When we moved to upstate New York to start a church Debbie and I promised our son he could get a dog. We thought it would give him something to look forward to and help his challenging transition and I also have a core value that every boy needs a dog.

Unfortunately, we rented for several years and our landlord would not allow any pets. Well we finally found a house in the community where we were going to start a church and I remember our great anticipation and expectation as his dream was coming true!

It was a day of destiny…a fluffy selection of beautiful golden retriever puppies put on their best performance barking and wagging their tales…but there was one that all the other dogs ran right over…a small golden yellow Lab. She would try to get to the fence to have some face time with prospective owners but never had a chance. My son said “Dad see that one…in the back…that’s the one! I’ll name her Abby!”

There is no question in my mind that God made Abby for our family! I’m in awe of Gods creature who has brought our family so much unconditional love! Abby is consistent…Abby is loyal…Abby loves us when we are in bad moods…Abby loves us when we haven’t showered…when our breath is bad…Abby’s cool with that. Abby welcomes you every time you come home with unapologetic enthusiasm!! Abby is keenly aware of everyone’s feelings…What a gift!

As crazy as this sounds…I’m going to be awkwardly transparent here…I frequently ask God “God, I want to be more like Abby. She’s got her purpose down…she’s consistent…she’s in tune…she’s about others…she’s a giver not a taker. She’s always full of joy! God I want to love people even when they have bad breath ” I love that dog! She has given so much to our family and has taught us so much about life.

p.s. When our kids grow up one of my dreams is to have some land with a bunch of Abby’s! My core value has evolved into every man needs some acreage and a bunch of labs!

What’s up bloggers? I love to say that! My bad on not checking in lately however I was down visiting the promise of Philadelphia, PA! My family and I cruised down there last week to celebrate thanksgiving with my bother and his family.  We had a blast! My bro surprised me and took me to a Flyers hockey game and a Sixers basketball game on black Friday! Wow, what an experience! I must say it was our best thanksgiving ever! I had some great dates with my bride, great family time with my kids…lots of Monopoly tournaments! My two kids got to hang out with my bro’s 5 kids! It was just like something out of Cheaper by the Dozen!

Then I had the privilege of speaking at my bro’s church…Fellowship Church. Its awesome to see how God is using John! He took a traditional church of 70 people and has transitioned it into a growing thriving church reaching his community for Christ! Because of their growth they moved out of their building into a school and are presently running over 500 in two services each week! They are poised and primed to reach more people in their area for Christ than any other church! GO FELLOWSHIP CHURCH!! Had a blast and I’m thankful for the break…been going in a full court press since August…Deb and I missed our Northway family and I can’t wait until this weekend to see everyone again, give an update on our miracle weekend and kick off our new series Retro Christmas!

This past weekend…there you go blogging about the weekends again Buddy…I know but they are simply the best! Anyway before I was interrupted…this past weekend we began our miracle offering and the stories that are coming in are amazing! God is showing up in a HUGE way! This coming Thanksgiving weekend we will continue our miracle offering as many are still flipping their money; some 2 fold, 5 fold, 10 fold, 100 fold…who knows? You can not out give God…don’t miss out on the blessing of giving! I’ll be dropping the news on the grand total the first weekend of December!

Keep sending your stories to dealornodeal@northwaychurch.tv!

Giving is Living! I’m learning how true that statement is as each year goes by! In just several days we’ll all celebrate Thanksgiving and pound some turkey and stuffing! What’s up with stuffing anyway…what is that stuff made of? At any rate…the attitude of gratitude is one of the greatest emotions we can give to others and ourselves. I encourage you to take some time to think about your own gratitude list…here is my gratitude top ten list:

10. Imagination  
One of the greatest gifts God ever gave us! Thank you God…whose imagination compares to Yours?

9. Laughter
I love that gift in life! Thank you God…I would love to see You laugh!

8. Legacy of faith by my parents and grandparents
Thanks Dad and Mom! You’re the best!

7. Mentors
I have been blessed to have some of the greatest leaders and authors in the country as friends and mentors! Thanks for leading with diligence!

6. Friends
I could call them in the middle of the night. Thanks guys!

5. Northway Staff!
I get to work with amazing leaders and friends each and every day! It’s an honor to serve Jesus with you!

4. People of Northway
The most generous people I have ever met. You have a passion for God that is unparalled! You are the best church in the country!

3. My Children
Two of the most creative geniuses on the planet! Thanks for inspiring me…I’m sooo proud to be your Dad!

2. My Bride
You are my best friend…I’m crazy about you! 18 years and I love you more than ever! You’re also a phenomenal runner!:)

1. Jesus
The One who knows me best and loves me the most. The Truth that sets me free! You are the greatest leader and who else is better to trust my life with than you?

Thank you Jesus for blessing more than I could ever imagine! No one compares to You! Thank You for this precious gift of life and all of these precious people! I pray your richest blessings on all them! Thank you for how they have blessed me!

Just finished working out today and I feel great! First time in a long time. One of my greatest opportunities is in the area of getting in shape and the 3D living thing hit me…make some different decisions Buddy and you will change your direction and destination. My destination is if Rocky Balboa can do it…so can I! By the way did you know Rocky is from Philly?!

When I was in NY City I was on 43rd and I needed to get to 53rd and 3rd. Now I’m a novice when it comes to the city so I stopped asked for directions and this guy smiled and pointed…”go that way 10 blocks and you can’t miss it.” I made a decision to heed his advice and we started hoofing it and walked a block only to discover the next street sign indicated we were at 42nd. Do the math…the street numbers should be going up not down. I knew somewhere, I had made this practical jokers day…gotta love the city.

I also knew that if I kept going in the same direction we would never reach our destination of 53rd and 3rd so I made decision and turned around and headed in the other direction…Why? So I could reach my destination and hopefully run into that same dude again.

The ancient book of wisdom, Proverbs, is one of my favorite books in the Bible, written by the wisest man that ever lived, King Solomon. It’s kind of like Solomon’s blog of wisdom. There’s a principle in Prov 3:5-6 that goes like this: your decisions determine your direction and your direction determines your destination.

In other words live your life in 3D. Assess your life every day in every area…if you don’t like the direction you’re headed, make a decision and the change-reaction will begin…your decisions always determines your direction and your direction always determines your destination.

What decisions are you making today?

What direction are you headed today?

What’s the destination that you want to end up at the end of the day?

Do the math…Decisions + Direction = Destination.

What a fantastic weekend! Had a blast with the fam Friday at NY City! Another great weekend with my church family at Northway! I’m sooo blessed! We are all pumped and buzzing in anticipation for next weekend as we participate and contribute to our miracle offering to launch our Clifton Park campus. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do!

The weekends are truly my favorite time of the week! Hanging out with my church family, nothing like it. King David said in the Bible, “Better is one day in Your house Lord than a thousand elsewhere.� My sentiments exactly! Sunday afternoons after church we relish our rest and family time. Just finished up watching Polar Express and pounding some popcorn…I love this time of the year! Only 41 days until Christmas!

By the way just in case you missed it…just to top off the weekend…the Eagles won and the Giants lost. We’re back!

Happy Veteran’s Day everyone! Our children are out of school today so we are headed out to NY City! We rarely go to the city but it’s a fantastic time of the year to go and God has given us great weather. Looking forward to hanging out with the family and going to Rockefeller center and Macy’s…maybe we will run into Santa on 34th street…who knows? I’m unplugging from technology. Thanks to all you veterans who have sacrificed so we can live in this great country! Have a great weekend…talk to you Monday!

This past weekend I talked about the greatest gift or compliment anyone can ever give you – their trust. Trust is a must in any relationship…from the business world, to the education world, to the religious world…those relationships are either enhanced or diminished by trust. Trust is a must! From your friends, to your family, and in our marriages…trust is a must and it’s the key to intimacy.

Most of us know all of that intuitively, but have you ever thought about the fact that God trusts you? That, friends, is mind blogging! That’s counterintuitive. It’s the greatest compliment that God could ever give you…“I have confidence in you…I believe in you.” WOW! God has entrusted us with His trust.

I remember as a student in Sr. high my Dad would come to my basketball games. I remember the boost it gave me…something happened on the inside of me…Dad believes in me!…Dad is taking time out of his busy day to watch me…Dad is cheering me on! I will always remember in my mind’s ear his voice over the crowds…”C’mon Buddy! You can do it! Good shot! Way to hustle! You’ll get ‘em next time, don’t worry about it!” That was many years ago and today my hoop game has evolved to half court and horse, of course. But out of anything my dad has ever done for me…more than any gift he has ever given me – even the green ford pinto – this is the greatest gift he ever gave me. “I have confidence in you, I believe in you.”

I don’t know what your day or your week looks like but I do know this. Your Heavenly Father is watching you today, He believes in you, He has confidence in you. He is cheering you on…”you can do it! Don’t quit! Keep it up! Don’t worry about it!” God is never too busy for you. God believes in you…God trusts you and it’s the greatest compliment he could ever give you.

I’m so new at this blogging thing and I find myself so quickly going into application mode for everybody else…they should have a recovery group for us pastors. What I’m trying to say is God rocking my mind on this one. I don’t know about you but that does something on the inside of me. I want to be trustworthy…I want God to squeeze every ounce of what He has entrusted me with of out my life and use it for Him.

This weekend will be history making for Northway Church! I can’t really drop the news but I will update you Monday. Also, I wanted to let you know that the article for the Daily Gazette will be out Monday or Tuesday regarding the interview about our Clifton Park Campus. The buzz continues!