You can’t make this stuff up.

Unemployed and 2 weeks away from not being able to pay rent.
Getting a shot in ministry by becoming an assistant.
Starting a community group that eventually became a ministry.
Meeting my wife.
Speaking to a church in the Dominican Republic.
Accepting a job as a middle school pastor.
Communicating weekly to students.
Preaching in Brazil.
Leading over 220 students at a 5 day camp.
Learning that you are going to be a daddy.
Accepting a job as a campus pastor.

And all of it happening in almost exactly 2 years. You can’t make this stuff up. I could have never scripted this. Yes, I am writing this post to share some news with you but before we get to that I want you to take a second and thank God for the story he is writing in your life. You may not be in the best circumstances or where you would like to be, but God is still writing. You make a horrible storyteller with your life, trust the one who created you with it. It’s not over yet.

Or you could be in a great place and overjoyed at what is going on, also remember that God is still writing. And it’s not to bring you more success, but to bring you closer to Him. All of those events I listed, some were good and some were tough, but they all brought me closer to Christ. It’s not over yet.

My story has once again taken a turn that I didn’t expect. On August 1st, I will begin the next chapter in my ministry as I become a campus pastor for Cross Point Community Church in Nashville. I will be leading the Downtown Campus that meets at Rocketown.  I am so excited to be returning to my home church and getting the opportunity to be a part of that team again. It is truly a dream job.

With any job change, you are leaving something behind and I was reminded last night and today what I am leaving behind here at LifePoint. The most amazing, beautiful, fun, Christ-like students I could have ever asked to lead. They taught me so much in the past year and they taught me even more on how to accept change.  I have been overwhelmed with well wishes and videos of how much they learned and loved our time together. I will never forget them and I am so excited for what’s next in their lives. I could have never dreamed how much they would mean to my wife and I.

And that sums up life right now for me. I could have never dreamed the events of the past 2 years or what’s going to happen in the next 2, but whatever does happen – God will get the glory. He deserves it no matter what circumstance you find yourself in.

Last month, I had the opportunity to go to Brazil with the high school seniors from our church, LifePoint. I wouldn’t have gotten this chance if the high school pastor, David McCaman, hadn’t decided that March was the perfect time to have his first baby. Well, he didn’t have the baby-but you know what I mean. So, while David was playing peek-a-boo with this son, I headed off to Brazil with 20 high school seniors.

To be honest, I was planning on blogging a lot about Brazil. I had some great experiences down there and met some amazing people, but I never wrote anything. I don’t know why really, I just didn’t. There was one lesson from that trip that has stuck out to me more than any other though and it’s probably not what you would expect to get from a mission trip.

You see I only met those seniors that went on the trip this year. I only knew them as the good kids who loved God and worshipped like it was their last time to sing. I only knew them as the kids who I trusted with my middle school students on retreats. These were top of the line students who loved Christ. That’s all I have ever known them as.

Then I began to listen to their testimonies. I started hearing about mistakes and regrets from their past. I heard about huge moments in their life that brought on serious ramifications that they will deal with the rest of their lives. I heard and found out that they weren’t perfect. Obviously, I knew that they weren’t perfect but I didn’t know the person they were describing in their story. I remember saying to myself, “I had no clue he/she went through that.”

Then it hit me. The way that I saw them – the child of God who wanted nothing more than to worship and share Christ – was the way God saw them. God didn’t see them the way they used to be. In fact, he chose to remove our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west.

12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12

I didn’t know the person those seniors used to be. I couldn’t imagine them making some of the mistakes they made – and what is so incredible and beautiful at the same time is that God knew them when they were making those mistakes and he knows them as the individual they are now.

He was there for comfort and correction during the mistakes and now that’s he’s dropkicked the transgressions from the westside to the eastside, he is there to receive their worship and sees them as the pure child of God that they are. Blameless. Washed. Forgiven. Doesn’t even know them as the person who messed up. Doesn’t see them that way and never will again.

You are more than the choices that you’ve made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You’ve been remade.

I am pumped.  I am actually more excited than the kids are. AcroDunk from “America’s Got Talent” is coming to Rush Hour. What is Rush Hour?  It’s our outreach event that we do twice a year.  Once in February and once in September. My first day on the job in September was “Rush Hour” and it was crazy. So, this event was my first Rush Hour to plan from beginning to end and somehow we pulled off convincing AcroDunk to come visit.

The most important part of Rush Hour though is the opportunity to share the Gospel. That’s why we have the event. That reality hit me pretty hard last night. I have been thinking for a few weeks now on how I was going to share the Gospel and last night I got scared.

“Eternity is at stake here Wes. Don’t screw this up.”
“You aren’t qualified to speak on that. Think about where you were 3 years ago!”

A nice little wave of panic came over me.

I did begin to think about where I was 3 years ago and something I know and have known for a long time came to me- I’m not in control. When you follow Christ, you relinquish control. There is no way I could have scripted out the last 3 years of my life.  If you have ever read the Bible, you know that God has made it a habit of using unqualified people. I may be unqualified, but I am willing.

A peace then came over me. As I begin to write what I will share with the students tomorrow night, I know that God has already been working in the hearts of the kids that will be there. He is busy drawing their hearts to Him. I am nothing but an instrument and that is comforting to me.

Thank you Lord for using the unqualified.

Will you join me in praying for Rush Hour?