This past week has been crazy.

  • Dad, Jen and I all had kidney stones this week. Jen wins the prize though because dad had lithotripsy, I had a Cystoscopy and Jennifer just plain ole passed the stone on her own. AND she also had two cysts on her ovary that they removed on Friday. So, Lithotripsy for dad on August 2nd, Cystoscopy for me on September 5th and Laproscopy for Jen on September 7th and then I got to preach today! WOOHOO!
  • Since I took half a Vicodin this morning, I was concerned that I would make any sense as I taught about prayer. What was the take away today? That many of us need to just slow down and listen because He’s not in all the whirlwind in your life. He’s in the quiet.
  • Even through the preaching of a wounded pastor, there were many that accepted Christ today!
  • A whole slew of folks have been taking care of us this past week. Barbara Miller’s Small Group has been providing more food than we could ever eat! We’ve had fried chicken, fried pork chops, pasta salad, some world famous spaghetti, meat loaf, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate pie, ice cream, mashed potatoes and more food that I cannot even remember! Our good friends Terri and Megan spent the weekend at our house taking care of us. Friends took the boys to football practice this week and to the game on Saturday. Two families took our boys after church today so they could have fun instead of watching us lay in the bed. We have been overwhelmed with love.
  • This evening, when Barbara Miller brought food to us, she mentioned that she made food for three families today! THREE! It’s not just about taking care of her pastors. It’s about taking care of her family. I love my church!
  • Dad, Mom, Matthew and Valerie Bowden are all in Sofia, Bulgaria ministering to about 30 pastors and their spouses. It’s so much more effective to teach leaders because their impact will effect all of Bulgaria.
  • My new assistant, Lori Capace, starts a week from tomorrow! I am excited to have her on the team.
  • Barbara Miller shared with me tonight that she drove one of the vans picking up the homeless this morning for church. She said that people were running out to the van because they did not want to miss church. On the way in, they asked her to turn up the music and they worshiped in the van. They were preparing themselves on the way to church! Every week, about 25-35 people from the inner city are brought to our services by the van ministry and lives are being changed! I love what God is doing in this ministry!
  • Thanks to our amazing Media Director, we are up and podcasting. You can subscribe through iTunes HERE. We’ll have it up on the website later this week.
  • I played with Millie’s MacBook Pro today. Oh my goodness! It’s getting easier and easier to convince me to go over to the other side.
  • Hey, I’m going to Unleash at Newspring Church in Anderson, SC this next March and I want to invite all of you ROCKERS to go with me. If you want to go, registration is only $45, so go HERE and register right now. I’m going because this church is revolutionizing Anderson. Yesterday they baptized 562 people! ROCKERS you gotta go to this with us. It’ll inspire you to be an agent of change in Wilmington! We’ll drive up on Wednesday, spend the night and then come back after the conference is over. We’ll share hotel rooms, carpool and do whatever it takes. Send me a comment to let me know you want to go on this adventure with us.
  • Tomorrow, I get to go to work with an amazing group of people who are on fire with purpose and destiny and who are excited about what’s happening at The ROCK! I have a great life.
  • Time for more Vicodin.