I have understood how great my need is for You. And I confess how little I understand that You desire to bear fruit through me to bless the world with Your love. I offer myself as an empty branch to You. Apart from You, I am lifeless, hopeless, and helpless. I ask that You fill me with Your fullness, Your life, Your love. Guide me into an ever-increasing communion with You. Lord, I cry out with my whole being, Yes, Jesus is the True Vine to me, bearing me, nourishing me, supplying me, using me, and filling me to the full to make me bring forth fruit abundantly. And, yes, I am a branch to Jesus, abiding in Him, resting on Him, waiting for Him, and living in Him. I ask for Your strength for my weakness; Your riches for my poverty; Your supply for My need. I yield myself wholly to You. I am nothing without You. I can do nothing without You. But through Your life in me, I can accomplish all Your holy will and bear much fruit. Here am I, send me! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

(Chris) I just finished the study I have been doing in John 15. All I can say is wow...Good passage to study before you go to Turkey.