I have always looked up to my baby sister. I always thought it was ironic that my younger sister would be the person I respected most. I loved her more than she would ever be able to understand. She helped me through this life in every way. She encouraged me, challenged me, held me in my most difficult times, prayed for me, laughed with me, endured every phase of life with me.

There is a country song by the band Heartland called “I Loved Her First.” I remember this song hitting the airwaves the summer before Amanda and I got married. I also remember it seemed just about every country song released that summer was about a father giving his daughter away in marriage. I could have sworn it was some kind of conspiracy against me! Every time I would hear one of these songs that summer I would almost impulsively drive up to Amanda’s dad’s house in tears and apologize for taking his daughter away from him!

Have you ever struggled with hurt so intense that you've wondered if you'll be able to make it through? This week we take a break from our Home Run Life series as Davey is interviewed by Perry Noble at Newspring Church and shares his story of hurt, hope, and forgiveness.

I’ve been describing this past Sunday to people with one word. Meaningful. It was bittersweet to stand on the NewSpring stage and talk about the hope that we have in the resurrection. Bitter because of the reason I was given this opportunity. Sweet because of how much Pastor Perry and NewSpring Church have meant to Amanda and me throughout the last 12 years.

There is no way to over-exaggerate how often I get this question. I’m sure you’ve been wondering the same. This was one of my greatest concerns after Amanda’s death. How is Weston going to grow up without his mom?

The story of Horatio Spafford has always been an inspiration to me since I first heard it on a kids audio program called The Adventures in Odyssey - if you grew up in church you’ll probably remember these cassette tapes. Since Amanda’s death, however, Spafford's story has taken on another dimension.

"It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.” -AW Tozer

This quote from well-known theologian, AW Tozer, has been sinking into my heart deeply as of late. We have so many people in our church who are experiencing REAL PAIN in their lives - loss, hardship, stress, anxiety, depression.

What people will often do when they encounter a trial, a tragedy, or a painful experience is they will try to run away from the pain. Pain is terrifying. It’s messy. It sneaks up on you and can cripple you in an instant. It knocks the breath out of you. But it can’t kill you.

I hope these books help you as you may be working through pain of your own. As I read more I’ll be sure to update you.

Contentment is a slippery and alluring feeling. It seems to me I’ve spent much of my life looking forward to the next season and merely trying to endure the current one. When you plant a church the process can be so grueling and intense you have trouble appreciating the process.

One of the things I enjoyed doing the most with Amanda was running. We were those crazy people that ran for FUN. I still enjoy it as a way to clear my head. Shortly after we got married we trained for and ran a marathon in San Diego. During that season I fell more in love with my wife that I ever thought I could.

On November 10th, 2015 our world was turned upside down . . . Let me back up. You could say we were living the dream. Sure we had our tough times and difficult seasons but we were chasing our dreams and loving every second of it. Four years ago Jesus called my wife, Amanda, and me to leave what we considered to be the best church in the world in the best city in the world, move to a city where we hardly new a soul, and start a church that would see a city come to life with the Gospel of Jesus.

My counselor asked me this question during one of our conversations. He said, “Davey, do you think Amanda would have still said ‘yes’ to Jesus about moving to Indianapolis if she knew she was going to lose her life four years into it?” I really had to chew on this before I could answer him.

This principle has been killing me right now . . . I did a post on it a while back and it's probably the most prominent thing God has been teaching me in this season in my life . . . . . . And so for this I have decided to put my blog on hold. I feel it's not worth my time right now. That's not to say I won't pick it up . . . even soon . . . but it will probably be by request.

#1. Compassion – My calling is to see people who don’t know Jesus come to know him personally. It’s hard not to get caught up in my own daily routines, family responsibilities, and the grind of life.

My girlfriend lives 12 hours away from me. WOW! Just thinking about that seems like forever away. Neither one of us are very good “phone” people but we’ve done so well, and the phone has really been the major vehicle for our relationship.