Brotherly Love

Most of you that know me know that I have an older brother named Blake. Blake is 7 years older than I am and lives in Indian Trail (about 5 miles from us) with his wife, Angie, and their 4 kids (Brianna, Bryson, Brett, and Brad). I grew up idolizing my brother. Every kid idolizes their dad - and I certainly did that too - but my brother was a more 'realistic/attainable' idol - if that makes any sense. He did stuff that I did - played sports, talked to girls, whatever. My dad was a preacher - and I, as a kid, was not into trying to be one of those! Blake and I don't see each other as often as I wish we did due to busy schedules, kids, etc. but I still look up to him and think he's a pretty awesome guy.

I bring all of this up because Blake could use your prayers and encouragement. Blake, like my dad, is a pastor and started a church about 5 or 6 years ago. Most people that aren't from a pastor's family don't understand what that entails - how hard doing something like that is. Blake has done a great job getting his church up and going (check it out at http://www.weddingtoncc.com) but it hasn't been easy and it still has a ton of challenges ahead.

Big, established churches offer things that small, start-up churches can't. People are fickle and lose interest or their kids make friends that go somewhere else. The pastor preaches on something that pushes somebody's buttons the wrong way. Another church opens around the corner with better coffee and donuts. There are a thousand reasons that people use to find fault with what a church is trying to do or to explain when they disappear never to be seen again. The ebb and flow of a church and a congregation can be a choppy ride and, trust me - I know first hand from two different pastors, it can be frustrating and discouraging to the man that's trying to do what he feels called to do. Take some time to pray for my brother - that he will feel that he's doing just exactly what God wants him to do, that he'll have wisdom and discernment to deal with the barbs that sometimes come his way, that he'll continue to "fight the good fight".

Oh, and by the way, his blog is cooler than mine. You can read it here:
http://blakebouldin.typepad.com/blake_bouldin/