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(As I watch the LA Lakers cream Cleveland)…Just want to share my monday evening recap and thoughts about this Sundays Pastor’s Brunch…Awesome! This is a meeting to build our core team and share our core vision as we gather momentum for our grand kick-off! The location for our time together on Sundays is really cool. We are meeting at Edwards fitness center seven bridges…its really a great feeling to be around so many people and be able to make some connections. The CP group is growing and there is such a fantastic anticipation “buzz” growing among us! People are excited and full of faith for all that we know are coming! We are continuing in our series of messages centered around these core values, “In/Vision.” You may ask what these are…I’m very glad you did. We have them arranged in 3 simple categories or statements: Experience God, Discover His Word, and Share His Love! We believe we are here to plant a church that will continually reach those far from God that they will come to a life of healing and wholeness in Jesus Christ! Everyone was so into the word and we really heard from God this week! I love the energy and the Spirit of God that is present when we come together! We hung around for quiet a while after too (Just talking)…Great day for everyone! If you are reading this and thinking of checking us out..do it! You will not regret it, I promise! Its your chance to be a part of an amazing movement of great people that God is using to perform his will…He “en-visions” greater things for us than we can even imagine and we “In-Vision” (we are diving in!) doing all he is calling us to! What a fantastic journey…I LOVE IT!

Chicago in the winter is amazingly beautiful and unreal cold, brrrrr! We have had a truly awesome Christmas…spent “C” day with my folks (Miss my in laws Nanna and Pappa Briggs, love them! My son is enjoying the snow and is getting his fill of it (not quite yet!) Trying to keep him out of the mounds of it are nearly impossible. Brooke my middle girl is painting and drawing thanks to the art set she recieved. She has her mothers amazing gift for art. Macey is the one doing this day right, she is eating and sleeping! Thats kinda the protocal for holidays…eat yourself into a light comma, wake up and do it again! ha ha. I am thinking that I have the best gift ever! I want all my friends and family at HPC and through out the USA and abroad to know how much you all mean to us and we pray that you and your family are having the very best day! God is so good, for blessing us with you! Love ya!

We awoke at 3:30am Sunday morning past and headed as fast as we could to Silver Cross Hospital with our two sleepy kids in tow. What a great way to begin a day huh? My beautiful wife was in labor and ready to give birth at that very moment we thought. after a few hours of waiting we realized that this was not going to take place any time too soon. We decided that I would go on to our sunday morning devotion (which was a great time and a lot of fun) I returned to my wifes side, this time alone, with my other children at their grandmothers (much thanks to this terrific lady!) We sat, well I sat as Gayla laid flat waiting restlessly for the grand and eventful entrance of our third and final child! I must confess I did a lot of pacing and worrying for the well being of my priceless wife, I love her incredibly! I’m not sure why but this birth made me more aprehensive than my other two prior. I did the only thing a man can do to take his mind off the stresses around him…I passed some time watching the sunday NFL football game (too bad the Patriots got totally plastered by San Diego) and texting my close friends (thank God for good friends!) I also prayed, not necessarily in that order! Then at 10:08 my amazing wife gave birth to another wonder…Madeline Macey Myer! Welcome to the world beautiful!

I am an avid reader. I love to read. my interest are broad and cover many various topics and spectrums. My pastor used to say that “leaders are readers!” I believe this wholeheartedly. The bible lets us know that Jesus is the “author” of our faith and He has written the story of our lives and he knows every chapter, he knows each creative turn the plot takes…every struggle and every trial…as well as every victory and every triumph. I have recently gone through a series of major changes in this journey my life is on…some good, some I have not enjoyed as much, and it is easy (as to see as I’m sure many will atest) to get caught in “between” the chapters so to speak. The feelings that these trials and victories invoke can sometimes get us hung up. I guess I have recently parked my self in between the chapters. A good friend called me up and said he had a word from God for me and he said, “you’re in the wrong chapter.” I thought about this as he explained further, you are hanging on to the last chapter of your life. You are stuck in the feelings and challenges that you faced in chapter 2 when God has flipped the page in your life, you are in chapter 3. It is time to move on. I know it can seem like a simple thought, but it has a whole lot of people bound. There are a lot of people that are not really living their dreams, they are jut repeating the same chapters over and over and over again in their lives. Its the same thing just a different day! This is not living! I believe we need to turn a new page and discover a whole new chapter of victory and blessing in our lives! God has a new chapter for all our lives, its a chapter full of fresh new opportunities and life abundance! Do not stay hung up anymore…turn the page!

Usually this is my day to unwind from the weekend pressure and try to re-hash all the areas we need to “tweak” and strategize with God over how we can reach more people. I know…I know, its going to take some time and a lot of work and both are happening! Thank you God! I just burn inside with this purpose and mission, “reaching those who are far from God!” I want to win every soul I can for God! Well…before I go into this train of thought too deeply, I am happy to say that I spent a wonderfull day not thinking and not strategizing…too much anyway, ha ha. I did something very needful and very cool. I spent this day with my family. This was a really incredible time together. I took them over to a charming area of west Chicago called St. Charles. We ate at a famous Chicago place called, “Portillios” its our families favorite joint.We went mini golfing. I still need to work with my daughter on not smacking the life out of the golf ball…softly, softly. Nathan is a real sharp player. He amazes me at his ability to pick up things so quickly. Gayla and I had such a great time of rest today…and we need this at times (we have not had a vacation in over 2 years) It wouldnt do any good we would go nuts thinking about everything that we want to accomplish! Thak you God for my family and for another awesome Monday! (always great for pastors.)

I was reading through some of the awesome stories of other church planters that I feel priviledged to call friends. It is inspiring to see what God is doing in our generation of men and women who have a God sized dream burning in them to reach those far from God with a message of hope and life in Jesus Christ. These guys are the “real deal” If you get a chance check out some of these people they will really get you excited about going and giving! Here is a small list: www.lifepointruston.blogspot.com, www.golifepoint.com, http://pastorrobin.wordpress.com/, http://www.jeffhennigan.com/

This past Sunday a group of us men gathered on the field for a friendly game of football after weekend worship. It was only 2 hand touch, which was really great because I’m actually still aching over the workout. We had some really great fun and “paused” the game at 3-2 (my team is winning) due to the extreme heat we were enduring. Its really apparent (though most of the group would not admit it) that more than a few of us need to do this more often! Mon and tues and I’m still aching. It’s great fun and good for us!

I seem to have fallen off my writing “wagon” The last week or so. I am running behind it as fast is I can! Help! It has been so extremely hectic (in a very good way!) The church is doing phenominal! We are seeing God work through the witness and lives of our growing group to see those far from God come to life in Jesus Christ! This past Sunday was a packed house (really a gym at the Independence elementary school) We will have to add 30 or so chairs to our number this coming weekend! I told the crowd that we will fill this up twice, with 2 weekend services and then we will move to a leased warehouse. and we will fill this up 3 times, with 3 weekend worship experiences and then we will in the process plant another campus! This is how its going to happen! Its really quite amazing how quickly God is adding to our number! I Love the momentum! Our team is doing such an outstanding job of welcoming, hosting and follow-up care. We are always striving to do our best and to stay on top of everything. Meanwhile my lovely family has gone through the always enjoyable task of moving into a new space to call Home. I am always very concerned with them and their well being. It can be a little hard all the change that this process has put them through. I love you guys. They are my everything! Well, I will try to gather more pictures to post. This is one area that is a challenge for me. I love living in the moment so much that I often forget to capture them on film. I’ll try to do better, promise!