Back From Vacation...

Good week last week - had a chance to break away for a few days with the family and enjoy the boys' Spring Break! Got back late Friday PM and headed into a GREAT WEEKEND!

Sunday was the last day of our GENERAL SKILLS Series (Max Lucado/Every Day Deserves A Chance) and we Celebrated Communion and Celebrated Baptism! Baptism was AWESOME - we baptized 17 people, and one little girl asked Christ into her heart that afternoon as well! GOD IS GOOD!!

Cool news on the horizon - my folks are moving to AZ (Maricopa) this coming July! Dad officially retires at the end of April - they're heading to the Philippines to see Melanie, Lance and kiddos (my sister) for 3 weeks - hit back stateside for our Family Reunion in mid-June (Arizona) and they move out here shortly after that! GREAT TIME TO MOVE TO AZ - JULY!!!!!! We are very excited to have them here and looking forward to Nana & Papa being right around the corner! Kiddos are doing well - Charis is Patty-Caking / Waving Bye / Clapping Hands and get this...SAYING "DA-DA-DA" - Love it! Isaac is REALLY ready to start SWIMMING - it's definitely warming up here - I'd say we're about 1 month away!Caleb is doing well - looks like he'll be in Summer School for a few weeks to help bridge the gap of No School! Here come the "Short Bus" again!

Couple Pix of the Kiddos (and "BOLT")...

SUNDAY SNAPSHOT...

HOW NOT TO BE A FOOL...

The lure of TEMPTATION is strong, not always seen right away! If we could only see the END before the BEGINNING…Right? When temptation grabs you, it does damage to your life! The scarier thing is it reveals your IDENTITY ~ that being that we are NOTHING without Christ! The bigger question for us today is…WHERE ARE YOU GOING? Are you going to continue walking that way, that road, that avenue for the rest of your life? The longer you do, the deeper down you’ll go! Or…Will you live your life God’s Way? It’s time to learn HOW NOT TO BE A FOOL!

Starting our new series this week! Pastor Mat (GIVE/GO Pastor) is kicking the series off this week, and Pastor Duncan (GROW Pastor) is doing week #2! I got a few weeks off and then I'll close the Series!! THEN EASTER 2009!!!

Just took a break - that's all...

Sorry about the last couple weeks - but no worries - I AM BACK!

It's been quite a busy last couple weeks - let's see...

1. Had a chance to spend some GREAT QUALITY TIME with my smokin' hot wife - Ginger! In sunny Orlando! We spent a few days down in Florida at our Conference (Converge Worldwide) Large Church Pastor's Network! Spent a few days at the parks and felt a 'guilty' pleasure being there with no kiddos - gotta take them sometime for sure! BTW...the Rockin' Roller Coaster at Disney Studios - ROCKS!! Also had a rare privilege to go to Cirque De Soleil (sp?) - WOW!!!

2. Got back to AZ and continued to forge on with our PIRATES Series and HO-RA-OH (See The Invisible) Vision Initiative at COC! We've heard great things!

3. Commit Sunday (SEE THE INVISIBLE) was Sunday, February 22nd - $1.26 Million is our Three-Year Goal and we have had over $500,000 thus far committed to start the INITIATIVE! What a GREAT start!! Looking forward to seeing what GOD is going to do!

4. Still looking for LAND for the COC - some great opportunities, we'll see what happens in the coming weeks, months!

5. Also got a chance to do something really RARE in AZ last week with my guys (COC Staff)! We went to a place called "SUNRISE" and went Snow Skiing! Great time!

Family is doing really good!

Big CALEB JOSHUA'S Birthday is TODAY! He turns SEVEN!! WOW!! Where does the TIME go!

Charis still lights up everybody's face with her open-mouth smile and big brown eyes!

Isaac is REALLY ready for school to be over and our pool to warm up!

And yes - we have added another member to the Barrett Clan - just last week - BIG BAD "BOLT!" A Yorkie! "BOLT" has quickly become a Mama's boy and outside of the occasional 'squirts' here in there inside - let's just say I'm glad we have tile - he is doing good!

SUNDAY SNAPSHOT...

Started a new series last week - GENERAL SKILLS

Doesn’t every day deserve a chance – a shot, a tryout, an audition, a swing at the plate…an opportunity – to be a good day? Okay. But we all know that into every day shadow cans come too. There are days when traffic snarls, airports close, friends forget, and spouses complain. Days that affect your ‘General Skills’ on how to be a believer. Suppose, neck deep in your tough day, you resolve to give it a chance. You choose not to drink, work, or worry it away. Instead, you decide to give it a fair shake. You trust more. Stress less. Amplify gratitude. Mute complaints. And suddenly… ‘giving a day a chance’ works! You do the same the next day, and the next. Days become a week. Weeks become months. Months become years of good days!