I would like to give a shout out to my wife today, a.k.a. co-creator of my children, a.k.a. the M.I.C. (Mom in charge).

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I often joke that if my wife would’ve married somebody else, her kids would’ve turned out ugly, but all that know us, know that’s just not the case. 

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All joking aside, the truth is, without her I fully believe our kids would be jacked up.

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My wife is a Christian, a Christian that married an outspoken church hating, God/Christian distancing non-Christian (Me).

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Yet, despite my feelings about church, Christianity etc…. she made sure our kids were raised knowing Jesus.  Every Sunday she faithfully took our kids to church while the heathen daddy stayed home.

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Nowadays I’m so thankful for that, but that’s just a tiny little part of the amazing mother of our kids.

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Over the years I have been awed by her loving, grace, forgiveness, patience, kindness, gentleness etc….  In fact, the way she parents reminds me of Galatians 5:22-23.

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“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” – Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

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My wife is a fruit bearing Galatians 5:22-23 mother.

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I can say with confidence and sadness that I’ve not been a great dad.  There were times, sometimes long stretches, when I was absent (Mentally/Emotionally) as a father and probably husband as well.  My wife will tell you that I’m being too hard on myself, but I know I was a mess for awhile and my family suffered because of it.  That was B.G. – Before God.  I’m much better now.  I still have a long way to go but thank God He nudged me in the right direction.

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Through all of that time, my wife remained a Galatians 5:22-23 Mother.  She made up for me and then some.

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What an amazing and I mean AMAZING mother my kids have!  Being a parent is without a doubt a tough job with so much on the line, but it’s a job my wife consistently knocks out of the park.

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So Happy Mother’s Day to my AMAZING Galatians 5:22-23 Wife, Best Friend and Mother of our Children!

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Words cannot express how thankful I am that God gave me you!

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That is far more than grace.  That is a love that’s hard to comprehend.

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I love you so much Sweetness! 

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Happy Mother’s Day!

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And as far as our kids not being ugly, you’re welcome.

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I just realized that UnlikelyChristian.com turned 1 year old on Thursday.  And just in case any of you are wondering, UnlikelyChristian.com loves chocolate cake – specifically Linda’s Fudge Cake from The Cheesecake Factory

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With any milestone, not that 1 year is a MILEstone, it’s probably more like a QuarterMileStone or 600MeterStone, but regardless of the type of stone you reach, once reached you tend to reflect.  So I spent some time this morning reflecting on the past year of UnlikelyChristian.com

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My single goal when I started UnlikelyChristian.com was to reach people like the guy I used to be – Far from God with no future plans of drawing near. 

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I was an outspoken anti-church/anti-Christian guy, so when God started opening my eyes with His gentle nudges, the last thing I wanted to do was talk to people about Christianity – it was a stupid pride thing.  So for me, checking it out in private was my only option.  I began my search in an old King James Bible but quickly bailed due to the “Thous”, “Thees” & “Begats”.  So I began to search online hoping to find something that catered to me, but I had no luck. 

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So once I became an Unlikely Christian, I felt called to make a website, the type of website that I would’ve benefited from while I was seeking.  And that was the original purpose of this website.

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Since then, I think it has grown into something that Seekers, Unlikelys and most Christians can relate to or at least I hope it has.  I don’t really think about a target audience anymore, I just sit down and write. 

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Okay, continuing down Reflection Avenue, I’m so thankful for you the reader!  Your feedback, e-mails, comments, likes, shares etc…..have been awesome/inspiring!  I didn’t really have any kind of expectations when I started the site other than I hoped I could somehow help people along their journey toward or with God.  And please don’t think I’m patting myself on the back here because all glory goes to God, but I know for a fact that’s happened.  And you guys had a hand in it too.  Because you, “Liked” & “Shared” others read and moved closer.  Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

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It’s also been a really cool experience connecting with and meeting other Unlikelys.  I never thought I’d have new friends because of this site, but sho-nuff, I do.

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I’m also thankful for Doubting Matthew and his regular contributions to UC.  I always enjoy seeing an e-mail with a word doc attachment from him in my inbox.  He’s got great insight and I love the lens he sees things thru.  It’s also been cool watching another Unlikely grow in Christ.  An Unlikely growing in Christ – Now that’s real “Miracle Grow.”  Kind of a cheesy line, I know, but man it’s the truth!

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Stories are powerful and I’m so thankful to have DM’s here on UC.  Others have threatened to send me their’s but I think maybe they’ve forgotten my e-mail address, even though it’s right here on the website.  Well here you go - me@unlikelychristian.com   Special shout out right here to the GP TEX MEX (You know who you are).  The fact that your story isn’t on here yet, is a travesty.  A TRAVESTY I tell you!  So get busy writing or I will shun you next time I see you.   

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As I wrap up my 1 year anniversary special birthday 600MeterStone post spectacular, I’d like to end with this.  I love how God works!  I made this website hoping to reach others, and while I’ve received some great feedback, I think the person who’s benefited the most from this site is me.  From May 2011 to May 2012 I’ve grown so much as a Christian, I’ve added many new friends/iron sharpeners and God has taught me so many lessons and blessed me beyond belief.  Is God good or what?!?!  He never ceases to blow me away!

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As I start year 2 of UnlikelyChristian.com, my expectations are the same in that I hope I (WE) can somehow help people along their journey toward or with God.  And while this year has been incredible, I hope when May 2013 rolls around I can look back and say, “Wow, God was just getting started!”

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So I was just thinking the other day, that I play it pretty safe here at UnlikelyChristian.com, in that I don’t really delve into any topics that are controversial. It’s not a conscience effort on my part, I just write what’s on my heart or whatever comes to mind…..but today….

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Today a pitch came my way that I’m going to take a swing at, and I do believe the subject matter to be controversial. So here it is……

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Church……..wait for it……in a pub.

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Yep, a local church will be holding services in a bar every 1st Tuesday evening of the month.

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Right or wrong?

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I’m not going to beat around the bush here or talk in circles without ever saying which side of the argument I fall on.

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Right or wrong?

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I say right.

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And here’s why.

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Before I became an Unlikely Christian, I hated church and I mean HATED church. Too many negative experiences with Holier than thous, fakers, hypocrites, pastors that seemed more interested in the contents of my wallet than in the destination of my soul, etc…etc…etc… I’ve often said, “The #1 thing that kept me from being a Christian, were Christians”.

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With gentle nudges from God, I eventually tried church again – as a matter of fact, I tried this very church in question. And while it turned out to be a great thing for me, do you know what one of the biggest turning points in my spiritual growth was? When I found out that Christian guys were just dudes…..like me. Now it’s hard to see that in church because too many people have their Sunday Game face on. I shook a lot of hands, had some surface conversations in the lobby but it wasn’t until I got outside of church and really mingled, that I discovered that these Christians were real people. I mean of course I already knew they were real people, but interacting with them outside of church, I found them to be genuine, down to earth, not fake etc… and that was HUGE for me. Once my negative notions about Christians were proved wrong, it really helped me feel better about associating myself with them and eventually coming out of the closet as one.

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I can’t help but think that there are many more of the guys/gals, like the guy I used to be out there. They are NEVER planning on going to church because of some of the reasons I stated above. But if they could see us in a different setting, their setting, maybe they too, can see us in a different light. If that means taking the message to a pub, well then take it to the pub.

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Instead, what many Christians like to do is stay in their safe “Holy Huddles.” How are the lost to be reached if you stay away from where they are? You can’t be fishers of men in lakes with no fish.

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I know this church.  This is all about kingdom gain, and I’m telling you, there’s NO WHERE Jesus wouldn’t go for one of His own lost sheep.

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Yep, even a pub.

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CHEERS to you FOTP!

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My pastor said something today that stuck with me.  I can’t remember his exact words but it was something to the effect of God’s word being fertilizer for your spiritual growth, and that made me think about my yard.

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My yard is a mess.  Yep, I’m that guy on the street.  I used to want the best looking yard on the block but then I came to my senses and just decided I didn’t want the worst looking yard on the street.  Since then I’ve come to terms with, “Hey, somebody has to have the worst looking yard on the street” so I graciously stepped up and volunteered my lawn for that honor.

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The truth is, I’ve never been a yard guy - one of those guys that spends countless hours finely manicuring, caressing and lovingly affirming his yard.  It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just that I spend the time that I could be spending on my yard with God instead.  That’s right, while you’re out fertilizing, weeding, ironiting etc….. I’m studying God’s word, praying, teaching my family etc…..  So every time you drive down my street and look disgustingly at my yard, just remember that I’m much more Godly than you because I have my priorities in order

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Okay, the real truth, I’m lazy.  It’s true I’d rather my yard look better than it does but I’m just not willing to do what it takes to make it that way, and therefore it looks like this.

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It takes a lot to have a nice looking yard.  Fertilizing, watering, weeding, sharp mower blades etc…..  but it’s super easy to have a lousy looking yard.  All it takes for that is a little neglect.  If you don’t frequently fertilize, water, weed, sharpen your mower blades etc…..it shouldn’t come as a surprise that your yard is less than it could be.

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It’s the same with your spiritual life.  If you aren’t frequently fertilizing with God’s word, if you aren’t frequently watering it with prayer, if you aren’t frequently weeding out the sin or sharpening your iron with other believers (Proverbs 27:17) etc…., then it should come as no surprise that your spiritual life is less than it could be.    

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It’s one thing to have the attitude that, “Hey, somebody has to have the lousiest looking yard on the street, why not me?”  You might draw the ire of some neighbors, but overall, it doesn’t really matter that much.  You have a crappy looking yard, life goes on.  But take that attitude with your spiritual life and next thing you know, you are far from God. 

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No Christian wants that.

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If you want a nice looking yard, you can’t be lazy about it.

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It’s the same with your spiritual life.  You want a good spiritual life?  You have to be intentional and diligent!

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Do what you have to do to…….too much is at stake.

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You can start some fertilizing right here by reading the parables in Matthew 13.  This is the very first scripture I ever jotted down in my journal.  Great truths that use the same analogies – Soil, weeds, roots etc…… 

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