I am forever changed by His mercy & grace………..

This past month, my church has been doing a series on No Perfect People. A lot of people think they could never go to church because church people are perfect people. But the truth of the matter is that we are all imperfect people and God’s grace & mercy extends to everyone. He desires a personal relationship with each and every one of us. The hope we have in Him is not necessarily that He will magically make all of our circumstances better, but that He is with us when we go through the fire and that we are loved and not alone. (Daniel 3:25) This series has been extremely powerful in dealing with addictions of all kinds, unforgiveness and healing. This past Sunday my story was shared by the video below. It is the story of a girl that was broken and who has been forever changed by His mercy and grace. It's the story of brokenness being turned into beauty. "You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do, so there could never be a more beautiful you!" More Beautiful You by Johnny Diaz



We live in a broken and hurting world. People search for healing, acceptance & love in everything they can find, and when they don’t find it in the things of this world, they feel hopeless. People need to know that there is hope with Christ and that He loves and accepts them just the way they are. In the United States alone, a person dies by suicide about every 16 minutes and an attempt is estimated to be made once every minute, with over 32,000 people dying by suicide every year.* Many people who are close to suicide or suicide attempts never tell anyone how hopeless they really feel on the inside. In the course of the day, with statistics as high as they are, you never know how many people you run into that are broken and hurting inside. Share Christ love today. It could forever change someone’s life!!

**based on figures from the National Center for Health Statistics for the year 2005

Coupon Crazy!!!

This is so much fun!! Today I got the following:

2 Febreeze Fabric Freshners
3 Febreeze Air Effects
2 Febreeze Noticable Starter Kits
2 Dawn Dish Detergent
3 Post Grape Nut Trail Mix
2 Head & Shoulders Shampoo
3 CVS Transparent Tape
3 CVS packs of pencils
2 Softlips chapstick

I started with $19 in Easy Care Bucks. I scanned my card when I walked in the store and got an instant $3.50 in Easy Care Bucks and I used a $5 competitor coupon with various other coupons. At the end of the transaction, I paid $1.63 for tax and left with $23.44 in Easy Care Bucks for a net profit of $2.81, and also earned $1 college credit with my Upromise ecoupon. Now that's my kind of shopping!! Thank you Brenda for teaching me how to coupon like this!!

What you are a part of...........

I have been reading in 1 Corinthians 12 about One Body & Many Parts, one of my favorite passages. Sometimes it's easy to feel insignificant as a part in the body of Christ. I'm only one person, I'm not perfect, I've screwed up on so many things in the past, I'm different, I'm not beautiful, I don't know the Bible from cover to cover. Satan puts all these thoughts in your head to make you feel invaluable in the work of the Lord. However each one of us is important in the body of Christ. "A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged & functioning together. If Foot said, "I'm not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don't belong to this body," would that make it so? If Ear said, "I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don't deserve a place on the head," would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it." "As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way- the "lower" the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach." "If anything you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn't you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?"

Then on the flip side, when things are going great, it's easy to think, look at me - look at what I've done, look at what I am doing, look at how beautiful I am. Paul reminds us, "I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU ARE A PART OF. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own."

Each one of us, as believers in Christ, is a part of the body. So no matter how significant or insignificant we may feel at times, we have to remember what we are a part of. "You are Christ's body-that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything."



Looking back, it is so exciting to see the work God has done and is doing at Vinings Lake, and I am so thankful that He has allowed me & my family to be a part of it. No matter how significant or insignificant you think you are, it is going to take each one of us, each part, to accomplish the mission God has given us, and reach our community for Christ. Accept your part, whether you like it or not, whether you are the stomach or the embellished hand with beautiful rings, and allow God to use you to make a difference in the lives of others!

(Quotes taken from 1 Corinthians 12, The Message.)

Walking on Water

Hey, it's David again. Today was such a powerful day at church, I just had to write about it. Our service was a look back at the journey that God has allowed us to be a part of for the last 3 years. Seeing what God has brought us through over the past years reminds me of the decision I had to make one Sunday evening. I remember it like it happened yesterday. It's a story I like to call "Walking on Water".

The months leading up to the launch of Vinings Lake was very stressful in the Smith home to say the least. Rhonda (aka Mitzi) had already surrendered to God's will on this matter, and in normal fashion I simply was NOT going to go down without swinging. If you know Rhonda, you know she is a woman of God. She is a prophet (just like Pastor Johnny Hunt's wife), and when she decides to do something (if its in God will) it is going to happen, no matter what. The subtle hints of supporting Vinings Lake were miminal at first, and were usually confronted with my continuous denials and refusals to even listen to the idea. God began to turn up the heat as well. Not living in God's will can be miserable to say the least. As most of you already know, I once did broadcast audio at FBCW. I was content with doing this, telling myself this is my way to serve the Lord. FBCW is a wonderful place. But if your not careful you can become too comfortable with it. God made this very apparent to me one Sunday night while serving in the studio. Pastor Johnny was preaching about getting out of your comfort zone. I beleive he called it "Getting out of the boat". It was about the story of Jesus walking on water, and Peter's initial and brief experience of putting TOTAL trust in the Lord. I began to think of the experiences in life I may be missing out on sitting there in my comfort zone. After his sermon, I decided then and there to give this a shot. I remember it so well because my son was there with me in the studio. He was 8 at the time, and probably doesnt remember it as well as I do, but I asked him to kneel and pray with me about this journey God had prepared for my family to experience. Looking back on the journey, I have learned so much over the last 3 years. And just as Peter did in the story, once your eyes are removed from the target there will be trials and difficulties. This MUST be pointed out as well: if you never get out of the boat, you will NEVER experience the joy in life that God has prepared for you. And NEVER become comfortable in your walk with the Lord. Jesus challenged Peter to step out of the boat that stormy night, and he challenged me to do the same that night at FBCW.


Matthew 14
22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. 24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning[b] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” 28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” 32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

Random Verses for Today

"We don't reduce Christ to what we are, he raises us to what he is."

"Forget about self-confidence, it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence."

Verses from 1 Corthians 10, The Message

Happy Valentines Day!

The older I get the more I am understanding true love. You can see true love in his eyes. You can feel it in his touch. You can see it when he's worshiping God. You can hear it when he prays with you. You can see it in his love for our kids. You can see it in the things he does, especially helping me when I know he doesn't want to. It is unconditional, loving me at my worst and my best. It means I sometimes have to say I'm sorry. It means putting his needs ahead of mine. It's in the joy I get from making him happy. True love never quits, true love never fails.

I'm Back!

I'm back from my temporary hiatus from blogging! Since my last post we've had Christmas, New Year's in Gatlinburg (fun!), and January has been filled with reorganizing the house and tax stuff at the church. All the deadlines have been met, so I can breathe easy again.

I am so excited about the new year and the freshness it brings. This year looks to be a big & exciting one! My Jessica will be turning sweet 16 in October. Alex, my baby, will be 12 in June and starts 7th grade in August. (I can't believe it!) Oh yea, can't forget my sweetie will be 40 this year! Party time!! I am officially full time at VL now. We are starting 3 services in April. It's going to be a great year!

Our theme at VL this year is Love Strong. Just click on my title to hear our message kicking it off. We have been doing a series on the Bible over the last few weeks. I am loving it! The Bible is God's love letter to me! (and you!) I knew reading my Bible was something I needed to do and something that I did, but never thought about it as a love letter from God. You know the excitement you get when your sweetheart writes you a letter, God desires the same passion, same relationship, same love, same worship. I just purchased a parallel study Bible with NIV & The Message. I have come across 2 passages that have come alive to me. One - Psalm 23:6, "Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life" (this is David singing to God) and Two - 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 "Just think - you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that." I recently heard Josh McDowell say that being rasied in legalism ultimately robs you of any joy in Christ. When we are busy making sure we have our do's & don'ts right, we tend to loose focus of why we are doing it and who we are doing it for in the first place. I pray that you experience fresh and anew (just as I have) God's love and beauty chasing after you, the comfort in knowing that He is right alongside of you, and that He will never give up on you!

Everything Happens for a Reason

David here, just thought I would share this with everyone....

On a recent adventure during our trip to Winter Xtreme, my wife and I decided to give snow skiing a try. This is something I had been looking forward to for some time, and unfortunately it was something just the opposite for Mitzi (a.k.a. Rhonda for those of you that that don’t know Mitzi yet). Well after almost an hour of trying to figure out where to go and what to get, we finally made to the ski area. The first area was nothing more than a gathering area, and a place for novice (nice term for ignorant people with sticks strapped to their feet) skiers to become more accustom to this winter activity referred to as downhill skiing.

After numerous attempts at it, I was becoming more accustomed to the idea. However Mitzi on the other hand wasn’t having such a good time. I was persistent and demanded that she make every possible effort to let this outing become a success. After almost an hour of sulking, we finally gave it one last try and began to feel a little better about it. I had been ready to give the beginner slope a run, but Mitzi was still feeling apprehensive. After a few minutes of coercion she finally agreed to try it. (Man if she gets hurt on this run, I WILL NEVER LIVE IT DOWN).

The ride to the top was uneventful, until we tried to get off the lift. Mitzi’s feet weren’t quite planted and of she took a tumble immediately at the top. After we composed ourselves (with smiles on our faces) we began the journey down what looked to be the steepest kiddy slope ever imagined (I was beginning to think we got on the “Black Diamond” lift). Every attempt ended in utter failure, although a few feet further than the previous attempt. Mitzi was having about the same luck as me, although she was progressing slower. After numerous attempts and landing on my rear end every time, I finally gave up all hope and decided to call it quits before I REALLY got hurt. I looked up the hill and noticed that Mitzi had made the very same decision, of which I was NOT disappointed about. I gladly waited for her to catch up to me. When she finally made it to where I was at, we both came to the agreement that it was time to move on, and that we had enough fun for one day. It was about this time when God made it apparent why we were there on the slope.

From our right, a young teenage girl on a snowboard was blowing past us, with her face planted in the snow, heading straight for the fence line we were standing next to. She flew into the fence line at a high rate of speed, in what was later referred to as a “Scorpion”. Her snowboard (still attached to her feet) was behind her and hit the top of her head upon impact of her body with the fence. After a few seconds of silence the young girl began to scream as she noticed the large amount of blood pouring from her head. Without even thinking, I rushed to her and began to apply first aid. The wound was large about a 2-3” gash and I had never seen that amount of blood in my life. However instincts kicked in (Thank God for the first aid training from my military days). The medics arrived about 5 minutes later and took her down the hill. I met her and her father later at the first aid station where they had dressed the wound and prepared her to go to the local hospital for stitches.

Needless to say I am looking forward to my next snow skiing trip. However, it’s a different story for Mitzi. I don’t believe I will be seeing her on the slopes any time soon.