fingerprints...

This week, as many of you know, I'm at Lipscomb taking another grad class. Being here reminds me of a lot of things. Mostly, & for a lot of different reasons, it reminds me of all the people that have had an amazing impact on my life. If you're reading this, chances are you are one of the people whose fingerprints are most clearly seen in my life to this point. And for this, I am so thankful.

It's easy for me to see the fingerprints of God in my life. It's easy because I can identify the people God has used & is using to put them there. They have faces & names & funny stories that go along with them.

From my parents who have & continue to show me what it means to be Christ-like,
to my Kindergarden teacher, Mrs Thompson (you never forget your kindergarten teacher you know!),
to those youth deacons who helped me through Jr. High,
to those older guys that let me hang out with them in Sr. High,
to the mentors & life long friends I met through college,
to the men & women who have influenced my life heavily over the past 6 years in ministry,
to the teens who I have been called to minister to who minister to me so often,
to the few who have let me be a spiritual mentor in their lives,
to my wife...words can't express how I feel about you,
to now, this point in history...it's amazing. His fingerprints are everywhere.

I see people here on campus who have had a huge impact in my story & I see people who have allowed me to have a huge impact on their story & right in the center of it all...the story was never about either of us, but about our great God. And in participating in what He's doing in His story, we get to see His fingerprints in our lives. It's a simple yet overwhelming thought & tonight I just want to stop & praise God for you.

I can't take any credit for who I am (or who "I am not" for you Louie fans) today. But I can praise our great God for the grace He has shown me & the influence He's allowed you to have in my life for His glory. And that's just what I'll do. Praise Him. Today. For you.