Travis Bush

In my last post I talked about Jimmy, the pastor of our church. In this post I'm talking about Travis Bush, our Student & Families Pastor. I'm a firm believer in letting people know how much I care for and appreciate them. I think too many times we just don’t do it or we wait until it is too late.

Well, I've had the opportunity to work with Travis for several months now and I am always amazed with his wisdom. God speaks through him during our staff meetings where he shows wisdom way beyond his years. It's awesome to hear his vision, not just for the youth but also for their whole family. I went to college to study youth ministries and have been at a lot of great churches with great youth programs. And I gotta say, Travis does it right. He really is a top-shelf Student & Families Pastor at Rocky River Community Church.

Jimmy Britt (see picture below)

Now, this may seem like I'm brown-nosing my boss. But I'm really not! It is a real honor to work at Rocky River Community Church and the people with whom I work. For many years now, I've been involved in ministries at several churches and worked at many businesses where I've had some pretty great bosses and co-workers. But, I gotta say - Jimmy Britt is one of the best.

He takes himself seriously enough to fulfill God’s calling in his life and for the town of Harrisburg, but not too seriously where he can't laugh at himself (and at me too!) I sit in staff meetings and listen to his vision for our church. I hear his compassion for hurting people and his desire for our church to be a light in the Harrisburg community. I enjoy hearing his sermons as well as all the conversations we have that challenge me to grow in my faith. He also has an awesome wife, who truly is his better half (and who takes great care of my boy in the nursery) and 2 great kids - Annie and James.

OK, enough of the brown-nosing. It really is awesome for my family and me to be a part of one of the greatest churches around.

JImmy Britt

On the bottom right hand side of this page click on Jimmy's Theme Song

Mila & Me

Mila, our fluffy little red & white Shih-Tzu, is my wife’s dog. After we got married she harassed me about getting a little, inside dog and I wanted nothing but an outside dog. The only kind of dog I had growing up was an outside dog. That's all I knew. Plus, at the time, we lived in a small home - only 800 sq. ft. So we really had no space for a dog.

Well, the next year we moved into our townhome and she now definitely wouldn't let up on getting a dog. So I decided to give in and get her one for her 27th birthday. We did a lot of research. We didn't want to be one of those people who buys a dog because they're "popular" only to later abandon them. We wanted to make sure the dog would fit in with our lifestyle. So, with all of our research we decided a Shih-Tzu was our best doggy match. (I know. It's funny to say. Jimmy Britt still giggles every time he says it.) I tell you, though, I really love this dog.

Lately, I've had several sleepless nights and will get up to read or just do something - and Mila gets right up along with me. She is the first one to greet me when I come home. There is nothing that makes me feel better than walking up the driveway and seeing my boy in 1 window and my dog in the other. She'll jump at my leg until I pet her. When I sit to watch TV, she jumps on the recliner with me. When I was working from home she was always at my feet. She sits and looks out the window all day until Courtney and/or I come home. She doesn't have a care in world other than Courtney, Michael Dean and me. She is truly a pleasure to have and is an important part of our family. It doesn't matter how bad a day I've had, she will always be my dog and will always love me. In fact, a lot like God loves me. Now, I'm not comparing my dog to God - well, maybe the characteristics. But she kinda is a reflection of God’s unconditional love for me.

So, yes - that's right. I call Mila "my" dog and not Courtney’s dog. Don’t tell her, though!

I am Excited!

I am so excited about being part of a great church like Rocky River Community Church. There are a lot of great things happening. We have an awesome pastor, Jimmy, who has a heart and vision for the community. We have a tremendous youth pastor, Travis, who has done a lot with very little. Then there is Randy - man he is turning our weaknesses into strengths with pastoral care. And next week we will be welcoming Darren as our new worship pastor, who has a great heart for God. Last but not least - there is you - connecting you to God and connecting you to others is what it is all about!

New Year's resolution/goals

Every year I am always good sbout setting some goals/New Year's resolutions. I really don't set a lot just 3 or 4. So I will share them you, don't tell anyone just incase I can't fulfill them:

1- Read 1 book a month
2- Loose 20 Pounds by the end of April
3- Improve my golf game

Simple- I know.