Press me, Lord

On Monday morning I stopped by the office and took care of a few responsibilities and then travelled to Charlotte to take Alyse back home and spend the night. I enjoyed the time with Alyse especially as her mom prepared her for bed time on Monday night and I saw her in the "towel" Sharron and I had purchased her:

Then early on Tuesday morning I met with Danielle who gave me a ride uptown for the Thr3e Conference sponsored by Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC This was one of the best conferences I have ever experienced! When I arrived at the door I was greeting by a volunteer who became my personal hostess for the event. It was fantastic! The closing session featured a teaching of Jesus in the Garden and I stood for the closing prayer to ask that God would "press me" to be all that He had for me and the church I pastor. More insights to come...

The afternoon break gave me an opportunity to touch base with Danielle and she introduced me to a number of her co-workers and friends. It was GREAT to spend the moments together. I felt so proud of Danielle and how she is loved and respected by others. She even paused to allow a picture: It was truly a GREAT day as Danielle and I left in the afternoon for a dinner together. As we enjoyed a good conversation she received a call on her cell phone that Stephanie and Alyse had been in an automobile accident. We quickly packed our meal to go and hurried toward the site of the accident. When we had almost arrived Danielle received another call that Stephanie and Alyse had been taken by ambulance to the hospital. We quickly made our way to the hospital. Alyse suffered a small bruise and a scrape from the strap on her car seat. Stephanie was fitted in a neck brace and had several test before the doctors gave her an okay - and she was discharged from the hospital with cuts and bruises.

I tried to help by taking Alyse with me back to Raleigh on Tuesday evening and then Alyse, Sharron and I returned to Charlotte the next day to help Stephanie. The doctor advised Stephanie to remain in bed for about 5 days and take her medications. Sharron and I have stayed in Charlotte to assist Josh and Stephanie this week. You can read more about this by going to Stephanie's blog.

As I face this situation with family, I am consumed in prayer about the revitalization and growth of NRN. I have been struggling this week with the right words for the message this coming Sunday as we reveal the newly designed Core Values and Mission Statement from the ReFocus process. I continue to pray "Press me, Lord!" This will be another landmark Sunday at NRN!