Initiative

Initiative: the action of taking the first step or move; responsibility for beginning or originating. Or you can take the second definition which I absolutely love: the characteristic of originating new ideas or methods; ability to think or act without being urged.

My one, simple but powerful goal in life remains this: go to heaven and take as many people as I can with me. It is stated boldly, it's message never changes, but how it is delivered always does. Through words that must be backed up by action to take root, or by Initiatives that may go where no one has gone before, this goal is being lived out daily by myself and ATB. We are truly an Initiative in progress.

When we were given an opportunity by a city in Gwinnett County to help with a homeless situation we were right there to help though we had no prior knowledge of how to do it. We pieced together partners and gave it our best shot but the men preferred to live in the woods. We learned something that we will unveil in a new program that will be introduced in April called "Homeless & Helpless", with a more targeted response to these situations.

When we presented an idea of having a Baptistry at ATB due to the generosity on one individual, and then another, some folks thought we had lost our mind. They forgot that no one baptized in the Bible was done so in a church, it was all in open water or other situations. Our Initiative has produced 28 new souls in roughly 45 days, most of which would not feel comfortable being baptized in a traditional church, but at ATB they found a home.

My point, don't be afraid to live your dreams, go where others have not attempted to be. Look at Jesus for inspiration, he went everywhere where no one else bothered to be, with folks no one wanted to be with.

He never tooted his own horn, and we aren't tooting ours, we are just doing what he did! But it takes Initiative without him always asking us to do so, it's in the blood he shed for us that is in our DNA!