My Little Brother...

Last week my wife and I had the privilege of being apart of my little brother Zachary's High School Graduation.  I guess what seems to baffle me most is the fact that he is old enough to graduate High School.  To me my little brother will always be just that, my little brother.  The person I talk with, the person who is my best friend, the person who was the best man at my wedding, and the person I will care for till the end of my days.  We have spent so much time together over the years and despite the fact that we are 5 years apart, we have always had a bond like no other.  A bond that can only be understand if you have a brother or sister of your own.  

But of course, my brother is no longer little.  He is actually a couple inches taller than me and I am pretty sure he can now beat me at basketball.  He has a girlfriend, Lindsey Peoples, of 10 month who is a great addition to our family, he as agreed to pursue of life of ministry at Johnson University in Knoxville, TN, and he could not be more wacky (check out his posts on vine).  But despite all of that, what I love most about my brother is he has never been afraid to be himself.  He would never change his character or personality for anyone and if you didn't like it, well then tough luck.  I admire that in him and strive to be more like that in my life.  I strive to stick to my convictions and character even when it is not the popular thing to do.  I strive to be the person God has created me to be, preach the word God has created me to preach, and lead my family the way God has called me to lead.  He may not know it, but I learn that from him and I look up to him everyday of my life.  I admire is outlook on life, I admire his courage, and I most of all admire his heart for relationships.  

Zachy, I am so excited for you and your future in ministry and in life.  I want you to know that I have and always will look up to you and most of all, no matter what, I am here for you.  You and Lindsay will always have a home at the Tod household (Alec & Jenny Edition) and we will care for you no matter what.  Thank you for your fortitude, your leadership, and your example.  I am so excited to be able to say I will have a true brother in ministry and I am here for you as you begin your journey.  I love you. 

Jenny, Alec, Zachy, Lindsey

till another day, 

normallyINDIE

Cousin Eddie's Big Day...

I have had the honor of getting to know this man, my cousin, Edward J. Schmidt for the past 10 years of my life.  He is an amazing man of God and has always been one of the main influences in my life.  I am so honored and blessed to have him as a part of our family and could not be happier for his Ordination tomorrow.

Many of you reading this may have met Eddie before, but if you haven't let me explain a little bit about who this man is.

I first met Eddie in Shop class in 7th grade at Chiddix Junior High School.  At the time Eddie and I both were a bit nerdy, but he had a way with words and especially telling jokes.  He was definitely the class clown of the Chiddix Team Titans and was so funny to be around.  I continued to get to know Eddie as we both started to get involved with Remix, mentored under Joel Craig, at Eastview Christian Church, Normal, IL.  We went on our first missions trip together to Cincinnati, OH in 2003 (Know Sweat) followed by a trip to Mexico, 2 Trips to DR/Haiti, & 5 Trips to CIY Move.  We spent so many hours together getting to know each other, but it really wasn't until we decided that we were both going to Cincinnati Christian University that we became family.

At the time I did not know Eddie well, but we thought what the heck, we might as well room together.  There is no other people from our hometown going to CCU so at least we had that going for us.  We could not have been more right.  We spent the rest of our senior year/summer getting to know each other and by the time we came to CCU we were joined at the hip.

While at CCU we created traditions like Friday Naps, Movie Nights, & Roomie Playlists (Power of Love).  Not to mention became known as those "two annoying guys that always are with each other".  We were a lot to handle, but we had a group of friends that fit like a glove and we could not be happier to still have those relationships today.

Eddie then went our separate ways, as Eddie ventured off to Australia, England, & Florida, I went to work with Bloc Ministries, & met my beautiful wife Jenny in Indianapolis.

Our journeys have led us so many places (Detroit, MI), but one thing is for sure Eddie and I are family and we will stay that way.  Eddie is one of the most kind-hearted, genuine, loving, and comfortable people to be around.  He lights a room the second he walks in and he is a diligent scholar when it comes to understanding God's word.  I look up to him in so many ways and I am so honored to call him my brother in Christ.

Eddie, I am so happy for you and congratulations on your ordination.  Welcome to the ministry my friend and it is going to be such an exciting journey.  One thing is for sure, there will be highs and lows, but you know that Jenny and I will always be here for you.  We love you so very much and couldn't be more proud of our cousin Eddie.



till another day,



normallyINDIE

#C3Conf...

If you have been following my twitter (@normallyINDIE) over the last week, you would have be bombarded with posts regarding the C3 Conference in  Dallas, TX.  It is a church conference designed for church leaders to come together, ask questions about the Real & the Raw and most of all understand God's calling on their to be held at a higher standard.  Sadly, I wasn't able to bring my team with me, but despite all of that God seemed to do so much work in my life personally as well as my ministry life. I would like to share with you some of the big insights that he shared with me during my time in Dallas.  

First being, the God is working through our struggle.  An amazing pastor named Greg Rohlinger (@gregrohlinger) spoke on this idea as he was diagnosed with a terminal illness that is gradually taking his life.  Everyday tasks seemed to become more and more difficult and he could have either cursed God and walked away or continued to follow him because his ministry was not over.  But God was preparing him for what he had to do in the future through the struggle he was facing today.  That is the big take away, that God is allowing you to work through this struggle because you have to work through this in order to be prepared for what is to come.  

Next, Pace Hartfield (@pacehartfield) shared with all of us that "Your Pastor is not your Lord, but your Pastor's leader is your Lord."  This is an amazing idea because so often do we treat our senior pastors with too much respect or very little respect.  What he called us to understand was that if you are not willing to respect your senior pastor for whatever reason, you must respect the calling & authority he was given by God to lead your church.  It is an amazing thing to understand because so many of us either disrespect or undermine our pastors and that is not what God is calling us to do when we step on board as a team staff at church.  

These are just a couple insights from the amazing week that took place in Dallas and I am so excited to go back next year and bring as many people on our teams as possible.  

Below is a recap of the week if you would like more info or to register for C3 2014 then go to click here 

till another day, 

normallyINDIE