Author: bbrunke

In I Samuel 25 & 26 I have been reading about David and how on two different occasions, He obeyed God and did not take Saul’s life when he was presented the opportunity to do so. Often we believe that God has “delivered” an opportunity into our hands but when we step back we often realize that this is just not the case. At Catalyst a few years ago I heard Andy Stanley preach on this passage and he made the case that just because we are presented with an opportunity does not mean that we should take it! Following God requires obedience and wisdom and seeking the counsel of others. Being in relationships with others who can speak truth into your life are key when it comes to obeying God.

What relationships are you engaged in that speak truth into your life?

How do you discern if any opportunity real is from God?

I took my bike in on Monday to have some repairs done to it and yesterday I went to pick it up. As soon as I got home, I really wanted to test it out on the Silver Comet Trail. I had previously made plans to take our dog to the park so that she could get out of the house and play. I decided instead of taking Maggie to the park that I would take her riding with me on the trail. I hooked up her harness and attached her leash to the front of my bike and off we went! Maggie did pretty good at time and at other times she remembered that she was a hound dog and wanted to stop and smell things. We passed a guy walking his dog and he commented that I had a good idea for walking walking Maggie using the bike. I hope to get back on the trail a few days a week and ride. Maggie is hoping that I don’t get the idea to take her along again but I think it would be good exercise for her to get out and ride with me a few times a month. So, if you see us on the trail say hi!

Last night after using the bathroom, I looked over into the sink and   this is what I saw! Guess it was a good thing that I did not put my hands in the sink! Georgia apparently has two different kinds of scorpions and this is one kind. Their bite is not lethal but painful I am told. Well at least it was not a snake that I found!

Melissa, Maggie and I went to the Braves games this past Sunday! We had a great time and Maggie was very well behaved! Can’t wait to take my little girl to her first game!

My awesome tax guy Scott called me last week to tell me that Melissa and I are getting a LARGE refund this year. This was a huge answer to prayer as the money that we are getting back in taxes will help us to stay afloat for awhile longer. Melissa had a job interview on Friday and I have one this week. Please continue to pray for us and join us in thanking God for providing for our every need even before we ask it. God is seldom early but never late!

John 19:28-30

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

This was the passage of scripture that Brian Boyle preached on this weekend for Easter at Westridge Church.

Melissa and I went on Saturday night to avoid the crowds. This morning we took the opportunity to sleep in a bit and make home made cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

I am thankful today and everyday that Jesus went to that cross and died for me and that his blood cover me.

Hello friends!

It has been several weeks since I last posted that Melissa had lost her job. In the weeks since she was let go we have come to grips with what happened and are moving forward. She has been in contact with another hospital in the area and is awaiting an interview.

As for me, this will be my last week of pay from Velocity and I have not yet received any offers yet and have found few leads. I am upbeat and hopeful that I will find something very soon.

We have found a church that we both like and have been attending regularly. West Ridge Church is near our home and has a great spirit about it. God is blessing this church and we are excited to be apart of what is happening there. We are looking into connecting with a small group and hope to attend one next week.

All in all things are good. Please continue to pray for us.

Melissa was just told by Wellstar today that they were letting her go. This stems from an incident with a patient and was not at all her fault. We are devistated and have no idea what to do now! Please pray for us!

I am a small groups guy so I was very interested in reading the conversation that is taking place on the Willow GroupLife Blog. The topic is whether small groups are dying? Various people in the movement have chimed in including Mark Batterson, Eric Metcalf, and Randall Neighbour. If you would like to take a read and comment yourself here is the link.

My two cents is that they are declining in impact but that is mainly due to our efforts to make them into something that they are not. When the process or the system does not fit the context for the vision, the groups fail. I believe in the power of groups to produce life change and I will stand firm on that belief. The methods, philosophy, and systems that we use should and must change and adopt.

What do you think…are groups really dying?

Over the last couple of weekends, Melissa and I have visited a couple of churches in our area as we search for a place to call home. Two weekends ago we visited The Church at the Ridge. We enjoyed ourselves suffice to say the only negative was the “hard” seat that my pregnant wife did not particularly enjoy. Steve Whipple is the Lead Pastor at the church at the ridge and I have gotten to know Steve a little bit and I can see that God is blessing what they are doing at the Ridge.

Yesterday, Melissa and I attended West Ridge Church which is up the road in Hiram. West Ridge is a very large and growing church. Their lead pastor Brian Boyle is a great guy and God is blessing their ministry to the point that they are going to be starting a Sunday night service in March. We enjoyed ourselves yesterday and Westridge and are making plans to go back.

I do not like “shopping” for churches but during this time and season it is nice to be free to look around and celebrate what God is doing in local ministry and see where he is calling us to serve. We are planning on visiting a couple of more churches in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for the reviews!