Is Transparency the New Masculinity? Let's hope so.

Tomorrow I will fly from St. Augustine, FL to Louisville, KY with three colleagues for a three-day Sojourn Network Conference. The theme of the conference is "Healthy Leaders | Whole Churches." I am beyond excited to be there, immersed in good teaching & worship, fellowship, and great coffee. Louisville (and Sojourn J-Town, specifically) is the place where my wife and I were transformed in the way we view the church. It's the place where we first encountered what it means to serve, to place ourselves in a role of serving the church and not the other way around. It's where we developed friendships with deep roots. Louisville is a place I never thought I would live but often find myself pining to go back to. I am so grateful I'll be back there, soaking up information to bring back to my church home at Good News Church - Wildwood.

Yet

I am scared to get on that damn plane. The anxiety/panic attacks I developed last summer have been severely lessened with time, prayer, and medicine. But a plane ride has always been my biggest fear. The fear resides in two things: 1.) That I will lose control on the plane and have a panic attack and 2.) That a panic attack will then send me back to the bad shape I was in last summer.

So if you pray, please pray for me. Pray that God would rid my brain of any fearful, anxious, or worrisome thoughts--and that I would instead meditate on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. Pray that God would lead me beside quiet waters and restore my soul. Pray that I would fix my eyes on Jesus--that I would set my heart on things above, not on earthly things. Pray that my heart is not troubled. Pray that God's grace is sufficient for me. Pray that I hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. Pray that I am like a tree planted by water!