merge, summer, life with the girls...

This Blog thing...wow...i treat this like an online journal. as many of you know I talk a ton about my family, Jesus, church, Grace Community, and openly dream a little on here. If you read this I am sorry for the randomness of my brain. I do this for me so through the years I can look back and see how God has been stirring in my heart. I am not perfect, and do not have it all figured out so with that said, welcome to the mind of Bayne. it can be scary...

April is here...not the beginning the MIDDLE of April. Is it not crazy how fast time flies when you get older? I remember how slow I felt time went when I was in school. Some Saturdays could feel like they went on forever. Some weekends seemed like they would last forever. Now I am a dad. Wow, time just seems to fly. My oldest girl, Kozbi, is starting Kindergarten next year. Kelyn turns 2 in just a few days. Chelsea and I have been married for 12 years, that is wild! I have been back here in Clarksville for a year now. Time goes by so fast. The only thing I am sure of anymore is to live every moment for God's Glory. God made this thing called life anyway, maybe when I live each moment to the fullest, slow down and value each minute, try to live like Jesus showed us, maybe time will slow down a little. Well the Bible does say that life is like a "vapor" so time will always slip away and move fast but I just want to seize all of it I can for as long as God lets me.

We just finished an event with relevant called MERGE. The idea behind the weekend was that teens would spend a weekend together in small groups, staying in homes, led by their lifegroup leader. This was our first retreat like this with our teens at GCC...it was based around an event many of you have been a part of called Disciple Now but instead of bringing people here to lead our students our adults who have been leading our small groups all year led the groups at merge. Sure we did several large gatherings where a band and speaker led but once again God seemed to work the most in the group times. Discipleship and growth seem to explode when people work through the Bible, Faith, their life in a small setting built around relationship. Each large group session was amazing last weekend and each time we encountered truth from God's Word but growth happened when small groups met! It seems in our environment that we all make progress on our journey with Christ when we work through it with other people. It is not just my faith it is our Faith...questions can be asked...our struggles become know and we find out we are not alone. Teens need community, they need a place to belong, they need a place where it is ok to question, dream, discover truth with others. I was so stoked because it happened last weekend at Merge. What I experienced last weekend is what keep me focused. To see teens embrace Christ, embrace community, to connect is amazing. I am amazed that I get to spend my time working with families at Grace Community. It has been a great year!

later VOLS...

Great year for the vols, horrible way to end the season. What team was that playing UL tonight? What was going on? We had one play on offense run to the basket and turn it over or commit an offensive foul. One thing to say...

Go Memphis, Go North Carolina...that is the final I want to see! FOOTBALL SEASON is just around the corner, Go Vols! (maybe we can also recruit a point guard this year!)

today...

Ok, today is my 32 birthday and I was a great day considering I am another year older. really I was blown away with so many messages on facebook and texts and calls from family. It was wild. Thanks to so many of you who wished me a great day. Just a few things tat stood out today in a random list...

1. Kozbi made me a sweet book about soccer for my birthday!
2. Chelsea gave me a great present - tickets and a night out to my choice of concert in 2008! I am stoked. She wanted to send me to austin city limits but it is on Operation serve weekend this year.
3. Ron Edmonton and Anne Loy made me cupcakes and surprised me at staff meeting...wow.
4. Brandon Reed sent my my favorite kind of box in the world...a book from amazon!!! I am addicted to those boxes!
5. To top it off got a dinner at my favorite Mexican place...manzanillos!!!! and they sang happy b-day in spanish!!

Great day! Here comes year 33...

have a great EASTER!

We have had an amazing weekend here in the Bayne Family! We have had family here since Friday morning and are getting ready for our second Easter egg hunt of the weekend. Easter egg hunt #1 was with family and the #2 hunt is with our neighbors. Kozbi played soccer this morning in a game for the first time...wow. I was really proud of her for not touching the ball with her hands. She had a great time!

Have a great Easter! Love this holiday since we get to celebrate the central moment of our faith as Christ followers. without this moment in history or faith is in vain. Praise God for salvation for hope, for Jesus. Since Jesus...my life has never been the same.

Have a great weekend...and GO VOlS!

church

Church…what comes to mind when that word is mentioned? At Grace Community we live out an idea of what church can be. We have an idea of what a community of believers should be about and we try to create an environment that helps people live that out each week. Well…this week I have experienced 2 weird thoughts about church. The first was a comment that was made by someone who visited GCC. When asked what she thought about the gathering that morning she immediately said…’well it was ok but that worship leader was wearing blue jeans’. Not a good sign that GCC was for her since all of us on staff and most of the people who go to GCC wear jeans every week. It is just odd that in a gathering meant to lead people to connect with God someone got stuck on jeans? Would her worship of God been better with a person in a suit or maybe a leader wearing a pair of overalls, or maybe in a swimsuit? Not sure…but it just seems funny. That was just the beginning of the weirdness. At the YMCA today I was talking with a friend about a couple who are coming this week to visit on Easter. She had a friend with her and her friend asked me about our church. First she asked me if we were connected with a denomination, then she asked me if we were a rock and roll church. (yes I did laugh when she asked me the rock and roll thing!) It was such an odd question, both the denomination thing, which is kind of normal for people who have church backgrounds, and the rock and roll thing. We never label what we do as anything but a gathering. We hate the word contemporary. What does that label mean, but the rock and roll label just caught me off guard. When I asked what she was talking about she proceeded to tell me in Nashville, churches used all those weird musicians to play loud music and rock and roll in church. Yes I am serious, she called great musicians in Nashville weird. Then she said liked old music in church…that is cool. Well, I said, I guess we are a rock and roll church and we ended the conversation and parted ways. I was taken back because I just think of our church as a place where people can discover the love of Jesus Christ in a context that makes sense. The music and the message are clear and connect to a person living life in Clarksville. I just do not think in terms of a label. A great band once wrote...rock and roll aint noise pollution, rock and roll aint gonna die. The Rock and roll label is fine but as many of you know we might be country or bluegrass next week and GCC. HA! We love being creative and creating a place where people can connect.

the adoption

I am writing after Tennessee just lost by one to Arkansas. What a great game! I am sick we lost but I have to say it was one of the best games I have seen all year. I love that we have a team that never gives up. I love to watch out guys run and gun. The loss may really help us in the end. If UT gets focused they can win a national championship and I can not wait for next Thursday and the big dance to start. Forget a #1 seed, bring the 2 seed and lets roll. I am stoked about our regular season sec championship and ready to see what the big orange machine can do. Go Vols.

We spent the past 2 days in Shelbyville to celebrate some new members of our family. My in laws adopted 2 wonderful children they have been raising for the past several years. Chelsea has a new brother and sister! God led her parents to adopt last year and they took the plunge of being 54 and parents of little kids. I am so proud of them. This move does not make sense in the eyes of man. They are not wealthy but they are simple following the barbarian way of Jesus and obeying the guidance of Father God. It makes no senses but it is such a Jesus kind of thin to do. we threw a big party for the kids and it was an amazing time. It was such a picture of what God has done for us as His children. We are HIS! God did the unspeakable and adopted us into His family. well, enough of being sappy - I am just amazed that my IN LAWS did what they did. welcome to the family Kamyia and Tristan!

Not much else to type, It has been an amazing week and God keeps teaching this guy about His way and His will. Trying to focus more on what matters and less of the temporal traps of this life. Enjoying God is the goal...

snow in march!

My family drove back from a week of vacation in Va Beach and we found SNOW. As we drove in we saw a snow man in many yards in our neighborhood. Most of the snow and the snow men were melting but Koz so wanted to make a snowman. we looked out the back window and there was snow so we did it, OUR FIRST snowman!!! It even got a UT hat! Go vols!

Yes, we were in Va beach and we went to see Brandon Reed get married to an incredible young lady named Kara. They made it and are now married and spending their honeymoon in Jamaica! Brandon is such a great friend and I am so happy for those 2! Way to go Brandon and Kara.

Gonna blog about some ministry stuff on the GCC website this week. Go check out our posts out at www.gcomchurch.com and check out our student ministry website at www.relevantstudents.com

what a sweet picture...

The power of the mac, that is where that pic came from...yea, this is my little brother Adam and I from Atalanta this past weekend. we had the chance to go to the Sundays at North Point conference, a 2 day experience where we got to see the environments at NPCC and got to meet with staff and talk about the ministry flow at the church. Great weekend, great experience to see the church up close. North Point has been so influential in my life, and seeing it up close did not disappoint. Adam and I both learned so much but what I took away from the weekend was seeing how far God has allowed GCC to come with family ministry in Clarksville. We have been putting new methods of family ministry into action in Clarksville for the past 2 years and so much we discovered though the team at NPCC. Really I am just proud of our volunteers, our staff, and the GCC church family for all the work over the past 2 years. As i watched the North Point team go for it Sunday I was thrilled to think that back in Clarksville our team was going for it with the same passion. I am thrilled with the difference God has allowed us to make so far and I am so excited to see what is next for our team. Lets dream big, trust God, and go for it!

Last week, Chelsea and I painted and finished Kelyn's BIG GIRL BED. yes both my girls are now sleeping in their own bed and it is so cool. yea, I know we are moving out of baby stage, but man we are thrilled. we have loved our girls as baby BUT man it is sweet to see them both grow and play together also. Both beds were beds that my brothers and I had when we were kids. Love my girls and so glad we could pass the beds down to them.

This is a big week at GCC, Daniel Doss released his CD today, yea it was on Itunes and in stores! Daniel is a great friend and he leads us each week at GCC. I am so thrilled that God has given him this chance to lead others in worship of Jesus Christ. Go out and get that CD!

wow, our team is amazing!

Well, it is Sunday and I have been here in Atlanta all day checking out North Point Community church. (http://www.northpoint.org/) Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner, Steve Fee, the North Point team have been such an influence in my life and ministry and it has been good to finally see their environments up close and it has been well worth the time. All this time and this is the first Sunday I have ever been to the church.

Will say more about the experience later but I had to just get on here and type out my thanks to our team back and GCC, wow...gone all day and we had an incredible night at REMIX. It is so great to have an amazing team that will work to hit a home run every week. It was also amazing to be able to leave for a Sunday and have my pastor invest in the teens at our environment. Thanks to all who made it happen this week. Can not wait to see everyone next week for the DDB cd release concert!

More coming from last week with some new pics of the girls. Kelyn got her BIG girl bed!

I broke it...

You see that board...yea...I broke it on Sunday night at REMIX. (www.relevantstudents.com) we launched into a new series call THE GOOD FIGHT that is trying to help teens fight for a relationship with their parents. To help set the series up Taylor Hughes a friend I know who is a black belt came up and brought me a karate suit, and taught me how to break a board and in front of a ton of people broke that thing. I had to post it and I am keeping it in my office. You do need to come by and check that out. It was so much fun.

Today is Valentine’s Day and man I am blessed with an incredible wife. We are going on a date on Friday and I am ready for the time with her. God so blessed me with such a beautiful woman with such a love for life. She is an incredible mom and wife and I love her so much. Chelsea you are the best! Oh yea...we had a sweet party for my little girls also. They know their dad loves them.

This is a week that I have needed to step back and get better perspective on life and ministry. It has been challenging but God has brought me through to see things a little clearer. For me when things are going well I still go through times of self introspection and find myself evaluating the ministry going on around me. There is a balance to find in evaluating, creating, improving, and stepping back and RESTING in the God that this is all for. My life is for His Glory. There are times to step back and embrace that truth. I am His and I live for be fully pleased in God. This is the day to step back and REST and TRUST. Thanks God for all you do.