• What a great day at the Heights!
• Today we continued in our series on financial stewardship. Leading up to Easter and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection, I’m trusting that God will resurrect the finances of people in our church as we apply his principles to our money.
• The series is called Cashin’ Out. You could probably imagine how much fun I’ve been having with that title.
• Today’s message was on Defeating Debt. I was astounded by the information I learned about consumer debt in preparation for this message. The average American household has about $15,000 in just credit card debt.
• We can’t be truly financially free until we’re free from debt. Many of us a praying for a blessing God has already given us, but we can’t enjoy it because of debt. Click here to  listen to how to defeat debt.
• During the message I challenged our members to cut up and cancel their credit cards. One person took me up on that offer so far.
• Wednesday at Bible Study, we’ll dialogue more about this credit issue, cut up more credit cards, and pray God’s supernatural blessing on our credit and finances.
• One of our new members approached me after service last week to express how much his life has changed since coming to our church. These are the types of conversations that make my job the best job in the world!
• A lady who has been attending our church for the last few weeks with her sons came up to me after service with one complaint: The service is too… SHORT! She said that even her 10 year old asked, “It’s over already!?!” I told her that I’d rather him ask that than, “When is it going to be over!?!” LOL.
• This past week I submitted Chapter 4 of my doctoral dissertation for review by my committee at Regent School of Divinity. I only have one more chapter to write! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
• I’ve been really enjoying The Bible movie that has been airing Sunday evenings on the History Channel. You should check it out!
• This coming Saturday, I will be honored among 20 Impactful Pastors in our area at the  Praise 104 Prayer Breakfast. This is an overwhelming honor for myself and our church.
• Have a great week!

• Great Day at The Heights!
• Today I preached the final message of our “All Aboard” series. This has been an incredible series as God has been equipping our church to take the next step by getting everyone connected.
• Today’s message was “Drop the Nets” from Matthew 4:18-22. We discussed these disciples would make the drastic decision to drop everything and follow Jesus.
• The audio from today’s message is up now on our website. Click here to listen.
• I never get tired of seeing people come to Christ through the ministry of our church. Every week it’s like a brand new experience for me as people make decisions for Christ at the Heights.
• One of the immediate responses from this message was for people to get connected with our outreach ministries. We had a great response with people signing up for our homeless outreach as well as our Easter Community Outreach. Our people are ready to change the world!
• Although the series is over, we’re holding on to this “All Aboard” concept as our theme for the year. Our church will only make significant strides forward as we get everyone connected. We’ll revisit this theme often throughout the year.
• This week we baptized 7 new believers this past Wednesday. Once again, seeing the joy on someone’s face as they declare to the world their new life in Christ NEVER gets old.
• My plate has been very full lately. Along with my pastoral responsibilities, I’m also teaching a class at Bethel Seminary and working on my doctoral dissertation at Regent University. I must admit that I’m a bit overwhelmed right now.
• As much as I love all that I’m doing, I’ll be glad to transition from this season and remove some some of these high-level responsibilities from my plate.
• My temperament is one that allows me to put my head down and push through. This means I’m normally oblivious to how hard I’m working. The fact that I notice it means that First Lady LaVera must be VERY overwhelmed with my non-stop schedule. I’m grateful for her patience with me. She is worthy of triple-honor.
• This week I learned that I was selected to be honored among 20 impactful pastors in the DC area by WYCB and Praise 104. I’m so overwhelmed and appreciative of the incredible church that I serve. I’m only as impactful as the great people I’m blessed to lead.
• The 11th Annual Prayer & Praise Breakfast hosting this honor will be held on March 16th. More details are available.
• Levi has surgery on his foot on Monday. This simple tendon lengthening surgery will hopefully allow him to plant his right foot better and have more stability in walking. We appreciate your prayers for our little guy.
• Praying that y’all have a great week! Love you.

• Happy New Year from The Heights!
• Sorry for the long hiatus from dumping. It’s a new year and I commit to reflect here more consistently.
• Today was a difficult end to a difficult week. Today I just felt like my mind and spirit was weak.
• I’m sure all Pastors have those rare Sundays where our prayer is, “Lord, just get me through this message and get me home without messing anything up!” Today was that day! LOL.
• Today I taught through our core values (or, The Code) as a continuation of a series called, “All Aboard.”
• As always in situations where I’m confronted with my weakness, God showed that His strength is made perfect in my weakness. We saw multiple decisions for Christ today despite my haste to escape!
• If you missed it, audio of today message is up on our site. This is something that everyone connected to (or interested in) our church needs to hear! Click here to listen.
• The purpose of this series is to rally our members around God’s vision for The Heights in 2013. I believe He has great things in store for us this year, but we must have all our members connected and engaged in ministry in order to accomplish His plan!
• I started this series last week with a video of our 2012 Year in Review. What an amazing representation of God’s power flowing through our church this year. Check it out! Let me know what you think.
• Our band was on fire today! I’m amazed at how God has blessed our music ministry and where we are now compared to 2 years ago! If you haven’t experienced us in a while, you’re missing out!
• After church, I had one of the most frustrating and exhausting conversations I’ve had in my short time as a Pastor. When you see people you love so deeply make unwise moves, it truly affects you as a pastor.
• The tough week in the Manning household all started Monday morning when Levi sprained his foot going downstairs to catch the school bus. My poor buddy hasn’t walked or been to school since.
• If that weren’t enough, severe colds hit the house this week. Mine hit Wednesday and put me out for 2 days. First Lady’s hit Thursday morning, and we found out about Reuben’s double ear infection on Friday! Geez.
• I missed Bible Study this week because I was sick, and God showed up mightily! I’m so proud and excited about how people stepped up, we didn’t miss a beat and God was glorified. Some members even stepped into some new roles and used gifts we didn’t know they had! That’s what “All Aboard” is all about.
• I’m blessed to be accomplishing on of my life goals this year. I was approached several months ago by Bethel Seminary of the East to teach a class on The Gospels. I’m three weeks into my class and this is an exciting challenge! It has also added a great deal to an already full plate, so I appreciate your prayers.
• Although my beloved Skins got bounced from the playoffs, it’s great to see the Ravens secure their spot in the Super Bowl today. I’ve had the honor of speaking at their chapel services and building with some of their players. Bernard Pollard came out to the Heights before the season started. Proud to cheer for my 2nd favorite team in the Super Bowl!
• Great week ahead. Praying God’s best for you.

Love y’all!