Dream Weaver

Things You Can't Do When You're NOT a dog

2010-04-26T07:04:00.001-07:00

New Role

2010-04-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, here's the first part of this post.

In case you didn't know, we moved here (Coffee Springs) because we felt that we were following God's will for our lives and transitioning into a new ministry role--Associate Pastor. Now many people may ask, "What exactly does that mean?" and I have to admit it is difficult to define. As a youth pastor it was simple: I work with youth. But as Associate Pastor, I'm more of a Utility man. Whatever role I need to fill for the church, I'm here.

God has definitely stretched me in this new role. When I moved here I have no office (just a storage closet with a desk and power outlet). There is no Internet at the church--which I found that I had become quite dependent on for just about EVERYTHING I do ministry wise. Fortunately, we've been able to get the internet at our house now, so I no longer feel handicapped by that. And I'm basically having to flesh out a job description. Like I said, Associate Pastor is the utility guy, but I'm trying to make a tangible, day-to-day responsibility for this new role I've found myself in.

But I must say that I am super happy in this new role. All ministry presents challenges. That's part of what makes it fun. It's what keeps you on your toes and makes you creative. And the people here are simply wonderful. They've shown so much love for us and have made our transition an easy one. They're excited to have us here, and we're excited to be here. Ultimately, we're all excited about what God is going to do here.

I had hoped to have some pictures to post of the church, but I guess I'll just have to post them later.

More to come...

Haven't Seen You in a While...

2010-04-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

...and for that I apologize. Ever since the move, my Internet access has been very limited, but, no longer! Thanks to the help of one of the wonderful members of our church, we upgraded to wireless internet at the house. Now all I need is a Mac and a cup of Starbucks--scratch that, Dakota Coffee--and I'll be certifiably cool!

And since it has been such a long time since the last time we spoke, I want to catch you up a bit. Of course, it will take of couple of posts, but I promise not to make you wait two months for the rest of the story.

We now live at what I have begun to affectionately refer to as the "edge of the earth." Seriously, if the earth were flat, we'd be teetering on the edge. We are that far out. In fact, right now you're probably thinking to yourself, "It can't be any different from any other small, rural area in Alabama. Probably not much different than Vincent." You would be mistaken...ask Scottie, Janie, Robert, and Josh Sims. And I have to admit, when we first got here, I wasn't too hot on the location. I like cities. I like the life, the culture, the energy. Even though Vincent was a small town, it was so close to B'ham and the burbs that it carried a little of that vibe too. Wide open spaces and slow speed limits aren't my thing. But, in time, this location has grown on me.

The sun rising over the flat farm land adjacent to my house is stunning (which to use the word 'stunning' really cheapens it. In fact, any word would fail to capture the beauty and majesty of that view. I love how when someone comes creeping along in their truck (or tractor), that they ALL wave. I love how everyday is sunny. Even on days when it rains, it seems that as soon as the rain stops, the sun pops out. I love our little house. Its small and old, but filled with warmth and character.

So needless to say, I've grown to enjoy living here. But that's not the end of the story. More to come soon...

Prayer for Matt Chandler

2009-12-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

{this is a prayer request/repost from shauninthecity.com}

Well, today we NEED to pray for Pastor Matt Chandler. One of the best preachers in the world, pastor of a growing/thriving mega-church, a husband, and father to a young family, Matt will be having emergency surgery this Friday to remove a tumor from the frontal lobe of his brain.

Can you imagine those conditions? Well – Matt is facing them with a courageous faith, but we need to PRAY! Pray out loud. Pray right now. Pray later. Start prayer chains. Tell you pastor. Tell your friends. Call grandmama and nem. MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF THIS.

Pray for Matt Chandler by name. Pray for his peace of mind. Pray for his total recovery! Pray that he hears the voice of God in a real way in this tough season.
Pray for his wife Lauren by name and pray for their beautiful family. Pray that God holds her up and strengthens her from the inside out as she serves as the rock of their family.
Pray for Dr. David Barnett – the chief surgeon this Friday. Pray for his skilled hands and that God uses him to perform medical miracles. The surgery is THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON!
Pray for Village Church. Pray that they lean on God like never before. They love their pastor and need him to recover. They have a prayer meeting tonight (Wednesday) @ 7pm.

Quote of the Day

2009-11-24T03:55:00.000-08:00

"Some people want to live within the sound of church bells but I want to run a rescue station at the gates of hell."

-C T Studd

Quote of the Day

2009-11-20T07:23:00.000-08:00

God’s “wrath” is his withdrawal.”

- Greg Boyd

Youth miniStarz

2009-11-17T09:23:00.000-08:00

Hungry Enough?

2009-11-16T08:06:00.000-08:00

Hunger from Nuru International on Vimeo.

Veterans Day 2009

2009-11-11T07:09:00.001-08:00

Randomness

2009-11-03T06:23:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone out there in the blogosphere. Just wanted to give you a little random updates from my world...

I'm really excited about the "Revolution" Community Youth Service @ VHS this Wednesday. It's great to see the body of Christ coming together to worship our Saviour.
Been studying the book of 1 Corinthians A LOT! I'm [and Chuck too] preaching through the book on Wednesday nights. There is SO much information to process. Just wish we had enough time on Wednesdays to get to all of it.
Going to the beach this weekend. No, I'm not an idiot. Every year our District of the Assemblies of God hosts a Youth Leaders Weekend @ Orange Beach. I look forward to this every year. It's a great time to reconnect with friends, relax, get new ideas/hear from God. This will also be Aiden's first trip to the beach. I'm hoping it's not too cold to at least stick his feet in the water.
Speaking of Aiden, the little guy's growing so fast. I still can't believe how quickly it's going by. But, I'm enjoying every moment of it. I LOVE that every time I say "Da-Da" to him he busts out a HUMONGOUS, toothless smile.
Amanda and I are trying to find a workout program to get back in shape. I get winded way to easily and the pounds are coming on quicker than before. For those of you who want to pull the "Oh Matt, your still small" I leave you with this: I'm already bigger than my Dad was at 22. Exactly.
The VHS Jr. High football team went undefeated. First time that I've ever been a part of an undefeated team in any sport. My first year coaching Jr. High (2005) we were 2-4. My second year (last season) we went 7-0, and then got dropped in our last game to finish 7-1.
I love being a part of the VHS community. Love the kids, the faculty, the parents. Couldn't ask for a better job.

Back in the Swing...?

2009-10-19T08:23:00.001-07:00

Greetings everyone. It's definitely been a while since I've sat down and written out a blog post. For that, I apologize. I know that you--like I--have jam-packed schedules. So thanks for continuing to check in. Here's some things that have been going on:

I am LOVING being a Dad. It's still a bit surreal to me and it's definitely weird if I pause to let that opening statement settle in. [*PAUSE*]. Yep, it's weird. I am not intelligent enough to write how amazing it is to watch this little dude grow up. Couldn't be prouder of every little advancement that he makes; whether that be holding his head up, making sounds that in no way are words (but still calling it "talk"). It's all wonderful. He's going to be an awesome man of God when He's grown!
Been coaching football at Vincent for the Jr. High. I love football. It borders on obsession at times, so I have to keep that in check. This year I've met two (new) awesome men: Shae Supri and Chris House. It's their first year teaching/coaching, so it's been fun helping them out. They even let me help call plays. Even more thrilling to me though is that through my time at the school we've had about 8-10 new guys coming on Wednesdays. Three of them have gotten saved and I can see a HUGE difference in their lives already! God is awesome, and I am so thankful that He gives me opportunities like this to impact the lives of teens.
Got to hang out with a friend of mine from High School. Actually, we've been best friends since about 2nd Grade. He's in Pharmacy school @ Auburn (boo!). He's a super competitive, super intelligent, super funny guy. He was the person who knocked me down to Salutatorian in HS.
I have another best friend, Allen, who goes to school in Troy. Got to meet his girlfriend Rachel a couple of weeks ago when I went down to NB. They're doing a fantastic job volunteering as youth leaders at a church down in Enterprise.
Started a new sermon series on Wednesday nights. We're going through the entire book of 1 Corinthians verse-by-verse. This is a new experiment for me. It's going to take us about 25 - 30 weeks to finish. I am super-excited about it and believe that at the end, our youth ministry will look completely different.

Unfortunately, that's all the time I have for now. Hopefully there will be more tomorrow!

[I really have no idea what to title this] pt.2

2009-10-13T07:25:00.001-07:00

Here's the second video in the series from The People's Church...

Teenage Love Pt. 2 from People's Church on Vimeo.

[I really have no idea what to title this]

2009-10-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a video from People's Church in Oklahoma City advertising their upcoming series. I love it...

Teenage Love Promo from People's Church on Vimeo.

Just a Heads-Up

2009-09-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the LOOOOOONNNNNNG delay since my last post. With the new baby, helping with the VHS football teams, and a couple of sudden life-curveballs, it's been hard to get everything done. So blogging got pushed to the bottom of the pile.

It's still going to be a few weeks before I really get back in the swing of things as far as blogging is concerned. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into posting daily.

Benaiah Aiden

2009-08-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a weekend. This has definitely been one of the highlights of my life (as if you couldn't tell from the pictures :)) Amanda and I both apreciate all the prayers and for all the kind words/visits and gifts over the past few days.

I'll try to recap as best as I can (which really isn't all that good because words really can't describe ow great this has been):

Abouts 2am Saturday morning, Amanda woke up. She wasn't feeling well and she was having some spotting. She waited around til 2:30, but she was still spotting, so she woke me up. For the next half-hour, we tried to see if her condition would get better. We even called the OB/GYN, and he sayed we should be ok. Of course, Amanda was worried that something had happened to the baby. I knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she was able to talk to a doctor face-to-face. So we loaded up in the car and headed to Brookwood at 3:30.

When we left the house, I fully expected to be back home in just a short while. Amanda was not having contractions and the due date was over 2 weeks away.

When we got to the hospital (at 4) and got out of the car, Amanda froze in pain. I tried to pursuade her "Come on, we're here now. Let's just get inside teh door." We got inside and they put us in a room (probably because Amanda said, "I think we may be having a baby today.") We got in and when they hooked Amanda up to the contraction monitor and then checked to see if she had dialated. When they did, her water broke. And we discovered that the pain that Amanda had experienced in the parking lot was in fact a contraction. In fact, they were starting to come every 5 minutes or so. So our "quick trip" to calm our nerves turned into "Wow, we'll have our baby today!" :)

Our doctor was on vacation, so we met Dr. Gams who would be our substitute physician. After about 2 hours at the hospital, Amanda hadn't dialated any more, so they gave her a hormone that increased the rate of her contractions. She also got an epidural, so from about 5a on, she was pretty comfortable.

When they checked Amanda an hour later, she had dialated to 7cm. Every time they checked it got closer to the goal. By 11, she was at 9 1/2 cm (or so we thought)

About 12:45, the Dr. popped in again and checked to see if she made it to 10cm. But, he delievered some discouraging news: Amanda was not at 9 1/2, she was at 7, maybe 8 at best. He said that the labor had stalled out and that we would have to have a C-section.

There's a verse in Job that sums up how I felt in the moment: "I am terrified." That's actually probably an understatment, but I don't know if there's a strong-enough word to describe how I felt. I tried to be calm and brave because Amanda was even more shaken that I was (obviously). She had never had surgery at all--or even been admitted to a hospital. So that compounded the fear. They set the time for 1:30p to do the surgery.

During the down time, we tried to comfort each other. I got to put on my surgery scrubs. They wheeled Amanda back and came back to get me a little later. It was probably only 5 minutes, but it felt like 30. When I got to the operating room, they had Amanda sliced open. I got to sit at her head behind the curtain (thank God for that because I would have straight passed out). It took only 3 - 5 minutes and we heard the most wonderful sound I have ever heard. Little Benaiah Aiden was here (at 1:47p) and he was letting everyone know about it. Because he was a C-section baby, he had a lot more fluid in his lungs, so his first yell sounded like he was under water.

Amanda's cousin Amy--who works in the NICU at Brookwood--was in the room and was one of the nurses who handled the baby. She even got to give his official weight (7 lbs. 8 oz.). Then mommy got to hold the baby for the first time. Then daddy got to take him to the nursery to let everyone else see. Amanda's dad lucked up and found our path so he got a sneak peek.

After everyone got to see him through the window for a coule of minutes, we carried him to the recovery room, were the nursing staff gave him a bath, checked his temp., gave him a shot or two, measured him (21 1/2 in.), put medicine in his eyes, etc. Then Daddy and Aiden got to wait for mommy. About 20 minutes after we got in the recovery room, they wheeled mommy in and she REALLY got to hold baby.

We stayed in recovery for about 2 hours. I know it killed our family because they couldn't come back. Then at 4p we moved into our suite and the family got to see baby and Mommy for the first time.

So many other small things happened that would take too long to explain. But needless to say, we are overjoyed (an understatement indeed) to have little Benaiah Aiden with us. Also, August 1st happens to be my late grandmother's birthday. So God gave us a little poetic miracle in that too.

The Buffalo River... the end

2009-07-31T08:29:00.000-07:00

You can read the first two parts of this account here and here

When I woke up Friday morning, I had lost a lot of the desire to keep going. I had fun the day before, no doubt; but, now that I had slept all night (and watched as Jason and Robert fought off the army of raccoons that invaded our camp) I had stiffened up and really did not want to paddle more. Jason and I agreed that we should try to get to the end as fast as possible... and we did.

Too fast actually. We did not realize that our campsite was 2/3rds of the way to the end and thought we had to paddle as long as we did on day #1. Wrong! It took us only a couple of hours to get to the bridge where we could load back up on the church van. Had to wait about 2 more hours before everyone else caught up.

Once everyone did we all loaded up on the van and went back to the hotel. Ate some pizza... took a nap... ate some more (including frog legs for the first time ever!)... went to bed.

Woke up and helped load the van. Cranked up the big white bus and about the time we started getting in someone said, "Hey, what's that?" Couple of minutes later we determine that it is in fact gasoline. Diesel Gasoline in fact. As mentioned earlier we were at the end of the earth, so of course, no mechanic shop was open on Saturday except one across the border in Missouri. Yeah.

So a group of 4 brave souls--Shelby, Mark, Kenny, and Terry--stayed behind as the rest of us shoved off for Alabama. Ate lunch at an extremely hot Burger King in Memphis. Really thought we'd all die of heat stroke by the time we got to B'ham. But, we made it home.

It was great. Got to know some new people. And there's probably a whole lot that I've forgotten since a month ago...

Oh, well.

The Buffalo River pt.2

2009-07-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this post is WAAAAAYYY over due. But, here is part 2 of the post I began earlier chronicling my expedition to the Buffalo River in Arkansas.

You can read part 1 here.

We woke up early the next morning (Thursday, I think) and enjoyed a free breakfast at the before-mentioned Western Sizzlin'. Then we loaded up on the vans for another 45 minute trek through mountain roads and little towns. We arrived at the canoe rental place called Crazy Bill's. This immediately struck a little fear in my heart because I was in the presence of Buffalo Bill (compliments of Joe Dirt). We then were taken to a drop off point where we were picked up by a Crazy Bill's bus. They took us up river to the place where we would put in.

We got in. The water felt great. Saw a lot of fishermen not catching anything. Took a couple of swim breaks. Watched Robert jump off a 45 ft. cliff...twice. Thought Josh would be eaten by a moccasin. Enjoyed my Vienna's for lunch. Thank God for caramel popcorn or I would not have survived the trip.

Saw dozens of turtles sunbathing. Started to get sunburnt (not nearly as bad as Glenn and Devin). Finally made it to the campsite. Sat in the lagoon for hours. We were the 4th canoe to arrive (out of 8 or 9) and the last canoe came in about 4 hours after we arrived. Some people liked to stop and fish and swim a lot.

Cooked my hot dogs amongst a variety of foods--from beanie-weenies to pork chops that were 2 inches thick. Crawled in the tent and tried to go to sleep on my wet sleeping bag.

Pt. 3 tomorrow (hopefully)...

Insights from "The Monkey and the Fish"

2009-07-27T08:17:00.001-07:00

Just finished reading The Monkey and the Fish: Liquid Leadership for a Third-Culture Church by Dave Gibbons. This book really challenged me and it also reinforced some things that I already have been exposed to. Here are some excerpts:

"I believe that today God is calling us in the church to become a different kind of movement, known for our kisses of compassion rather than our condemnations."

"I think we {the church} are preoccupied with big."

"We cannot be fully human alone."

"...questions should lead us. Questions, not answers."

"'You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into the bottle, it become the bottle. You put it into a teapot and it becomes the teapot. The water can flow. The water can crash. Be water my friend' [Bruce Lee]"

"While an answer may fork in a specific situation, questions can guide us to the answers is all kinds of situations."

"Where is the other side of the tracks in your cit or region? In other words, who are the marginalized or the outsiders near you, people whom you feel pain for?"

"What will draw most of the world to Christ is not simply a prosperity gospel but a gospel that takes a real look at the beauty and the bane of suffering."

"Any worthy endeavor is constrained by our worst fears."

"Our {the church's} party should be the best.

"...create unity among diversity."

"We need to learn to walk in the blur and in the intersections of cultures, to bust the walls that separate us from a world of colliding cultures and generations, and the shifting of roles, responsibilities, and influence."

"All of the prejudices we've set up among cultures, among peoples of color, among backgrounds is so alien to the mind of Christ that it is the deepest kind of evil that I know. {Brennan Manning}"

The Greatest Wedding Entrance...EVER!

2009-07-24T12:03:00.001-07:00

Crap, why couldn't I think of this...?

7 Lessons on Parenting

2009-07-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

*Disclaimer: I found this pic on a Google search, this was not an experiment of mine

Ok, so I haven't had a lot of extra time to come up with my own posts this week, but there have been some AMAZING posts on other blogs that I read. I can't post every good thing I see, but in light of the baby that's almost here and my journey into fatherhood, this post spoke volumes to me:

(oh yeah, I found this on evotional.com. Mark Batterson's blog)

Can I take a little blog survey?

I ask this question of other parents all the time: what is the greatest lesson you've learned as a parent? Would love to hear about some of the lessons you've learned at different stages of parenting. Nothing ismore rewarding or more challenging than being a parent. We need to help each other out. I know it's tough to boil it down to one thing. So feel free to share a few lessons learned.

Here are seven lessons I've learned:

1) Your greatest failures as a parent can turn into your greatest successes IF you simply apologize. You are modeling one of the toughest skills to learn: how to handle mistakes.

2) A great marriage is one of the greatest gifts you can give your kids so focus on your marriage first and your kids second.

3) You create memories via engineering shared experiences. Be intentional about setting shared goals. Become a student of your kids. Learn to love what they love.

4) Parents are prophets. Don't just use your authority to speak correction into their lives. Use your authority to speak encouragementinto their lives. Otherwise you will become a prophet of doom.

5) We have a Heavenly Father who compensates for our parental weaknesses. So take a deep breath and relax a little. Even if you're a single parent, you're not alone. God will make up the difference!

6) One of the greatest gifts you can give your kids is time. A little one-on-one time opens channels of communication like nothing else. If you hang with them when they are young they'll want to hang with you when you're old.

7) If all else fails, teach your kids to say please, thank you, and sorry. Especially to God.

Stop Reading

2009-07-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a post from Stephen Furtick, Lead Pastor at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. This one really helps me out...

The following approach to reading has been freeing for me. Maybe it will liberate you too.

When you’re reading a book, and you lose interest, give yourself permission to stop reading. My goal in reading a book isn’t to finish. I read to learn. When my interest ceases, I figure that either I no longer care what the author is saying, or I already know it.

If I don’t care, I won’t learn, because my mind only processes and integrates information that it perceives as relevant.

If the information is redundant, there’s a good chance the author has squeezed a 10 page concept into a 200 page book. Once I’ve got the concept and enough application to get started, I’m ready to move on to something else. I may come back and finish the book later. I may not. There’s no book report due, so it’s up to me. This is one of the advantages of being a grown-up.

If I don’t understand the concept, my solution is the same: I need to stop reading. I’ll either read it again when my mind is fresh, or pick up a different book that explains the topic at a level that does pique my interest. I’m not in high school anymore, and I’m not working from a syllabus. Life’s too short to read stuff that’s too complicated or convoluted to capture my attention.

Of course, this rule does not apply to the reading of God’s Word. When it comes to the Bible, it’s usually the parts you want to read the least that change your life the most.

But if the book you’re reading isn’t the inerrant, inspired, infallible Word of the Lord, read until you lose interest.

Then stop.

Nice White Lady

2009-07-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

I hope no one gets offended...this was just too funny to pass up:

Friday Update

2009-07-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Well, everyone is off to Costa Rica for the next 9 days. I am the only staff pastor left behind. Part of me wishes I would've went, but at the same time I know I would be miserable right now--worrying about Amanda having the baby.

It's been a great day today. Strangely quiet, but I'll take it.

Just wanted to throw a quick promo out for this Sunday. The title of the message is:

"Hannah's Prayer"

I'm believing that it's going to be an awesome day. Though many will be gone ministering in Costa Rica, I believe that God will reward us as a church for the investment we've made. Maybe 50 people will go on the next missions trip!

The Monkey and the Fish

2009-07-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

So, one of the new books I'm reading is called, The Monkey and the Fish. I thought it was a rather strange title. It's about (Christian) leadership that is needed in our ever-changing culture today. I didn't take me long to figure out why the book is named what it is:

[From the Preface]:

A typhoon stranded a monkey on an island. In a protected place on the shore, while waiting for the raging waters to recede, he spotted a fish swimming against the current. It seemed to the monkey that the fish was struggling and needed assistance. Being of kind heart, the monkey resolved to help the fish.

A tree leaned precariously over the spot where the fish seemed to be struggling. At considerable risk to himself, the monkey moved far out on a limb, reached down, and snatched the fish fromhe waters. Scurrying back to the safety of his shelter, he carefully laid the fish on dry ground. For a few moments, the fish showed excitement but soon settled into a restful peace.

--An Eastern Parable.

The monkey was genuine and compassionate, but his "help" did more damage than good. A lot of times, we as Christians and leaders within the church respond--out of good motives and compassion--to what we perceive are needs, when in reality our "help" leads to death and destruction.

I could've stopped reading the book after this and had a deeper understanding of our need to meet people's needs in ways that matter to them, and not what we think is best.

When I finish (which shouldn't be too long, if the rest of the book is this good), I will share more.

Update

2009-07-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

It's definitely been a up-and-down ride the past couple of weeks. I thought going into this summer that it would be a little more calm...no teaching every week of camp; no kids camp. But, I was wrong. This summer is also filled with personal tragedy (and NOT because MJ died).

Couple of weeks ago I went to the Buffalo River. Yes, I know, I never finished telling the story. Maybe when I get caught up on all the stuff I've missed the last three weeks, I'll finish.

Had an awesome time at youth camp. As expected, God did amazing things (hmm, maybe there's something about our level of expectation and God's reaction to it?).

Then I received some bad news this past Monday. My grandmother (Gammy as I call her) had to be hospitalized. She was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia back in March. In this form, her white cell counts were extremely low (as opposed to extremely high with most types of the disease). Of course, no white blood cells = no immune system; so, she had infection set in her kidneys that soon spread to her blood. Her spleen had also swollen.

By the time I got to the hospital Wednesday morning, she looked like a ghost. Fortunately, she still had the strength to communicate with me. We told each other "I love you," and she told me to "keep loving the Lord." From then on I witnesses a rapid decline. By Thursday (she got to come home under hospice care Wed. afternoon), she mostly just slept. By Thur. night, she couldn't talk with us anymore--just grunts. That night, we all stayed at her and my granddad's (Gangy) house. At 2:40am my mom's sister, Gina, came and woke me up. By the time I got to the bedroom where my Gammy laid, she was no longer breathing.

We had a memorial viewing on Saturday night at Sorrells Funeral Home in Enterprise (Great People). Over 200 people came to visit. Even more people showed up Sunday afternoon for the funeral. And then her body was committed to the ground in Old Tabernacle Cemetery...across the street from the church she grew up in (and that I went to in high school).

Please remember my family--especially my granddad--in your prayers. For all of you who have lost someone close, you know why.

I'll hopefully get back into the rhythm of regular blogging over the next week or so.

A Hot Day, An Army of Racoons, and a Broken Van

2009-06-24T09:19:00.001-07:00

Been a long time since I've blogged last. [Sorry for the delay]. Last week, I went on the EDGE Men's trip to the Buffalo River. I will attempt to chronicle this great adventure below.

We left on Wednesday (June 17) at 8 in the morning. I [very wisely] chose to ride in the huge white bus--which now has a small narrative of its own, but that's for later. The air worked like 10x better than the A/C on the silver bullet. Had a great time texting Josh and Josh (Acker and Sims) about everything...from indoor plumbing to what if GW was still prez. Played on Josh A.'s iPod Touch. He has the dumbest, and yet oddly fun, apps possible.

Stopped in Hamilton, AL for a rest break (took Robert a while to figure this one out, despite the HUGE water tower). Saw a great advertisement at the Gas Station for "Dipped Ice Cream." [yumm] Resisted the urge to buy those great chicken fingers and massive potato wedges. Back on the road.

Stopped in Olive Branch, MS--home of former UA player Jimmy Johns--for lunch at Chic-fil-a. Took over driving for Pastor Mike for what would seem like several days. The A/C became decreasingly effective the hotter the day got. Drove around Memphis. Not nearly as impressive as I thought. The Pyramid and the Old School iron bridge over the mighty Mississippi were cool though. I've never seen so many 18-wheelers in one place in my entire life. Guess Memphis really is the shipping capital of the US.

Crossed into Arkansas for the first time in my life. Must say that it lived up to expectations--which weren't much (in defense of Hog Nation, I didn't visit any major cities, like Little Rock. Plus, Jonesboro was nice). In the southern part of the state, nothing but flatness and rice fields. In the north nothing but mountains and towns with populations hovering around the 600 mark (which even by Vincent/New Brockton standards is tiny!)

Asked for Jason and Terry, who were in the lead van, to pull over for a water break. They insisted that we were almost there. Two hours and 10 towns later, we arrived in Mountain Home, AR...population 10,000. Went to Wal-Mart where everyone in that town + us decided at the SAME EXACT TIME to buy a fishing license (which was a complete waste of $11 for me). Josh A convinced a sales associate that he really believed we were in Canada. Somewhere Tim Abbott is still laughing.

Left and went to the Ramada Inn and Convention Center, which from the outside looked like a roach motel, but once inside we found nice, large rooms that were all built around a ballroom and the biggest hotel pool I've ever seen. You could even dive in (well you weren't supposed to, but it was 9 ft. deep).

Tried to get dinner at Western Sizzlin' at 8:05pm. Unfortunately, we forgot how far away from civilization we were, as the restaurant had closed at 8:00. Let that sink in. Crossed the parking lot to Pizza Hut. Enjoyed a great Meat Lovers'. Then it was back to the room to get a good night's sleep before the trek down the Buffalo. Started missing Amanda and the baby...a lot. Didn't sleep real well.

...to be continued...

2009-06-10T09:39:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been a couple of days since my last post, for which I apologize. My computer at the church bit the dust (yes, it was a PC). Making matters worse is that my hard drive was completely shot, meaning I lost ALL of my files (I know, I'm stupid for not having everything backed up). I miss my iTunes the most.

I was hoping that maybe this was my chance to upgrade to a Mac, or at least get a pc laptop, but unfortunately Geek Squad can fix my computer (excluding the files, of course) for less than a new computer.

So, my posts may be a little sporadic over the next couple of days until I can get my computer running smoothly again.

Lessons from a Rant...

2009-06-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the rest of my rant (you can read the first post here):

I believe there are a lot of things we (churches) can learn from businesses--both from their successes and, in this case, their screw-ups. Here are some points I learned from this whole experience:

1) Make sure you have enough room for people. It can be intimidating and frustrating to enter an unfamiliar place and feel like you are in the way. I've been in churches where I always felt like I was in someone's way. Make sure that you have plenty of space for people to mingle and for relationships to be forged.

2) Perception is reality. The reality of both of the restaurants I attended was that they were successful. The Taco Bell had several plaques awarding their accomplishments over the past consecutive years. However, my experience outweighed any good that they were doing. My thoughts and emotions are what formed my opinion, not how successful the restaurant may have been. We have to remember that no matter how successful we may consider ourselves, no matter how many great pastors we've had, or how much we've given to missions...people are going to form an opinion based on what they experience--whether that is just a perception or actual reality.

3) Make sure you let people know that you want them there. Don't be phony or plasticky, but do what you can to let people know that you care about them and want them to be in your church. Make sure the carpet and bathrooms are clean. Leave out some peppermints for people to grab. Have greeters and ushers and parking attendants to show people where to go. And most importantly, teach your people to be friendly and loving and full of grace to EVERYONE who enters your church.

A Rant Against the Restaurants of Dothan

2009-06-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

[bends over to look under table]

[pulls out soapbox]

[stands on soapbox and begins to speak]

I have something to say.

The restaurants in Dothan, Alabama are terrible! It is absurd at how miserable a job these places run their "organization" (hard to call it that because I saw little of anything resembling organized). Visiting my father the past two days, who was in the hospital with chest pains--he's ok by the way, no heart problems--I had to eat twice (well sort of 3 times) at food establishments in Dothan. With the exception of McDonald's (which is odd because usually McD's usually has awful service), who did a fantastic job (my food arrived quick and correct) all of the restaurants failed me miserably.

Here's some of my complaints:

1) Make sure you get the order right. If you don't give people what they want, especially when they've invested the time and money to get to your place, you are failing as a business. Of the 5 items (excluding drinks) that we ordered at Taco Bell, 4 of them were wrong. Captain D's did little better, forgetting my extra fries and that I ordered with a coupon. Now, Taco Bell saved a little face be replacing my whole order for free (and much quicker than the first order came up).

2) If you expect large volumes of people, have space for them. I've never been diagnosed as a claustrophobic, and I've never noticed myself having a problem with small spaces--until this weekend. Apparently if I'm in a tight space with a lot of people around me talking loudly and moving back and forth, I get a little frazzled. I would have never known this, however, if only TB and CD offered a little more space to wait on your food.

3) Restaurants are the face of the city they are in. Oftentimes, a restaurant is the first impression a person has of a city. Now, I've been to Dothan a lot in my life, and I would never take a vacation there because of how close I grew up to it, but I thought to myself in those crowded, poor service restaurants how I would never want to visit this city based on the impression I got in the restaurant. It's amazing. It's not like the Visitor's Bureau of Dothan runs the restaurants (maybe they should). But I unfairly (but matter-of-factly) have a negative impression of Dothan because of two restaurants!

4) Customer service is HUGE. If you want people to hang around you, or your business, you need to treat them like royalty. At the new Waffle House in Harpersville, they open the door for you and welcome you to a fully-staffed, fully clean restaurant (granted, it is new, but still). Even though I'd rather have the steak and eggs at Huddle House, the experience at Waffle House is enough to draw me back. Conversely, the experience I had at CD's and TB in Dothan made me never want to go to those two stores ever again.

Now, maybe you've noticed or not, this has a correlation with churches, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what...

Friday Download

2009-05-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a few ADD/shotgun thoughts for you:

Amanda and I still don't know what our baby is going to be. On the bright side (for her anyway), she gave blood for the last time!
Youth Camp is coming up really fast. I love Camp, despite the extreme fatigue that I will have to fight off on the drive home.
The CM Camp will be this weekend. We're going to my old stomping ground: Coffee County. We'll be ministering in the service at my granddad's church Sunday night, then doing our own thing the next two days.
I am convinced that the kids of VRC are great. Wouldn't trade them for anyone else.
I've already started working on the soulimpact calendar for next year. I'm hoping to have it completely (well the big stuff anyway) finished by August.
This July, we're going to be having "Open Mic" nights in youth. It will be an opportunity for the teenagers to get up and say what they feel God wants them to say.
I'll be using July to study up and plan out the preaching calendar for 2010. I've already got some ideas, but I'm going to do my best to get a lot of background stuff done.
School's just gotten out and I'm already excited about the next school year. We've got some pretty cool stuff planned (including a water-ballooning). It's going to be awesome

Uninspired Blog Posts

2009-05-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

It's been several days since my last post (for which I apologize). But, to be honest, I am having a little trouble finding something inspired to write about. Most of the things that pop up in my head are pretty lame and would be a waste of both yours and my time.

So, I have a question: "How do you overcome un-inspiration?" What do you do when you feel creatively empty to refill the tank?

The Office Season 5 Finale

2009-05-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Weekly Update

2009-05-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally managed to get back on a "normal" schedule. For whatever reason, I had gotten completely out of sync and it was driving me crazy. Good to feel ahead of the game this week.

Speaking of this week: it's really busy. I'm exploding with excitement about tomorrow night's service. We always try to do something huge at the end of school. Last year we really didn't, but this year we're bringing crazy back. Rented some of those Sumo Wrestler costumes so everyone can Sumo Wrestle. It's going to be hilarious. Worship will be awesome and the message has already been a fun one for me. With all the info I was able to dig up, I could have made a VERY, VERY, long sermon. But I was able to deny the Teacher within and cut it down to what's most important (I think this is a desirable trait of a pastor).

I'll be in the office (or around somewhere, working) Thursday and then hittin' up graduation that night @ 7p. Congrats to Codie's brother Chase for achieving Valedictorian. I always get nostalgic at this time of year.

After graduation is over, we're bee-lining for my parents house. First thing Friday, we're making the quick drive from my parents to PC Beach. After an exhausting day, we'll head back to my parents and spend Saturday with them. Then we'll be back for Sunday.

Busy week. Exciting week. Exhausting week. It's going to be great!

What about you? What's your week shaping up to be?

Mac Strikes Back...Again

2009-05-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not know this, I'm a Mac. Ok, that's not entirely true, because I don't actually own a Mac right now. But, I absolutely love them. A few months back I thought my office computer crashed and I was pumped because I thought I would be able to replace it with a Macbook (unfortunately it hadn't crashed, it was just moving really slow).

The folks over at Apple are marketing geniuses. My favorites are the "Hello, I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC" bits. Recently PC fought back by showing all these commercials of regular folk shopping for computers and choosing PCs. PC always seems to be a step behind these days. Well, their commercials irritated Apple, and when they retaliate, they go for the throat:

Apple ads - Elimination from Scyther on Vimeo.

Drive-By Evangelism

2009-05-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

This post was inspired by--of all things--a lightbulb. This morning as I searched for a lightbulb to replace the blown one in the children's pastor's office, I found hundred of old bulbs in storage. These bulbs were special though; they were part of an old "evangelism" effort.

I know this for two reasons:

#1) They had a little poem attached to them with the church's service times and phone no.

AND

#2) Because, when I was in High School, we did the exact, same evangelism idea.

I very vividly remember the outreach. The Assemblies of God declared a nationwide Outreach month (or day) and sent a letter of potential outreach ideas. The one my church partook in was giving people lightbulbs and inviting them to church. Being the naive and energized teenager I was, I thought it was a great idea and risked life and limb (I was surrounded by three rottweilers at one man's house, who didn't seem to happy for me to be near their owner). We even had a little catch-phrase: "Just like these bulbs give light, so Jesus is the Light of the world. We hope to see you Sunday." Then we'd get back in the car and go to the next victim.

Now, having gained a little more perspective, I realize how horrid an idea this was. It's like evangelism drive-by. You stop by someone's house, whom you've never met, throw a lightbulb in his/her hands, say a witty (or not-so-witty) poem or invite, hop back in the car and take off. Exchange the bulbs for guns and what do you have...? A drive-by.

The thing is, drive-by evangelism rarely works. More times than not, a person whom you have no relationship with will not respond to your frail attempts to "save" them.

The reality is that evangelism is best served in the context of relationships. Now that doesn't mean you can't share the Gospel with people unless they're one of your closest friends, but it does mean that people don't want to be handled--they want to be loved. Evangelism drive-by makes people think that all you want is to bolster your attendance numbers and raise the offering. But, when you develop a genuine relationship--even a small one--in which the person knows that you care for them, you now have fertile ground in which to plant seeds of the Gospel.

Easter Egg Hunts, Fall Festivals, even door-to-door invites cannot replace people sharing the work that God has done/is doing in their lives, with the people they have relationship with (not that those things are bad, just less effective). If the church is to grow, it will grow through the relationships we have with other people.

Let your light shine!

When People Let You Down

2009-05-12T06:51:00.001-07:00

In light of the new controversy surrounding Miss California (click here for article), I wanted to get on my soapbox for a minute.

First off, shame on me for being quick to jump the gun. When I first saw that she had "nude" pics, I was angry. Angry, not because she failed or sinned, but because I was now going to once again be labeled a hypocrite because a "Christian" had a double life. But, now the info I'm reading is saying that these were less severe (but still wrong) pics that she took way back when (maybe she wasn't saved then, who knows?).

Second, this just goes to show that you cannot put your trust in men (or women). Time after time we--especially those of the Christian community--build people up into superheroes. We put expectations and labels on them that they could NEVER live up to. And when they fail, we get ticked off and angry because they made us look bad.

It's not like God didn't give us a heads-up on this. Psalm 146.3-4 says, "Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing." And yet we do it every time. Think of all the men and women who have failed, especially people who were considered the "face of the Church" [which is a-whole-nother blog post]. Jimmy Swaggert, Jim Bakker, Ted Haggard. The list could go on and on, but the story is ultimately the same. Person comes along to do good, people make them a god (despite the warning from Psalms), they crack under pressure and do something really, really dumb, people get ticked and begin looking for the next hero.

So the lesson of all this is simple: Don't build people up to be more than they are. In one way or another they will let you down (hey they're just human too!). There is only one God in whom we can have full confidence that He will never fail us. We need to make sure that our trust and hope is in Him.

Blog Repost

2009-05-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

In my morning digest of blogs, I found a very interesting article from Brad Leach commenting on a leadership team meeting he had at his church last night. They were looking at some of the things the church needs/to be aware of during our current economic crisis. You can read the whole post here.

Here are some highlights:

Awareness: The church (which is the people) can't meet each other's needs if they don't know what those needs are. We talked about developing a website, a catalog, or even a simple bulletin board where people can post their needs as well as the resources they have available to help others (finances, talents, skills, time, etc). I think small groups become even more critical, since they are an intimate setting in which people can be real about their needs in relationship with people who are committed to lifting each other up.

Practical Discipleship: When money is tight we've got to teach people to live on less. That means teaching on budgeting, cooking, and strategic shopping (fancy word for coupons). We can do classes, but I think the better approach is life on life mentoring.

Partnership: If the economy continues to struggle for some time, it will become more and more important for churches to cooperate by sharing resources rather than competing for them.

Hope: The Great Depression didn't just refer to a depressed economy. The term describes what happens to people emotionally. It is obvious that problems like disappointment, depression, fear, anxiety, and hopelessness are on the rise in our city. This is an opportunity for the church because we're hope dealers. It's time for a hope campaign.

Thanksgiving: If you focus on your problems long enough you start to think that's all there is. But let's be honest. Even in a recession we've got it better than most of the world. We're surrounded every day by real, tangible, gifts from God. It's time to stop complaining and start drawing closer to Jesus through praise and thanksgiving.

A Life Lived Fully

2009-05-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the privilege to take part in remembering an awesome woman of God. Mary Edgar is one of my heroes of faith. I can remember when I started attending youth group at El Bethel, how she would sit in services on Sundays, and--no lie--pray the entire service (mostly in tongues too, I think). She had such a passion.

But her story is so much more than that.

Though she came from a small town (or really out in the woods from a small town), she had a global impact. During her lifetime she went on 20 missions trips. She also had a passion for teenagers, serving with our District's Youth Camps for over 30 years. The stories I've heard (which probably come nowhere near accurately describing the impact of her life) of how she would pray and cry and laugh with people all over the world amazes me.

Sometimes, we buy into Satan's lie that we cannot do anything to change the world. We feel unusable. But, no matter where we're from, no matter how badly we may have screwed up in the past, no matter who are family is...we can still be used by God to bring healing to a broken world.

Maw Al did.

And if a woman from a little church outside a little town with no formal ministry training, can make such a GLOBAL impact, then surely you and I can too.

May her memory live on forever in our thoughts and deeds.

My First Award

2009-05-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I received my first "blogger award" the other day from Codie. There are a couple of rules involved with this one though:

1. You have to write about 7 things that you love.

2. You have to give the award to 7 other people.

Unfortunately, most of the blogs I read are from people who have no clue who I am--mostly pastors from across the country. Of the people I do know, who I could give the award too, Codie already stole them. So, I guess I'll have to settle for rule #1.

1. Jesus, my Lord

2. My wife, Amanda

3. My baby. We don't know if it's a boy or girl, but either way I love them with all my heart!

4. The Office. Best Comedy Show Ever.

5. Chinese and Mexican food

6. Football

7. Basketball

8. Ministry

9. Nerdy TV Shows (Discovery, History, etc.)

10. Car Washes (just kidding; I absolutely abhor car washes)

100th Post

2009-04-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally reached my 100th post. I know it's supposed to be a big deal...giveaways, great thoughts, etc., but I've been suffering from bloggers' block recently, so this will have to do:

District Council 09

2009-04-21T06:25:00.000-07:00

As a member of the Assemblies of God, I am a part of a larger network of pastor's and believers. Each year people from all over our District (Alabama) gather together for several days of worship, teaching, and business meetings :(. This year's council was much different than any I have ever been to. And I must say that I am proud to be a part of the Alabama District Council of the Assemblies of God. Here are some reasons why:

Electing Ken Draughon as District Superintendent (his role is similar to the pastor in a local congregation). Ken's a great guy, has a very successful track record--both as a pastor and as World Missions Director, and seems to have a very progressive outlook (he's on facebook for crying out loud:) I've gotten to know him a little through a program called NavNet that he mentors. Really looking forward to the new direction he'll give to our District.

Forming a Self-Study Team. I know this seems trivial, but in a state where I would argue MOST pastors are not forward-thinking, to agree to form a team to see if what we are doing is working, AND if it's not, to figure out how to improve...it's a pretty big deal.

Apollos and Timothy. I know Alabama is not really know for it's education system (at least not in a good way). But both of these initiatives are designed to help pastors (who don't get paid a lot) pay for the rising costs of college and continuing education. According to my sources, we are the first (or at least one of the first) districts to offer anything like this (as much 100% payment of student loans or continuing education costs). Imagine that...Alabama leading the way in education :)

There are some exciting days on the horizon for our fellowship of believers. I look forward to a newer, deeper partnership as we strive to reach a lost and broken world.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

2009-04-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

Susan Boyle Sings on Britain's Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 @ Yahoo! Video

...Do not consider his appearance or his height...The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16.7

Oh, Easter

2009-04-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend should, without a doubt, be the biggest weekend in Christianity. I'm afraid that in America Christmas and the materialism that comes along with it has overshadowed Easter. Nonetheless, it's huge. People are somehow drawn to the spiritual nature within and around each of us like they are not through the rest of the year. People make their yearly pilgrimage to a local church...hopefully to open arms and hearts and to hear a message of sorrow, hope, joy, humility, generosity, loneliness, power, meekness, etc.

As a pastor, Easter is a huge weight of programming, planning, prayer, anticipation, stress, and so forth. The amount of hours that are invested in the Easter Egg Hunt -and- the Easter Celebration Service are beyond belief. It is, however, a great joy to see the light in people's eyes, to see people touched/transformed/saved, and to see families have hope again.

Maybe we don't give Easter enough attention, maybe we do. But no matter what, if it recalibrates our spirits to line up with our Redeemer's once again, then it was worth it all.

I Remained Silent

2009-04-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

*In a world of injustice, what will you choose to do?

FIRST THEY CAME

attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
An early supporter of Hitler, by 1934 Niemöller had come to oppose the Nazis, and it was largely his high connections to influential and wealthy businessmen that saved him until 1937, after which he was imprisoned, eventually at Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps.

Daily Double

2009-04-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a quote from the book I'm reading, Taking Our Cities for God [it's actually not creepily militant as it sounds]. It really enlightens the post I made earlier today.

"Those statistics are actually people known intimately by [Jesus]."

Mind Boggling

2009-04-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

So I found this website that contains an item called the World Clock. It's a pretty interesting tool. It shows you stats (including births and deaths and total population) from across the globe. It can be broken down into different categories like Year, Month, Week, etc. It's also a sobering reminder of our mission. In the time it took my to type up this post 133 people were born but 51 died.

Check it out:

http://peterrussell.dreamhosters.com/Odds/WorldClock.php

Created in His Image

2009-04-01T08:04:00.001-07:00

If we agree that God is a creative God, then surely we are creative too.

Genesis 1.26-27: Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..."So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

The writer of this passage really wants us to understand that we are created in God's image. Really, really badly. He repeats it in a span of two sentences 3 times. And if we are created in God's image, that means we are creative like God. Now, yes, there are differences. We can only create physical things based on stuff He created (ex: glass from sand). But that creative desire/ability is in all of us in one way or another. Just because you can't draw or paint or compose doesn't mean you lack creativity. You may be the most creative budgeter ever. Or the most creative Life Group teacher. Creativity is not simply limited to arts, it pops up in everything we do--eating, working, shopping, paying bills, playing with the kids.

So the next time someone asks if you are a creative person, tell them, "YES!"

Serving a Creative God

2009-03-31T06:16:00.001-07:00

I believe that most people forget that we serve a creative God. The Bible narrative begins with a poem about Creation. "In the beginning God created." Now let's just stop here for a minute. Just think about some of the beauty you see around you. Try to push through the images of concrete and steel and remember the drive past the pond, or the squirrel running up the tree. Think of all the beauty around you. If you are sitting near a window, peak out and see all that's beautiful around you.

If you've ever seen the documentary Planet Earth or seen something like it, then you know how much beauty there is in our world. GOD CREATED IT ALL!

What makes this feat even more amazing is that He did it all with NOTHING! We can create beautiful things--if we're given the right tools. But to create something out of literally nothing--no supplies, no preexisting context or frame of reference...?!?! Simply amazing. God is so creative that He looked out over nothing and from within Himself He brought out all that we see. WOW!

Creativity in the Church

2009-03-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a church that was, for lack of a better term, old-school. The church I went to in high school was old-school (the youth service was very relevant and so you can imagine the problems that emerged between the two philosophies). The good thing about growing up in churches like this is that it gives you a deep theological background. The bad thing is that you don't get to see creativity exhibited.

As crazy as it may be, there actually is a debate about creativity in the church (though not a verbal one, unless you are Stephen L. Anderson). In a lot of "old-school" churches there isn't a lot of room for creative expressions. Most churches in the US don't have a band--and most of them probably believe that it is wrong to do so. Musical talent is ignored because it seems to "worldly" (I will make an exception for Church of Christ. Through I disagree with them, they have a theological reasoning for their belief in "no-instruments" praise. I can respect that and agree to disagree).

Now that I'm a part of a church that provides an environment for progressive, creative thinking, it's really showed me how important creativity is to our faith. For the next couple of days, I want to share with you some of the things I've learned about creativity and its relation to our faith.

Tomorrow: "Serving a Creative God"

No More Excuses

2009-03-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

After watching this I'll never make nor take an excuse for wanting to be able to play an instrument but it being too hard...

Friday Download

2009-03-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

What a week it's been. Here's a recap of a week that has flown by:

Visited Kingwood Church in Alabaster Sunday. Had a great time. Love the people there. Several of their staff have invested a lot in our church and I for one am very grateful for their efforts/sacrifice.
My brother, Daniel, came up Monday to stay with Amanda and me for Spring Break. Pretty amazing what God is doing in his life. Just wish I would have started living for God at that age.
Filled out my tournament bracket. So far I'm 12 for 16 (not all that good). I have a tendency to try to pick too many upsets. Of course, I didn't help that favorite Clemson got beat by Michigan of all teams. Their basketball team suffers from the same "do-awesome-the-first-half-0f-the-season-and-then-completely-melt-down" thing that their football team usually does.
Got to help some of the youth make a video for Fine Arts. I may be a little biased, but I'd be surprised if it didn't advance to Nationals.
Had a great service Wednesday night. There wasn't a whole lot of people there (Spring Break), but the worship was very powerful and raw and I felt like the teaching/preaching time went well.
I tried something new with my sermon this week. At the end, before I gave an altar call, I opened it up for Q+A. It's easy for people to get lost even when you think you've covered all the bases. Teens get to ask questions everywhere except church...so why not let them be more informed about spiritual things?
Went bowling with Amanda and Daniel. I had a pretty decent second game--for me anyway. I think the baby was throwing Amanda off because her bowling ball kept veering all over the place.
This pregnancy is going be really fast. I thought it would take forever. But it's already almost here. Yes!
Got to watch some NCAA tournament action last night. Thought American was going to pull off the upset but in the end we see why Villanova was a 3-seed and they were a 14-seed. Great teams always find a way to win games.

The WAY of Christ pt. 3

2009-03-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

The concept of way doesn't just refer to us living our lives. It also shows how following Christ means allowing Him to change our world-view. Here's another definition for "hodos" (Greek for way):

a course of conduct
a way (i.e. manner) of thinking, feeling, deciding

Following the way of Jesus means that our sinful nature has been transformed to be like His Spirit nature (Galatians 5). It holds to the thought that sin is not simply just something we do (i.e. adultery, murder, stealing), but it a part of our nature...a part of who we are. We have been conditioned by sin to react through a sin lens. However, once we begin following the way of Christ (having asked Him to forgive us and transform us) we move away from the sinful nature (Paul called it crucifying the flesh) and become more like Him.

The WAY of Christ pt. 2

2009-03-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

John 14:6:Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me

The Greek word for "way" in Jesus' statement is hodos. It can be translated a couple of different ways (two of which we'll look at next time), but one of them is a travellers way, journey, traveling. In his own words, Christ is painting a picture for us of what it means to be "Christian." It's the picture of a man traveling to a distant land. It the image of a woman, with her backpack on her pack, climbing through a mountain range. Christianity is not a static existence. It really isn't a noun. It's a verb. It's something we do and something we are. To be Christian means that you are a traveler on your way to become more like Christ--to go where the Holy Spirit leads and to do the work of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Pt.3 -- The WAY and Our Minds

The WAY of Christ pt.1

2009-03-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

For the next couple of posts I want to share a little of what God has been teaching me through various avenues here lately. Modern Christianity seems to have become more focused on events or what I like to call "one shot deals" (ex. altar/salvation call, "getting saved,"). Though there is some validity to these claims (most people can mark the moment when the actually began following Jesus), it fails to capture all that our faith encompasses.

Being a Christian is not about signing a card or reaching different goal levels (salvation, baptism, being filled with the Spirit, making it to heaven); rather, it is a way we live life. Instead of being ends, things like baptism and being filled with the Spirit are simply markers on our spiritual journey the reaffirm the work that God is doing in our lives as we follow His way.

More next Monday!

Chuck Turned 69

2009-03-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

So Chuck Norris turned 69 yesterday. But, what was he like in his younger, pre- Walker Texas Ranger days?...

Finding the Sweet Spot

2009-03-10T09:30:00.001-07:00

I am by no means a baseball player. The one year I played (5th Grade) I had a .000 batting average. I generally love to watch and play, and I usually understand sports of all kinds: football, basketball, golf, ultimate frisbee, tennis, etc. But I'm not particularly fond of baseball. I know that saying that as a resident of Vincent is on par with blasphemy, but that's the way it is.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for America's Game (let's be honest, baseball hasn't been America's game for at least a decade--thanks NFL and March Madness), I do understand some concepts. One of those is the "sweet spot." It's the place on a bat that provides the best power, acceleration, etc. that leads to greater hitting distance (i.e. more homeruns). But, the sweet spot isn't all over the bat. In fact it's just in...a spot. There's a balance between the regular spots and the bad spots and at the center of that balance is where you want to be.

Ministry is very similar. So is faith. There is a danger than I believe almost ALL ministries and believers fall into of going too far in one direction. All grace or no grace. Meeting on Sundays vs. never meeting. Republican or Democrat. Faith or works. Most disciples gravitate toward one extreme or another. My desire (although it is a great struggle for me) is to be balanced--to find that sweet spot that is the right location between two extremes. I think that's what God meant be "narrow [is] the road that leads to life." (Matthew 7.14)

So I guess the moral of the story, or the challenge is this: to find the sweet spot in your faith. Don't be blown back and forth between two extremes, but find that balanced, narrow sweet spot where God desire you (and me) to be.

Repost: Imagination and Creativity

2009-03-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

This was on Stephen Furtick's blog (he's the pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC, the 2nd fastest growing church in the US):

Let’s define creative. Cause it seems like to me that the way we often use the term in church work today misses the point.

Some people fancy themselves as being “creative”, or ”creative-types” because they have a lot of ideas. Cool. You have ideas.
So does my 3 year old.
That doesn’t make you creative.
An idea without implementation isn’t creation.
It’s imagination.

By definition, being creative requires that you create something.
True creative people don’t just dream it-they do it…or oversee the strategy to get it done.
True creativity results in a product. Not just an idea.

We’ve all met people who shy away from the hard work of action steps because they “don’t do the details”. They’re “more into the creative side of things”.
But as far as I can tell, the Chief Creator didn’t just think about light, stars, and human life…the proof of His creativity is the tangible detailed expression of His vision.

That’s what I appreciate so much about our creative team at Elevation.
They imagine-then they implement.
Otherwise, they know they’d just be playing make believe.
And we don’t give paychecks to big boys and girls for playing make believe.

What will you create today?
Don’t settle for conceptualization. Bring it into existence.

Forwarded Emails

2009-03-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Generally speaking, I hate forwarded emails. I don't really care about how many different ways a cat can smile or a kid can describe clouds. I especially hate the Christian chain-mail ones that threaten you with "if you don't forward this to 37 friends, they'll all die and burn in hell!"

But, I did receive this one from Angie. I have to say this is pretty funny.

Be Careful Out There:

IDIOT SIGHTING:
We had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large' enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, 'Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower.' I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, 'NO, it's not.' Four is larger than two..'

We haven't used Sears repair since.

IDIOT SIGHTING:

My daughter and I went through the McDonald's take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter. She said, 'you gave me too much money.' I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back.' She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said 'We're sorry but they could not do that kind of thing.' The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and 75 cents in change..

Do not confuse the clerks at McD's.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: 'Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.'

From Kingman, KS ...

IDIOT SIGHTING IN FOOD SERVICE:
My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.' He said he was sorry, but they only had iceburg lettuce.
From Kansas City

IDIOT SIGHTING:
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, 'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?' To which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?' He smiled knowingly and nodded,
'That's why we ask.'

Happened in Birmingham , Ala.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, 'What on earth are blind people doing driving?!'

She was a probation officer in Wichita , KS

IDIOT SIGHTING:
At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker. She was leaving the company due to 'downsizing.' Our manager commented cheerfully, 'This is fun. We should do this more often.' Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.

This was a lunch at Texas Instruments.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on.

A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office, no less.

IDIOT SIGHTING:

When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. 'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'its open!' His reply, 'I know. I already got that side.'

This was at the Ford dealership in Canton, MS

STAY ALERT!

They walk among us... and they VOTE and they REPRODUCE

New Reads

2009-02-26T12:28:00.001-08:00

So, one of the coolest things about my trip to West Monroe is that the pastor hooked me up with a free book. Giving me a free book (that's interesting--no thanks Chic-fil-A) or free music or free Starbucks immediately moves you up my "favorite people list." I cannot wait for this book it looks great:

I'm also looking forward to reading When the Spirit Speaks by Warren D. Bullock and this book:

As soon as I finish up the book I'm currently in (well one of the books I'm halfway through with) Finding Our Way Again by Brain McLaren, I'm diving into these great books.

On the Road Again

2009-02-23T08:58:00.001-08:00

Greetings everyone! It's Monday, the start of another great week (hopefully). Today is especially great for me because I'm getting ready to head to Louisiana.

I absolutely love to travel. Visiting new places--especially large cities, is one of my favorite things. I could travel for a living (anyone willing to pay me to visit places, please leave your name and contact info :) I've never been to Louisiana, so I get to add a new state to the ones I've visited. Here's my list of places I've been:

Alabama

Georgia

Mississippi

Florida

Tennessee

Kentucky

Indiana

South Carolina

North Carolina

Virginia

West Virginia

Pennsylvania

Maryland

Washington D.C.

Colorado

Texas

Germany

...and now Louisiana

What about you? Where have you been? What are your favorites?

Babies Don't Quit

2009-02-18T07:26:00.000-08:00

"...I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18.3

I don't know if you are like me, but, there are somethings that Jesus says that don't make a whole lot of sense to me. Sometimes it would seem like--as a preacher--he would lose His mind. He has everyone going, and the crowds are drawn in and then *BAM* He hits them up with a line like "unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you cannot be my disciple." [John 6.53 paraphrased] And the thing that always gets me is that last line, "you cannot me my disciple." Almost every outlandish thing Jesus says is followed with that phrase.

I grew up with the general teaching that the living under the New Covenant was easier than the Old. I disagree with that. Yes, the Old had more technical things, but for the most part, they were doable (just mundane). However, in the New, we're asked to do things that are basically impossible on our own. Here are a few examples:

You have heard that it was said...'do not murder'...(Old), But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother is subject to judgement (New).

You have heard that it was said, "Do not commit adultery.' (Old) But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery...(New)

The verse at the top falls into this category in my mind. How in the world are we supposed to become young again (unless of course you are Benjamin Button)? Why would we want to become like a child, AGAIN?

I think God answered that question (or at least part of it) for me the other night. On our way home from the Regional Tournament, the coach's daughter began walking up and down the bus (she's a little over 1 I think). She's still grasping the concept of walking, so she often fell. But when she did, she never cried, she didn't just lay there for ever. She'd always get back up. And then it hit me, "babies don't quit." They fall all the stinkin' time, the hit their heads on stuff, and they struggle at doing almost everything that we do without thinking. But they never quit. I think that's why Jesus used the illustration of becoming like a child to follow Him: because babies don't quit!

More Interesting Thoughts...

2009-02-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

First off, I want to say thanks to Ryan, Codie, and Kayla for their input on the last post. All were VERY good insights. If you haven't read them, check it out on my last post, "Why Salt?"

As promised, here's what I found (this is not my opinion, it's theologian Adam Clarke's):

Salt was the opposite to leaven, for it preserved from putrefaction and corruption, and signified the purity and persevering fidelity that were necessary in the worship of God. Every thing was seasoned with it, to signify the purity and perfection that should be extended through every part of the Divine service, and through the hearts and lives of God’s worshippers. It was called the salt of the covenant of God, because as salt is incorruptible, so was the covenant made with Abram, Isaac, Jacob, and the patriarchs, relative to the redemption of the world by the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ.

Here's another nugget of Scripture I found about a month back when I was reading Ecclesiastes [5.1,2]:

As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.

I think that we Pentecostal/Charismatics don't honor this part of God's Word. We believe in exuberant worship and clapping, dancing, shouting, etc. Don't get me wrong this are all good things and are also listed in the Bible as expressions of praise [Exodus 15.20, Psalm 126.2, 1 Samuel 4.5, Ezra 3.11]. But, I think we we fail (sin?) is forgetting the truth of this verse in Ecclesiastes. We need to realize that God is in heaven and we are just part of HIS Creation. So often we come in and offer God the first thing that pops in our minds and rush to make commitments to God that we never keep, when really He just desires for us to be in His Presence. We wonder why we don't hear from God, but maybe it's because He can't get a word in edgewise because we're singing, shouting, dancing, praying, etc.

This verse has really challenged me. I've tried to let me words be few in worship, and it's not easy. When you're used to constantly making noise and you try to stop that noise while everyone around you is still making it...well it's not easy.

I think I need to find the balance between exuberant and reflective praise; the balance between speaking and listening.

What about you? What do you think?

Why Salt?

2009-02-13T07:25:00.001-08:00

So I was reading in Leviticus (ch.2) last night when I stumbled upon a verse that has me a bit baffled. Here it is:

Leviticus 2.3: Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings.

Sometimes God asks things that don't make a lot of sense--especially in the OT (maybe its just b/c I've never been a Jew). Apparently, for some reason this salting is very important. But why?

I need your help. If you have ANY insight at all (no answer is too crazy), please comment me. Monday, I'll post what I found out...

Thanks for the help.

Basketball Tournament

2009-02-11T08:28:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Codie for the design.

Marriage...Ouch

2009-02-10T07:06:00.000-08:00

Whenever the topic of "marriage" comes up, my mind immediately turns to this great montage:

Then I found this video today (on Tony Morgan's blog). It's funny--but that awkward funny because you know it's true for tons of people. (Just a stat for you, 6 people I graduated with in 2005 with have either already divorced, or are in the process of).

My prayer is that I will NOT be this to my wife.

What's Your Favorite...?

2009-02-03T07:23:00.001-08:00

I've seen different versions of this question since I've followed blogs (which is a good bit longer than I've actually blogged). But I have a question:

"What bands/musicians/singers are your favorite?"

I love music, so I'd like to hear what you listen to...

Redemptive Themes

2009-02-02T07:23:00.001-08:00

So, I finally saw the Dark Knight Friday (yeah, I know, I'm WAAAAAAAY behind). First off I'd have to say that I LOVE the movie. I love the interpretation of what growing up was my favorite superhero. The characters, Gotham, the "culture", it all has an entirely different feel than the Tim Burton Batman movies.

One thing I love about great movies is how they are trying to show you something more than just a great movie. Many times, the best movies have undercurrents of Biblical themes: redemption, sacrifice, love, hypocrisy...the whole gamut. The Dark Knight follows suite.

I think the thing I loved the most about the Joker was how--even though he WAS psychotic and blood-thirsty, he was really just trying to show that everyone else was as evil as he was (and that maybe he wasn't that evil?). It can really be an eye-opener as to how corrupt people can be--especially when they are "pushed."

I wonder if a crazed-murder were to take over a church, and make the threats the Joker did, how would we respond? Would we show love and compassion--even at the cost of our own lives...even our families lives? Or, would we be just like everyone else and give in to save our skin?

If you've never seen the Dark Knight, I highly recommend it. Enjoy the beauty of the film...the creative interpretation...but also look at the lessons to be learned from it.

Thankful

2009-01-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

There are moments in my life where God's grace stands out more than others: the night I was saved, the day I was called into ministry, coming back from the hospital AFTER the gall-bladder attack and removal, and many others. This week definitely stands out:

First, the wreck. When I first got the calls about Tabatha and Sarah, they weren't good. Some reports were that Tab was unresponsive and Sarah's neck was broken (teenagers tend to overreact in these kinds of situations). Fortunately, they're both fine (banged up of course, but very much alive) and back home.

Second, we've been waiting for Amanda's Medicaid insurance to clear through. They sent it back to us once with "insufficient" proof of income. They also told us that it takes around 40 days to even hear ANYTHING [which would mean we would have had to pay for the first couple of doctor's visits :( ] Tuesday comes and we got our letter of approval. Go God!

Third, my leg. There's a lump on it, and to be honest I had no clue what it was. And of course the first thing that popped in my mind was "CANCER!" Went to the doctor and turns out it's just a ball of fat on top of a muscle. It poses no harm (even though it will never go away) whatsoever.

So, this week has definitely been one of those weeks that I hope to make an altar so that I'll remember it forever

"Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set in up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called the place Bethel (house of God), though the city used to be called Luz." Genesis 28.18-19

Everything is Meaningless

2009-01-27T09:13:00.000-08:00

The last 24 hours have really re-emphasized for me and for many around Vincent just how short life can be. Thankfully Tab, Sarah, and Kara are all going to be fine and were mostly just banged up real bad...but we so often get caught up in trivial matters:

*What clothes we're going to wear

*The test coming up in class

*What we're going to eat for dinner

*What we're going to do this weekend

My mind was turned to this Scripture in Ecclesiastes:

Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher. Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.

--[Ecclesiastes 1.2]

During times like these, we're are presented with what really matters in our lives:

God
Family
Friends
Life
Happiness
Health
A Beautiful Day (this one brought up compliments of Tab)

Thank you Lord for keeping the girls safe. Let our hearts return to you and let us enjoy all that is good in the world. Amen.

Learning from the Best

2009-01-26T09:38:00.001-08:00

I absolutely love new ideas. I could honestly sit around and do nothing be read different ideas and strategies and theories all day [I'm guessing this may be the reason I love blogs so much]. One of the books I'm reading right now is by Jeanne Mayo--one of the greatest, most experienced youth pastors around--called "Thriving Youth Groups." I must say that it really has gotten my creative juices pumping.

On top of that, there is a chapter in the book when she draws comparisons from three businesses: Disney, Nordstroms, and Starbucks (three of the most successful and friendly businesses in the US). These guys are tops when it comes to customer service. There really is a lot for churches to learn from business.

Here's a snippet about Nordstrom's:

One day, a customer returned a set of car tires to Nordstrom and demanded a full refund. The clerk questioned the individual regarding the purchase of the tires, but the person persisted that he had acquired the tires there. The clerk then smilingly returned the customer's tire money. The only problem? Nordstrom doesn't even sell tires! What is the implication for youth ministry? How many students do we alienate because we insist on our right to be right, even if it means the loss of relationship?

Great stuff.

RW1835

2009-01-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

"What is RW1835?" you may ask. Well, it's a great new opportunity for all 18-35ers to hang out, eat some great food, and grow closer to God. It's the new Life Group hosted by Shawn and Amy Martin, and it begins in February. Here's the deal: if you go to VRC -or- if you live in the Vincent/Harpersville vicinity, you NEED to sign up for this Life Group (it's gonna be awesome). I saw the sign-up sheet the other day, and there's already a ton of people who are interested--so don't miss out!

The New Prez

2009-01-21T07:49:00.001-08:00

Well, what a day! Yesterday was one of the most pivotal events in the history of our country, as our 44th President, Mr. Barak H. Obama was sworn in (in front of a MASSIVE crowd). It's good to see that we've come to a point as a people that a person with a minority background can still have a shot. We're finally seeing equality at work.

Now don't get me wrong; I live in Alabama for crying out loud. There is still a TON of work to be done. And, I don't think having a minority President will change the deep-seated racist worldview of so many in our country. Only a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ can do that. BUT, I think it does show that our country is moving in the right direction in terms of how we relate to people who are different from us.

Do I agree with everything that Obama stands for? No. Do I disagree? Absolutely not. Just like ALL of us, he has his good qualities and bad. Guess what...he's human. He's going to make some mistakes and make some good things happen.

As the 44th President begins his OVERWHELMING task today to lead our country, let's remember our task: to pray for him and his family, to pray for our country, to pray for people whose lives are being destroyed by sin. And let's remember where our hope, faith, and comfort come from: JESUS CHRIST!

God bless America!

New Music

2009-01-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

Downloaded some new stuff last Friday and today:

Bob Dylan -- Like a Rolling Stone

The Byrds -- Turn! Turn! Turn!

The Contours -- Do You Love Me

Shake Sherry

Can You Do It

CCR --Fortunate Son

Fellowship Church -- Humble Pleas

The More I Love You

New Creation

Generation Unleashed -- I Always

Planetshakers -- All for Love

Better than Life

Free

Come Holy Spirit

What about you? What have you been listening to lately?

Discipleship Weekend 2009

2009-01-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

So, this weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the entire year: Discipleship Weekend. It's kind of like youth camp, just with a LOT of free time and less kids making out or blowing toilets up (thankfully VRC teens are awesome and refrain from blowing up toilets and the like). MOST of the people there are serious about walking closer to God and are not there looking for the Camp Hookup (in case you didn't grow up going to church camp, this is the main purpose of many a Summer Camp go-er: to find the perfect one-week girl/boyfriend).

This year's gonna be a little different. For one, we don't have a ton of people going. I think last year we had around 20 - 25. This year the grand total (counting myself) is 11 (it's been a rough year for our CMs). Also, for the first time ever, I'm going to be a small group leader. I was sort of dreading it b/c leading a small group is kinda like playing Russian Roulette. There's a chance you get a great group who love to talk and share and minister to each other, but there's also a chance you have a bunch of fuddies-duddies whose Mommas made them come and they really HATE being there. It's nice to have a blend really. But now, I'm super-excited about it.

Couple of prayer requests: (1) Discipleship Weekend; (2) my friend/blogger-phenom Codie. She may have to have surgery (if God doesn't just flat out heal her); (3) my wife's best friend (and my friend too) Kayla. She's collecting shoes for kids that don't have any. For more info you can go to her blog here. (4) Amanda and the baby. Things are good, let's pray that it stays that way!

Sermon Writing

2009-01-13T12:16:00.001-08:00

Well, I just finished up writing my sermon for Wednesday night. This month's series has been incredibly easy for me (in a sense). Ever since I started reading the book Celebration of Discipline by R. Foster, I've been amazed at just how far of track we can be. I feel that it was God calling me back on track with Him. I've still got a LOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG way to go!

Since I had gotten so into the book, my sermon series this month, which is a series of talks about Becoming Deep Disciples, focuses on the disciplines. Sometimes though, it's not that easy. Sometimes, it feels like I can't get it write. That God desires to say something, and I'm botching up his Words. Usually this happens when I don't invest a lot of time into the sermon. Perfect world, I'd like to spend about 2 full work days prepping for a message. Usually it only translates into about 2-3 hours. On my worst days, it's one hour:( The more I've researched and allowed God to speak to me first, the better I feel about delivering a message to someone else.

So I guess a good New Year's Resolution is to make sure I invest enough time in my sermon prep!

Stolen Post...285 Years Ago

2009-01-12T07:40:00.000-08:00

Mark Batterson posted this today, and I wanted to repost for all to see:

On January 12, 1723, Jonathan Edwards made a solemn dedication of Himself to God. It was one of the defining moments of His life. And I'll share the written vow in a moment.

Few people have left the kind of legacy that Jonathan Edwards did. He is famous for his sermons, including Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, that helped spark the Great Awakening. He graduated from Yale at 13 as valedictorian. After graduating, he is said to have studied thirteen hours a day. He also served as President ofPrinceton.

But the thing I find most impressive is that he spent one hour every evening with his eleven children. He prioritized his family and the results speak for themselves. Of his known descendants, more than300 have become ministers or missionaries; 120 became university professors; over 100 became lawyers; 60 became prominentauthors; there are 30 judges, 14 college presidents, 3 members of congress, and 1 vice-president.

How would you like to leave that kind of legacy?

Back to January 12, 1723. Edwards gave himself to God with these words:

I made a solemn dedication of myself to God, and wrote it down; giving up myself, and all that I had to God; to be for the future, in no respect, my own; to act as one that had no right to himself, in any respect. And solemnly vowed, to take God for my whole portion and felicity; looking on nothing else, as any part of my happiness, nor acting as if it were; and his law for the constant rule of my obedience.

Stinkin' Tag

2009-01-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

So, Amy Martin over @ My Beautiful Disaster "tagged me." It's like a less threatening chain mail type deal. Now I have to post the 4th pic in the 4th folder of My Pics. Then pick four more people to tag (if you've already been tagged, sorry, maybe you don't have to repost--I don't really know all the rules).

So, here's the pic:

This pic was taking at a resort in Chattanooga at our first ever staff retreat in 2007. We had a blast.

So here's my tagged list:

Kayla D. I Am My Beloved's...

Codie H. Colorfully Black and White

Shelley D. The Davis Family

You...yes, you, the person reading this blog!

Wednesday Morning Download

2009-01-07T07:25:00.001-08:00

For those of you who may not know, Wednesday is the biggest day of my week. It always is (except on rare occasion). I absolutely love Wednesdays. Today, is particularly busy, because on top of all my other "normal" tasks, I am going to the Speed-the-Light Luncheon at Joe's Crab Shack. This is the annual event where we eat fish, listen to a lot of heart-gripping stories about people who gave boo-coos of money to STL, and then make our pledge that never quite stacks up to the little girl who walked through a blizzard and raised $20,000 last year.

Had an interesting breakfast this morning: pretzel sticks and left-over birthday cookie-cake (and a glass of milk). Actually was pretty good.

Got my Alabama watch fixed this weekend. It had been missing a pin that held one of the links together for over a year (and a half?). Took it to the Galleria--on my quest to find some new Pumas, that failed--and got it put back together.

Sunday was my first Sunday in about 4 weeks to actually be in the main service. It was great. Really enjoyed communion and was in awe of the message in tongues and the interpretation.

Loving my Office calendars from Josh and Amy...I mean Michael Scott. I have one huge one that hangs on the wall and is monthly, and one that sits on my desk and HAS A QUOTE FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR :)

Well, I guess that's it for now. I have to fix the sound order for tonight's service, which is going to be great by the way.

Peace!

P.S. -- Here's some more great tips I've learned about being a Dad:

Uncertainty or Adventure?

2009-01-05T07:24:00.000-08:00

Well, 2009 has already come and brought with it a new set of challenges and opportunities. To be quite honest, it's been a rough weekend (well really just the last half of Sunday). A death in the family, new complications in the youth ministry...all these problems that demand attention. Sometimes it can seem as if life's uncertainty is hovering over you as if waiting to murder you in your sleep [a bit dramatic, I know]. But there is another way to look at uncertainty. Another word for it would be adventure. And God is calling us to a life of adventure. All of the "problems" and "concerns" are--many times--just chances for us to go on a new adventure.

My prayer is that this year, we would embrace the adventure(s) that God sends us on.

*(The whole uncertainty/adventure revelation came from Mark Batterson's book Wild Goose Chase)

Quote of the Day

2008-12-31T08:41:00.000-08:00

"Sin is not letting God be God"

(I can't remember where I heard this, but it's too good not to post)

BEING a Christian

2008-12-30T07:45:00.001-08:00

Holiday '08 Rundown

2008-12-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my first post post-holidays, and I must say it has been difficult catching back up. I've been checking emails and blogs and fantasy football for almost 2 hours now. Once you get behind, it's difficult to catch up. Here's a small recap of the past couple of weeks:

Thanksgiving was great. We stayed up here, so it was my first Thanksgiving without my parents. Almost panicked because I thought there was no Dressing--but the day was saved.

Went to Nashville for our annual Staff Planning Retreat. Had a blast. Nashville is one of my favorite cities. Still think I only saw about half of the Opryland hotel (I think I read somewhere that it has around 70 square acres of space INSIDE).

Upon returning from Nashville I was stricken with the rotavirus (see pics on earlier post). That sucked!!! I would not recommend the rotavirus to anyone. Uncontrollable puking. Fatigue. Can't sleep. Miserable. (As I side note, I believe it was Jack's in Harpersville that got me sick. Anyone who wants to join my boycott feel free to do so).

Drove to my Grandma's (Dad's mom) in West Va for Christmas. It took us 14 hours to get there, but only 12 to get back (I know we ate an extra meal, but that still leaves and extra hour. Perhaps driving downhill helped???). I love my family. Dad's side is definitely more lively than my mother's (and louder!). We saw a little snow, but there wasn't enough to play in. :( We froze our tails off when we visited D.C. (I think it was around 20 w/ 30+ mph winds). Saw Bush's dog chasing a frisbee. There was a U-Haul in front of the White House (I guess to move Bush out). I got hustled by a semi-homeless guy. When went to 1 of 5 (?) Smithsonian buildings--and didn't get to see all of it!!! D.C. is also probably one of my favorite cities (I love the city, in case you can't tell)

Had a great Christmas with my family (though there was no Dressing). My Grandmother fixed the SHARPEST homemade mac-n-cheese I've ever tasted. Had a little bad news. My Dad's brother has been given a year to live (lung cancer). On Christmas Day, he had to go to the hospital. The cancer has spread to his other lung and throughout his body. Remember him in your prayers.

There was tons of other details, but right now my mind is going hay-wire (I had two cups of coffee this morning). I am glad to be back.

Thanks to everyone who reads and posts comments. I love you guys. I look forward to a great 09!

Instructions

2008-12-17T07:22:00.001-08:00

Found these great tips on Brad Leach's blog. I think these will definitely help my parenting skills:

Weekend Update

2008-12-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

So, I've missed a couple of days--my apologies. Last Thursday, I went to Nashville for our annual staff planning retreat. Had a great time staying in the Opryland Hotel. Got home Saturday. Unfortunately, I got sick with these bad boys:

This is a microscopic shot of the rotavirus. They caused me to puke my brains out and feel like complete poop. Thanks a lot rotavirus.

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday

2008-12-10T07:26:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gone on a huge trip and the day before, all you can think about is going on the trip. That's where I'm at today. Tomorrow morning we head out for our annual Staff Planning Retreat. We go and plan out what direction the church is going to take for the next year--which is a great thing. The only downside is that we leave on a Thursday and this year we are staying at the Opryland hotel in Nashville. I stayed at the O'land when I was a Senior in high school; it was awesome! So needless to say I can't wait to leave. But, when you have a service to minister to teenagers, you don't usually want a bunch of distractions.

Oh well.

Are You Kidding Me?

2008-12-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

Hurricanes in December

2008-12-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

I would like to start off stating the obvious: Hurricanes don't occur in December. And though a meteorological hurricane may be far from present, a "life hurricane" is not. Last week was--in a word--crazy for me. Things started off slow. I had a hard time focusing--especially at the church, I lacked energy, and nothing was going on. It was setting up to be quite a pedestrian week.

Then Wednesday came. I'm not entirely sure that I've ever had a day like Wednesday. The closest I could compare Wednesday to would be an experience I had in 3rd Grade: Hurricane Opal. I lived in Southeast Alabama then, so we lived relatively close to the Gulf. Hurricane Opal came through and wreaked havoc on our area. We were without power for a day or two, there were trees down (my granddad lost his barn/shed). It was chaotic. Wednesday was kind of like that. For whatever reason, I felt depressed (I guess that's the right word) when I woke up. Then the day continued to get worse as several "flare-ups" occurred. Then there was a mediocre worship service, which got slightly better because I actually didn't feel like the teaching went that bad, then slightly worse because people didn't respond to the altar call.

So I went home and my wife and I unpacked the day's happenings and were about to head to bed, when one of us got the wacky idea to check if Amanda was pregnant. Three minutes later we went from extremely low to the top of the world...we are pregnant!

So the rest of the week was spent telling family and friends about our exciting news. So this week has definitely been like a hurricane. Turns out the hurricanes in December aren't that bad :)

On the Way

2008-12-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

I had a really cool way I was going to announce this, but I don't have time to get the stinkin pic to upload, so here it is>>>

Amanda and I are having a baby!!!

Needless to say, I'm thrilled (really quite an understatement)!!

Sensory Overload

2008-12-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

Wish List

2008-12-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

So I'm a book freak. I love to get new books. I already have so many that I haven't read, but it's an addiction, I need more!! :)

In case you're wondering what I'm anxious to read, here's a list I made at amazon:

The Greatest Life Group EVER!!!

2008-12-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

Attention all 20 and 30-somethings at VRC: the greatest Life Group EVER is coming this February. By popular demand Shawn and Amy Martin will again be hosting the Life Group for 20-30-somethings. If you've never been, you do not want to miss out. We'll meet together every other week--once at their home and once at a restaurant. It's going to be awesome.

World AIDS Day

2008-12-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

Today is the 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day. It's a day to remember those who have died from this terrible disease and those who are currently suffering--most of whom live in poverty. Remember to take time to pray for those suffering from AIDS and their families today.

The NEW Home for the Holidays

2008-11-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

So, this is Amanda and my first Thanksgiving as a married family. With that has come a whole set of complications. One is that our families live several hours apart. Another is that her family has two (maybe more?) separate Thanksgiving celebrations. My family has always had T'giving at one place because Dad's family lives in West Va. So we have to pick every year which family to have T'giving with. BUT, add in two more T'giving meals and you have a dilemma--not to mention anything of Christmas. Fortunately, Amanda and I are pretty smart cookies, so we came up with a Win-Win (we couldn't get a Win-Win-Win like Michael Scott would have liked). We are going to hit up the T'giving with Amanda's family (staying at our NEW home for the holidays) and then go to Grandma's (Dad's mom) for Christmas. Yes, I know that leaves out Mom's side of the family. That's why it's a Win-Win and not a Win-Win-Win.

All this has made me wonder how stinkin' hard it will be if we move WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY off someday...

Generation We

2008-11-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

Here's a look at MY generation:
Generation WE: The Movement Begins... from Generation We on Vimeo.

More Music

2008-11-23T06:21:00.001-08:00

This is an add-on to the music recommendations from the other day:

Chris Tomlin - Hello Love

Disciple - Southern Hospitality

The Wrecking - A New Abolition

Family Force 5 - Dance or Die

Triplee - 20|20

Kaboose - Excuse Me

Building 429 - Building 429

U2 - various songs

Bob Dylan - Blowing in the Wind (single)

Music Recommendation

2008-11-21T07:56:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I don't usually recommend music on my blog, but I got this new CD from Youth Leaders Only. It's "A New Abolition" from The Wrecking. I'm guessing they're new. But so far, I love this CD. I have a couple of other new one's too. I love new music.

If you have any music recommendations, leave a comment/

Campus Missionaries

2008-11-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about tonight. We're going to take the whole teaching time of our youth service to promo the NEW Campus Missions strategy for our church. Campus Missions is really a simple concept--reaching students where they HAVE TO BE (by law) 5 days a week for 7 hours a day: the school campus. It's about expanding influence (via Campus Missionaries) and training student in THEIR responsibility to spread the gospel. It's about establishing a place for fellow disciples can come and pray together for the students and teachers that walk their hallways. It's about connecting adults to the schools by involving them in prayer. It's about people, people who are broken, hopeless, and defeated (thanks to sin) finding hope again in the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

There are several HUGE changes to the structure of our Campus Missions--especially to Campus Missionaries. I really believe this is going to allow us to equip MORE students to be disciples for Jesus Christ.

This is...Alabama Football

2008-11-14T07:19:00.001-08:00

Champions Pay the Price

2008-11-12T07:38:00.001-08:00

For some reason over the past several days these words have been playing over and over again in my soul. I really believe God has been trying to remind me that (#1) I'm a champion [Romans 8.37] and (#2) as a champion I have to be willing to pay the price. From watching videos of the persecuted disciples around the world, to the sacrifices required in ministry to the daily price to continue to be a Christ-follower, there is a price to be paid--not for our sins [Jesus took care of that], but to show our love to our Saviour. Will you be willing to pay the price?

*Here's the video clip that's been playing in my mind. Fast forward to about 2:34:

The Cross, Jesus in China

2008-11-11T09:19:00.001-08:00

The Cross, Jesus in China from Acts1v8 on Vimeo.