The Bull's Horn

I'm Mad as Hell and I'm Not Gonna Take It Anymore!!!

2010-08-28T20:16:00.000-05:00

Just saw this on Yahoo and thought it was pretty good. Why does always seem to be that the best tantrums are in the minor leagues?

Pretty cool that he gave the base to the kid too I thought. Now if I could just get Brother to do something humorous like that when he throws a tantrum about getting out of the bathtub.

Grace, Peace and Love y'all.

BIG and small

2010-08-19T09:15:00.003-05:00

I read a blog post yesterday from Pete Wilson. He writes the blog Without Wax is a pastor at Cross Point Church in the Nashville area and the author of the book Plan B. What he had posted the other day was something that really stood out to me. He quoted from a blog that Kevin DeYoung had written on Ligonier Ministries Blog about those people that "plod" along in the church. It really stuck with me too and I have been thinking about his words off and on for the last couple of days, processing them and mulling them over a bit.

The gist of the quote dealt with the fact that many of the church people in my generation, or my age group (late 20s-early 40s) and how we seem to treat church and following Jesus. We all want to be the ones that change the world, but we want to do it in a "big" way, rather than in the plodding, mundane ways of our regular, everyday lives. Because of this desire we tend to short change what it really should mean to be the Church, the body and bride of Christ.

So many times we get caught up in the BIG. To the point that we tend to miss the small. It's easy to do after all. We look in the Bible at the stories there and we see how God seems to show up in the big ways, where everyone takes notice. And we seem to have gotten to a point where we think that if it's not this big miraculous happening, then God is not showing up. If the worship service doesn't go off a certain way, or we don't get that great mountain top feeling then that must mean that God wasn't there. We want to home run, not the sacrifice bunt.

God tends to show up in the regular, dull, mundane things that we do. Those things that we don't tend to take note of, the valleys when we have come off of the mountain top. In 1 Kings Elijah is hiding in a cave and complaining to to God about how he has done such great things for him and yet the queen wants him dead. He's just had this great mountain top experience where the power and presence of God showed up in a big obvious way. Now he is in the valley and he is having to find God in that life. When he looks out of the mouth of the cave, he doesn't see God in the huge things: the raging fire, the earthquake, the powerful wind. Instead he hears and experiences God in the stillness of the gentle breeze. Not in the big, but in the small.

Moses saw the burning bush and we so often say we want to have that "burning bush" moment, for God to show up in such a way that we can't help but take notice of Him. The thing is though, it doesn't seem to be that the bush was on fire that got the attention of Moses, but rather that the fire wasn't consuming the bush. There is a big difference there. It is possible that with Moses having spent 40 years wandering this desert as a shepherd that this wasn't a new occurrence for his to come upon a bush that was burning. After all it was hot, there were sure to be dry bushes that caught fire at random. This was something that was not new for Moses it would seem. God used the common place, the every day happening to show up and speak to Moses.

The same can and should be true for us. When we are seeking God on a regular basis in ALL the aspects of our lives then finding him in the midst of vaccuming the living room or cleaning the bathroom won't surprise us. Instead it should inspire us to be moving toward God and learning to follow him no matter what, big and small.

Grace, Peace and Love y'all.

The Anthem

2010-08-13T09:05:00.000-05:00

Ever felt like, been called or just know that you're a dork? Yeah, gotta say that it happens to pretty much all of us at some time in our life.
It's not always fun, but it does seem to be a fact of life that is unavoidable. So, to all of us out there that have ever felt that way, here is our new theme song courtesy of Dave and Brian.

Favorite line? "I don't understand girls/but I'm a fast learner/baby you're hotter than a Bunson burner."

Grace, Peace, & Love y'all.

5 Reasons Teens Are Avoiding Church

2010-08-12T15:30:00.001-05:00

A pastor friend of mine shared this link this morning on Twitter. It's been posted by both Roni and myself. It's got some good stuff in it and I wanted to share it here as well.

5 Reasons Teens Are Avoiding Church

Here are a few of my thoughts on this:

1) The point that no one is ever too busy for church is right on. That is the classic excuse of people in my age group; those with young children. We hear about how they just don't have time with everything else they have going on, often placing the blame on the activities they have placed their children in. As the author says, time doesn't discriminate, we all get the same 24 hour span. It's about how we use and prioritize those hours.

2) It is easy to get caught up in trying to create the next "big event" or "draw". There have been times in my ministry where parents will look at what other churches are doing and then relay that to me with the "subtle" hint that maybe we should be doing that as well. I hope that I have tried more often to give substance over flash.

3) Teens don't make church a priority because their parents don't make it a priority is something that we have seen for years. I'm so glad it was addressed here. When the parents don't make it a habit or a lifestyle to be in worship and active in the church body, the kids aren't either. After all, there isn't going to be any kind of blow back from the parents. Too often parents don't want to offend their kids when it comes to "making them" go to church. The same can't be said for practices, school or even interaction with friends.

4) It's true that kids don't need the church to connect with their peers anymore really. They spend time in school and practices with them almost every day. They are connected to them through Facebook, myspace, Twitter and texting. But my issue with this one is that these methods still allow kids to maintain distance from each other and don't necessarily lead to that kind of deep social interaction that we need. As the church one of our goals should be in striving to create that kind of interaction within community.

5) Until we as leaders are able to really model that change the kids will rarely model true change. We need to give them that example of how following Jesus and living out his example is world changing.

6) Great point about being real as opposed to trying to be "cool". Cool comes and goes, and if we are chasing that then we will never find rest. When we know who we are and what we are called to and allow ourselves to be real around these kids, that is where the difference is made. This is something that can take years to learn. It is that realness that will speak to the youth today (and in the future) more than our attempts to be like them. To take from a friend of mine, if the kids want a cool youth minister, they are the ones that make them cool.

That's it. I thought it was a great article and had some good points in it.

Grace, Peace and Love y'all.

Sleep Walking

2010-08-12T09:45:00.001-05:00

The Boy is sleeping right now, which is good since it is after midnight and he is two. But that wasn't the case about 10 minutes ago. As I sat here looking at some things and texting a friend, I heard the sounds of The Boy starting to cry out. I knew that he was about to be awake and therefore hard to get back to sleep. So I started down the dark hallway that I could hear him coming down. Part way down I flipped on the light, picked him up and headed back to his bed to lay beside him as he went back to sleep. It is a feeling that I enjoy a great deal, having my children fall asleep pressed against me.

So that was the case, I heard a cry in the dark, I headed toward it, turned on the light and I took my son in my arms and them laid with him until he was out once again, And that is when I realized what I wanted to write about. Because the parallels seem lovely really.

The Boy woke up, found himself to be in the dark and it scared him a bit. So he did what he knows to do: He cried out and headed for Daddy. The girls were the same way (still are at times). Often times The Boy makes it into my bed, thus throwing a kink into my plans of sleeping for many hours at a time. However there are times when I am able to catch him first and go and lay with him and let him feel safe and secure.

I feel like the same is true with God. How many times do we find ourselves in a dark place that scares us (more than) just a little bit? And when we do, we tend to cry out and head toward Daddy for protection. And then we find ourselves being swept into His arms and hugged to His chest and protected and safe. Unlike myself, who tends to sleep through things like the crying out. God hears us every time. And when we cry out to Him and start toward Him, he is faithful to scoop us up into his arms and hold us close where we can be both warm and safe.

May you cry out to God in your times of trouble and may he be that protective Father for you when you do.

Grace, Peace, and Love y'all.

Time to Bail

2010-08-10T15:39:00.001-05:00

It's always been my desire to catch a foul ball or better yet a home run ball at a baseball game. In all the games I've been to in the last few years, it has never happened. Most times I'm sitting too high up for a ball to even get there, but still I can hope right?
Even now that I've sat in a more "home run ball" friendly area of the Rangers ball park, it hasn't happened. Still I hold out hope for the possibility. And to think of catching a ball bare handed and possibly keeping it from bouncing off of someone else would be pretty cool. It seems that is not the case with this Astros fan in the video though:

See more funny videos and Sports Videos at Today's Big Thing.

I do like how he blamed the bailing on losing the ball in the lights. You could tell the guys in the booth really bought that one too.I guess it kind of mirrors how the Astros' season has gone, at least early on. And the poor girl he was with didn't even get the ball after it bounced off of her elbow. I bet she thinks twice before going to another game with him.

Grace, Peace and Love y'all.

Used by God

2010-08-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

So I was looking at Jesus Needs New PR today and this is what got my attention:

This is the kind of thing that drives me crazy. In this day and age, to have people who are still of this mindset like the guy in the video blows my mind. As far as I have ever been able to tell it all comes from the one bit of scripture where Paul tells Timothy that he doesn't allow women to speak and teach. The problem is that rather than looking at the cultural context of this we try and make this an overall decree for all women in all leadership positions. That is such a crock.

To claim that we serve this God who is bigger than anything we can even imagine, and then to try and limit who it is that He can call and use in ministry is ignorant. To claim that we believe that God can use anyone and anything, and then to say though that someone can't be used simply due to gender makes no sense. I go back to where Paul says that there is "no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female; but Christ is all and in all; we are ONE in Christ" (Colossians 3:11 & Galatians 3:28 combined and paraphrased). When God calls someone to His service it no longer matters about gender or even orientation. All that matters is the call that God has placed on that person's life. It is not for the culture to determine what that call is, but rather it is between the Caller and the called.

God can use who he wants how he wants.

Grace, Peace and Love y'all.

Oops He Did it Again...

2010-08-03T11:36:00.000-05:00

I do wonder if that is the song Vikings fans will be singing this week (or at least today) with the news breaking that Brett Favre is once again going to retire. It does seem like a very appropriate song for the last three years as far as Favre is concerned.

As has become Favre's preseason tradition, he once again informed the team he last played for that he will be "retiring" from football. If he sticks with it this time it will mark the third time in three seasons that he has decided to hang up his pads "for good". It will also mean that this commercial is not prophetic after all:

Regardless of what actually ends up happening in the next few weeks- whether he remains retired or comes back right as the season is starting- Favre has undoubtedly had a fantastic career in professional football.

Grace, Peace and Love y'all.

Break It Down

2010-07-29T23:52:00.000-05:00

Saw this on today's (Thursday) edition of Today's Big Thing and thought I should share it with all of you.

See more funny videos and Technology Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Yeah so I have always found it to be pretty fascinating when you slow down things being destroyed and watch them break apart in slow motion. Hope you enjoyed all the destruction.

Grace, Peace and Love y'all.

Howl at the Cross (Yeah, that's the best I've got)

2010-07-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

This has got to be one of the scariest, creepiest videos that I have encountered in a while. This was on Jesus Needs New PR last night and I'm really glad I didn't watch it before bed, because I'm pretty sure I would have had nightmares about it. Also pretty glad that my children didn't watch it either, as I am afraid they would have ended up in my bed with nightmares about the singing dog face.

Dude looks like a WWE personality gone bad with the make-up. The chorus is the best of course. The "Howl-ee-lu-ya" is classic. Maybe I should start doing that when there is a hallelujah in our hymns...well probably not, because that would be silly.

Grace, Peace and Love y'all.

Messin' Around

2010-07-27T22:39:00.001-05:00

So I was watching the Rangers tonight and saw this commercial.

As a guy, I must admit I thought this was pretty hilarious when I saw it. I think pretty much all the Messin' with Sasquatch spots are pretty funny actually, but this one caught me off guard I guess.

Also the Rangers won to go 8 up on the Angels and 8.5 up on the A's. Nelson Cruz smashed a walk-off, 2 run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning for the win.

So in summary, a good ball game, a great win by the Rangers and a pretty funny commercial to boot.

Grace, Peace and Love y'all.

And the Silver Medal Goes To...

2010-07-26T11:13:00.001-05:00

I've been doing youth ministry now for 14 years. It is something that I love doing and feel like I'm good at it (at least somewhat). In all those years I have heard the question(s) about when am I going to do "real" ministry or when am I going to head to seminary or when am I going to get my own church many times. Thankfully, as the years have gone by these questions have gotten to be fewer and farther between.

I have a whole list of people that I am thankful for who have influenced me in my path and have invested in me over the years. I won't start naming them here for fear of 1) leaving out many along the way and 2) sounding like it's the Friday "testimony/share" time at camp or on a mission trip. But know this, I am thankful beyond anything I could ever express to those who have played a part in who I am as a Christ follower as well as a youth minister.

That is why I wanted to post this link to today's post on Stuff Christians Like.

http://stuffchristianslike.net/2010/07/treating-youth-ministers-like-silver-medal-ministers/

Peace, Grace and Love y'all.

Hellooo Ladies....

2010-07-16T11:42:00.000-05:00

This one is kind of for the ladies out there. This is how we guys often times feel when it comes to you, the fairer sex.

Who better to deliver that message to you than our friend The Old Spice Guy. I think he speaks for most men in the world when he says that YOU know exactly the next step for us to take, because you're women, so please let us know.

Peace, Grace and Love y'all.

Here Comes the King...But Who Really Cares?

2010-07-09T01:57:00.000-05:00

So who really watched "The Decision" tonight on ESPN? Who really cared that much about where LeBron was going to end up signing? To be honest, I lost interest in all of it a long time ago. To me it was just wasn't that big of a thing. So the LeBron is leaving Cleveland via free agency and heading to the Miami Heat. Bully for him, but did we really need an hour long "special" to make that announcement? What did they do for the other 58 minutes that weren't him saying he was going to the Heat? Was there a montage of his life and career up to this point?

This was simply another way for LeBron to draw attention to himself. This was not ESPN's idea from what I understood. It was LeBron's. I really think it is the kind of thing that can backfire on him, if for no other reason than it will become to butt of jokes. Maybe LeBron will be one of the first to make the jokes but I don't know that I see that.

I think the next thing we are going to see like this will be Brett Favre convincing ESPN to give him an hour long special to announce his decision about whether he's going to retire or not. At least that special could have some real intrigue to it. Even Favre wouldn't know how it was going to turn out. And then the next week he could get a second special to reverse his decision from the first special.

In the end this was a self-absorbed and narcissistic display. As many others have written better than me, it was something that simply was not needed. Congratulations Miami, you know have a the "King". Good luck with that.

Peace, Grace and Love y'all.

Reborn

2010-07-07T16:41:00.002-05:00

What does it mean to be "born again"? Does that mean that that you have to actually be born a second time? How is that even possible? Where does that term even come from?

This past week at the Sr. District Camp I was at there was a...discussion...about what this means and what the importance of it really may be. One of the people involved in the discussion was of the mind set that the term "born again" isn't really all that important. After all it is used only one time in the Bible in a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus . Jesus tells Nicodemus that in order to see the kingdom of Heaven one has to be born again. Here is the thing on this as far as I am concerned (and one of the other counselors at camp make this point as well) Jesus is the person who said it, who coined the phrase if you will, so that is really all we need. If Jesus said it, and we are trying to live a life that exemplifies Him and his teachings, then if he says we need to be born again, then we need to be born again.

Here is my take on what happened at camp though. It has more to do with the terminology than the actual concept of being born again. I really think that the first person in all of this simply has a problem with the terminology "born again" rather than the truth behind it. Here is what I mean by that: There are certain terms in our language that simply aren't the best for conveying what is actually meant. This in some ways is one of those terms. People hear "born again Christian" and the Hollywood idea of what that means comes to mind. That image is one of a person that is a goober, a Ned Flanders type if you will. Someone who is judgmental, "holier-than-thou" and doesn't believe in "fun". In that case I can see where the problem lies with the use of that term.

When we look at the truth behind the term, we begin to see that it means so much more than what we usually have in mind. The truth of this means to be changed. It means that we are no longer the old person that we were before Jesus and the Spirit found us and changed us. This same truth is found, worded differently, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 where Paul is talking about what a changed life looks like. The old us goes away and in it's place there is someone new.

We have an example of this truth in nature itself. It is what happens when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The caterpillar begins as one thing and then through a series of events becomes something new and different. This is a great illustration of what the idea of being "born again" is really about.

In the end really the term means very little. Regardless of what we call it, the truth is the same: unless we have accepted the life transforming, rebirthing power of Grace through Jesus and the Spirit we are still stuck as the old caterpillar.

Peace, Grace & Love.

I'm Sorry

2010-05-28T08:14:00.000-05:00

Saw this today on Wes Molebash's blog, Max vs. Max and thought it should be shared here.

I'm wishing it was always that easy to be an "apologist." Hope you have a great, safe Memorial Day weekend. Peace and Love y'all.

Two Sides to Everything

2010-05-17T15:33:00.000-05:00

Well it came to pass once again this year that the Cleveland Cavaliers were knocked out of the NBA playoffs short of their stated goal, which was of course to win the NBA Finals. This is the second straight season that they have had the best regular season record for the entire league and have been the overall number one team, and have been knocked out early. It would be different if they had lost in the Finals, but the last two seasons have seen them go out in the Eastern Conference Finals last year and the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals this season. To be honest, for some teams and fans the second round isn't that bad. My Spurs went out in the second round this year. I'm not too depressed about it though because they were a #7 seed in the West. Those seeds aren't expected to win it all and make deep runs in the playoffs. But the Cavs, oh those Cavs, they are supposed to make a run to the Finals the last couple of seasons as the #1 team, it just didn't happen for them.

There has been a lot talk too about what it was that caused the collapse of the Cavs. ESPN guys talking about it, TNT guys talking about it. I'm sure many folks from Cleveland are talking about it as well. The biggest thing that I hear is that LeBron didn't play up to his potential. He played at only about 3/4 of what he is truly capable of. He wasn't the leader that all the greats who have won championships were. Basically, what they are saying is that LeBron is supposed to be something super.

This got me thinking a little bit about the contradiction that we find in the world of sports. We want a superstar on our team. These are the guys that are the biggest names and the biggest talents. They are the ones who show up in the clutch and in crunch time. These are the guys that the fortunes of our teams rise and fall with. And yet we don't seem to want them to get to be a regular athlete.

We want two things from them:
1) To shoulder the blame when our team does badly and loses- This is what so many talked about LeBron needing to do. To put it on himself as the leader and superstar of the team. No matter how he performed in the game we want him to (and the other "superstars") to be the scapegoat, to take the brunt of the blame. Did a guy off the bench miss the game winning three as time expired? Blame it on the superstar, he should have been the one taking the shot. Did the other teams center score a career high in points that was the difference in the game? Let the superstar take the blame even though he is a point guard and has no business guarding that guy. No what it is, we want and expect our teams superstar to shoulder the blame.

2) We want to guy to the most humble person on the face of the planet when out teams wins- Now should our team pull off the win, then we want to superstar to be as humble as possible. Now rather than take credit for the win, like he took the blame for the loss, he is expected to deflect all the the praise to his teammates. The guy off the bench hit the 3-pointer as time expired to win by 1? Well he made a great shot in the face of the pressure to do so. Forget that the superstar gave the ball up to him. In a win, if the superstar takes the final shot, we would think of him as arrogant or just wanting to hog the glory and/or pad his stats. In the interview room, our superstar, when asked about that last shot that so-and-so made, is supposed to deflect all the praise to that guy by saying things about what a great shooter the guy is (true or not) and how he had complete confidence in him to hit the shot.

We want a leader that is humble in both situations. Humble enough to take the blame but also humble enough to defer praise to others. It is what a leader honestly should be willing to do. The problem though for me is that I would prefer that it be a true humility, something that is a real part of their personality. Because forced humility really isn't humility at all.

Peace and Love y'all.

The Longest Journey

2010-05-12T23:32:00.000-05:00

Living in Texas, and growing up in West Texas in particular, I'm no stranger to long trips. We routinely played football games in high school where we were driving 2+ hours to get there. On vacations with the family, we drove everywhere. It was too expensive to fly and Dad refused to do so anyway. So every time we went somewhere it was always by car: the Grand Canyon, Branson, Ohio. It didn't matter, we were driving there. And as you know in Texas it feels like at least half of the trip is actually spent in Texas. So long trips are nothing new for me.

There is a journey however that I have made or, more accurately, am making that has taken me pretty much all of my life, and to be honest there is no known end in sight. It is a journey that for so long I didn't even think about being on. It is that trip from Legalism, Literalism, Fundamentalism and Judgmentalism, to Grace and Love (Grace and Love sounds like it should be an actual town somewhere like Truth or Consequences, NM is). This is the longest, hardest journey that I have ever taken in my life, but I know that in the end it is well worth the time and expense of it all.

Each of the places along the road are difficult to be in, but oh they are so often even harder to leave. I get used to being in those places. It's as if I am a vagabond or nomad who needs to be on the move toward that final destination, but I have found work and stability in these other locales along the way.

I can look back now and see that I wasn't really meant to do more in each place other than set up camp for a bit and then move on, one step closer to my final destination. I am not meant to settle down in any of these places other than my final destination of Grace and Love. Yet sometimes I feel like I have been in some of the places long enough to have taken a census there and be counted as a part of the town's population. Part of the problem as well seems to be my willingness to do good enough in each place that I choose to build a nice summer home or perfect get-away. You know just in case I decide to move back to one of these places after I have retired.

Legalism is that place that tells me I have to be sure to keep all the rules that are ever put on me. It's really not enough though for me to try and do that alone. No, when it comes to legalism, I'm either the mayor, on his staff or at the least employed by the city. Therefore, it is my job to make sure that everyone else is following the rules as well. And when they aren't? Well I guess they are looking forward to getting that home with the really big fireplace (that's my hell reference by the way). When I've been here, it doesn't matter if I'm actually keeping the rules, but rather if everyone else is keeping them. It is such an easy place to get bogged down, because it sure seems to be in all black and white. And it doesn't take long for me to find my way back once I finally get a chance to leave...I don't even have to stop and ask for directions.

Literalism is the suburb where I live at times too. Of all of the four, this is the one that has actually been the easiest to get away from. I still like to go there, maybe to shoot a round of golf, maybe even more at times, but for the most part I understand that it is a place that is set up so people can understand better what God did, to help us wrap our minds around it. It's OK for me to keep this as more of a little bungalow than a full on home. I drop by at times but for the most part I am able to only go there when I need to.

Fundamentalism is that place that lures me in and that I at times have the hardest time shaking off. I guess I should think of it in this way: it's like your home town and how you just get so ready to get out of it, to get away from it because you've seen what it has to offer and you've done just about all of it. You want to get out, yet t here is something that seems to just keep you there. This is where I grew up-I was right and so many others were just wrong-but finally decided that it was time to move away and try something new.

Judgmentalism is the last place where I have spent time. Never am I able o be just passing through. I always have to stop and partake of the festivities in all these places. Judgmetalism is like the college town that lets me feel better about myself while also letting me look down on others for the things they have done that I consider to be really bad.

Finally there is Grace and Love. There are so many times that it still feels so very far away, like the road will never end. Thankfully there are always Grace and Love pit stops along the way where I can stop and be refreshed and reminded where I'm actually headed.With out those who knows how long it really take to get there. It's so far that at times it almost makes you want to stop and turn around and go back to where you came from, Legalism, Literalism,Fundamentalism and Judgmentalism. But there is hope, that just over the next hill you will catch a glimpse of Grace and Love and you will be able to get there and at that point end the journey, finally in that place that I want to be most of all. That place where I can relax and not worry about people doing "bad" things and people having to keep so many rules. In Grace and Love we are no longer tied to Literalism and we can do things in a way that works best for us, and not about what others are up to.

It is a long journey. In the end though, it will be well worth the time and effort and the uprooting and moving to be in that place that allows me to be who I am with out worrying. One of these days, I'm going to buy me a house there and retire. I can't wait for that day to get here.

Peace and Love y'all.

Talent

2010-05-12T13:55:00.000-05:00

I'm sure most of you have seen this already seeing as how it has gone viral and had 36,000+ hits already. I wanted to go ahead and share it though.

He is supposed to be appearing on Ellen tomorrow. He seems to be pretty seriously talented. Go check out his two original songs at greyson97. If nothing else I hope that this at least brought a smile to your face. Peace and Love y'all.

Growtivation

2010-05-07T15:51:00.000-05:00

Saw this today on Stuff Christians Like and thought it was fantastic. This is a video from North Point Media team. I hope you enjoy this:

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Man that is some funny stuff, and so very true too. I especially like the part about the offering and how we should "feel free to give if you feel led. That's between you and God...but we are tracking it." I also dig the whole making up new words and using them to catch on as the new Christian "buzz" words. I like the fact that this group is able to poke fun at the overall "megachurch" concept/model, especially since it looks like they are one. It's refreshing to see that happening. Peace and Love y'all.

Why Dishwashers Were Invented

2010-04-20T08:20:00.000-05:00

I watched this video this morning and thought I would share it.

Peace and Love y'all.

Front, Back, Side-to-Side...Front Front Back Back Side-to-Side

2010-04-19T15:46:00.001-05:00

I just today finished reading the book "Traveling Mercies" by Anne Lamott. It was an interesting book. I had known a little bit about her story and background and that was what had me interested in reading the book. Ms. Lamott was an atheist who eventually came to believe in God and then finally stepped into a relationship with Jesus. It is a story that Christians in particular love to hear, maybe (or most likely) as an "I told you so" type of thing. But that was what I knew of Anne Lamott before reading this book.

So it took me a bit by surprise when I started reading. It was an interesting book, but was not at all what I was expecting from a theological viewpoint of conservatism. In some ways that was very refreshing. I found grace in the pages of essays that she shared with her readers. I found that it didn't matter that she has a bit more liberal viewpoint of some things than I do...I can blame it on being raised in the San Francisco Bay area in the 1960s and 70s.

It did get me thinking though about a couple of things. In our current America, it seems that there are only two ways to go: liberal or conservative. Our politics are divided in this way, our thinking seems to be divided this way and even our churches tend to be split along these lines. Everything is either left or right, and whoever doesn't fall on your side of the line is wrong. Part of what gets me with this is how both sides have laid claim to God and where He stands (by the way, Lamott uses both pronouns when referring to God, as in He or She. This didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would). The problem is that both sides are trying to use him for their own gain and to justify their stances.

Here is what I know (or think I know): 1) I hate politics because the idea of doing things in a way that benefits yourself and select others rather than looking for the best solution for everyone is stupid (maybe that is just me), 2) God doesn't fall on either side of the party line. It sounds cliche I realize to say it, but God isn't Red or Blue, Republican or Democrat, Libertarian or Tea Party, Liberal or Conservative. God is simply God.

And here is the other thing: As followers of Christ, we are not called to be any of those things either. Jesus did not call us to follow a party or to pick a color, He called us to follow Him. In Matthew 4:19 Jesus says to Peter and Andrew "Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Jesus calls us to follow him, and him alone. When we are seeking to do that, we will find that none of the rest matters. In both Galatians and Colossians 3 (28 in Galatians and 11 in Colossians) Paul writes that there is no longer a state of separation amongst those who claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but rather that we are all one in Christ. Our following Jesus should be bigger than any party affiliation or political ideals. That is what we are called to. In Acts 2 we learn that the early church was more concerned about trying to meet the needs of the people and they found favor by doing this. As the body of Christ it is time for us to eschew politics and simply do our best to follow Jesus. That is how we get on the road to restoring our nation. Peace and Love y'all.

Standing Tall and Proud

2010-04-02T01:43:00.000-05:00

Watched "The Marriage Ref" tonight with Roni. It's a pretty funny show for the most part really. Real couples send in their petty fights to the show and let a panel of celebrities weigh in on who should "win" the disagreement. Don't worry they don't really air serious problems on the show, which is good, because then it would be called Dr. Phil and that's not funny.

Take tonight for example: There was a couple arguing over the husbands decision to bleach his hair blond in order to help what he hopes to be a successful cooking career take off. Really, not a serious problem that needs professional counseling. But seriously , most of these disagreements are simply quirks that every married couple has and argues about from time to time. But tonight, there was one couple that generated a bit of discussion between Roni and I.

One of the couples featured tonight happened to be having a disagreement about one of their bathrooms in the house (they have 3). The talk was about what the man wanted to do with the bathroom, and they have been discussing this for 4-5 years now. It seems that the husband would like to put a urinal in one of the bathrooms. His wife thinks that it is a crazy idea, but he has been shopping for a few years now for his "perfect" urinal and even wondered about making an offer on one at a place. This brought about some discussion with Roni about the need/desire/purpose of having a urinal. So here are a few reasons why a urinal would be a nice addition to a house.

I tried to explain to Roni that for a man using a urinal is the equivalent of a woman using a regular toilet. Think about this for a moment. Why is it that girls don't have problems with hitting the bowl every time (at least after you have potty trained)? Because they are right up on it! It's like being able to stand on top of the rim in basketball and simply drop the ball through the hoop...you're not going to miss.

It is the same with a guy and a urinal. The urinal allows for us to have to urinating equivalent of standing on the rim. We are able to get right up there close (although never touching any part of the urinal) and do our thing. The person who invented this was a genius and was probably a woman who was tired of cleaning up after those late night trips to the bathroom by her husband.

This is the brilliance of having a urinal in the bathroom at home. It is convenient - no longer is there the need to lift anything to take care of business. This would be great in the middle of the night when you stagger, still mostly asleep, into the bathroom to pee. Even better there is no longer the need to have to remember to put anything DOWN after one of these trips. Now the woman has sole responsibility for whether the seat gets left up and she falls in.

In the end, I truly feel that a home urinal would be a sound investment for any home. Thankfully they come in various models from which to choose, thus helping the wife to feel that she has some kind of say in the matter. She can pick the one that is most aesthetically pleasing and goes best with her bathroom decor. After all, she does have several styles to choose from:

Such as the Bardon, the Branham, the Darfield, the Dexter, the Freshman, the Stanwell, the Jarvis or finally even the Steward waterless. No matter what you go with, an at home urinal sure seems like a good choice. Peace and Love y'all.

66 Love Letters by Dr. Larry Crabb

2010-03-23T00:20:00.002-05:00

What does God's plan look like? Is it a good plan? Does the plan even involve you? What role should the Bible play in my learning about the plan? In his book 66 Lover Letters by Dr. Larry Crabb, the author attempts to give us a few answers to these questions. By taking each book of the Bible and looking at it as a "love letter" and through a series of conversations with God about those letters, Dr. Crabb attempts to help us to understand where it is that we fit into God's plan and just what that plan entails. As a member of the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze (http://booksneeze.com) Book Review Blogging program, I was given a complimentary copy of this book.

This was a very interesting book in that it made the attempt to break each book of the Bible down into bite sized pieces for the reader. The writing style is conversational, a dialogue between that author and God, that takes the reader into what it is Dr. Crabb feels God is telling him about each of the 66 books by giving us the main thrust of each book. He then expounds on what that means for us as we go about our regular, daily lives. In the end, he ties it all together with an epilogue consisting of 66 paragraphs showing the connection between all the letters. Reading this book, it has began to alter the way I think and maneuver in my relationships with people as well as with God.

I had really only one complaint about this book,and that had to do with the length of it. It is nearly 400 pages (394) of just the letters, sections notes and epilogue. Beyond that there are 17 more pages of prologue and "How this book can speak to you." These are good sections, but they could have been much shorter overall bringing the total page count down to a smaller number. In the end however, I felt that this was a very well written, well thought out and well put together book that I would gladly recommend to people wanting to find a somewhat different take on studying the Bible.

The 5 Rules to Fight Youth Ministry Stereotypes | YouthWorker.com

2010-03-09T12:43:00.003-06:00

I remember the first time I went to the National Youth Workers Convention, and had pretty much this type of conversation with the guys I was there with. Good times. I got a kick out of this video and hope you enjoy it as well. Peace and Love y'all.

I'd Like That On Ice Please

2010-02-26T14:46:00.000-06:00

Sports is something that brings forth a great deal of emotion. ABC's old Saturday afternoon program, The Wide World of Sports, used to touch on this in the opening sequence of every program with the line "The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat." It was and is something that is acknowledged as being a part of doing something that is competitive like a sport.

The emotions that are evoked by sports are powerful things. I remember crying whole heartedly after losing in my final football game. After all the time and effort, all the pain and blood, sweat and tears that go into something like that there is going to be an emotional response from the players. There will be celebrations by the victors and there will be dejection on display when it comes to the defeated. It is Michael Jordan weeping and clutching the NBA Championship trophy after his Bulls won the title on Father's Day the year Jordan's father was murdered; it is the look of exuberance on Tom Brady's face after winning his first Super Bowl. It 's the frustration shown by LeBron James upon losing the Eastern Conference Finals to the Magic by simply walking off the court rather than congratulating the winners.

When we win, we celebrate. This was demonstrated last night in the Olympics when the Canadian Women's Hockey team defeated the USA Women for the gold medal. And their celebration has become a big deal. Not the fact that they reveled in the victory and the accomplishment of winning a Gold medal for their country, but more how they did this. They did not begin their celebration on the ice with the other teams in their presence, thus seeming showy and arrogant. No they were classier about it than that. They waited until the ice had cleared and until the stands had cleared. They waited until it was just them as a team there to celebrate what they had done together. The problem it seems is that there were still some photographers and other media people still around to catch the celebration.

It seems that these women decided to bring the typical locker room celebration onto the ice. So they re-entered the rink and brought with them some beer, champagne and cigars. They then proceeded to partake of these things. And this is where it is a big deal. There were pictures taken of the celebration that were then made public (as tends to happen with this kind of thing). Now Hockey Canada has issued an apology, and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) is doing an investigation. All I have to say is--really?

I can understand it they did this immediately following the win, gloating and rubbing it in the faces of the defeated Americans. But true to Canadian form, they waited a polite amount of time before having this little shindig. Lets be real here: this is the exact same thing that happens in the locker room. The difference is that they brought it out of the locker room, when they felt it was an appropriate time and they could be there alone as a team. I know that there is talk about the one young lady on the team who is 18 being seen drinking a beer (or champagne or whatever) and the legal drinking age being 19. OK, so she is just underage. I don't condone it, but I can understand it. It is part of the emotion that winning brings about.

In the end, I think the apology and the investigation are silly and needless. Let the team celebrate a huge accomplishment and a job well done. Peace and Love y'all.

And with the first pick...

2010-02-25T15:26:00.000-06:00

Man I love my job. Seriously, it's got to be just about the best job in the world. I get to minister to teenagers and help to shape generations and point them toward God's plan for their own lives as well as the lives of others. Really, what could be better than getting to do something you love?

Something else that I really enjoy is the NFL. I know, I know, how in the world is that even almost related to my job as a youth minister? Well that's the thing, it's not. But because of the fact that I like the NFL as much as I do, I keep up with the things that go on with it. It's fun to know what is going on. But this got me thinking about the differences between being in ministry and being in the NFL. So here is a list of differences between the two careers.

Top 10 Differences in Youth Ministry and the NFL

10) 40 Times- In the NFL there is a lot that is based on how fast a person can run a 40 yard dash. There are guys that have earned loads of cash because they could run that far in less than 4.5 seconds. Really seems like a crazy thing to base employment on. Imagine if a church made it's youth ministry candidates run 40s and used that to help determine who they hired. Maybe instead of an actual 40 they could take times on how fast they can get down the center aisle of the sanctuary.

9) No Agents to deal with- In the NFL guys have agents that come in and represent them to make sure they get the best possible contract deal. Sounds great, but that can lead to tension between the team and the player and result in guys holding out for a better pay package. Imagine if youth ministers had agents or threatened to hold out...imagine if youth ministers had actual contracts....

8) Training Camp- In the NFL guys have to go through two-a-days in the heat of the late summer to train and practice and get prepped for the new season. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad idea at times for youth ministry. Actually we call it The National Youth Workers Convention.

7) Different Career Ending Injuries- NFL players are always one bad hit or one bad cut away from ending their careers. They have to deal with things like concussions, torn muscles, torn ligaments and torn tendons. Any of these could potentially end the career of a player. In youth ministry our career enders look a little different: lock-ins, road trips, mission trips, Youth Sundays and parents. The names may be different, but the results can be the same.

6) Scouting Combine- This is where all those college hopefuls gather to audition for the scouts, coaches and general managers of various teams. This can make or break where you are selected. In youth ministry we call this the interview process. You meet with the hiring committee, then (in some churches) "audition" with the youth group to see how you "fit". Not really an exact science in either profession.

5) Free Agency- In the NFL when your contract runs out and you aren't resigned by your team, you can become a free agent and have a chance at landing with another team. Many free agents are highly sought after and there are battles between teams to sign them. In youth ministry, well, not so much.

4) Salary Cap- In the NFL there is a limit to how much a team can spend as far as player contract from year to year. This helps to ensure equality among teams. There is also a salary floor which says the minimum amount a team can spend (which is kind of interesting as well) to ensure that teams stay competitive. In youth ministry, there is neither.

3) Fantasy Leagues- Every season there are tons of folks who put together fantasy football teams online and compete. It takes being a fan to a whole different level. I can't really imagine this being the case with youth ministry. For starters what kind of statistical categories would you base it on? Although the interaction from the players could be a nice thing to have.

2) Endorsement Deals- If I were an NFL player I would want to have an endorsement deal. The company could hook you up with what ever it is you are endorsing, you get paid extra and you get to be in commercials. In youth ministry, well there just aren't that many nationally known products (or youth ministers) to endorse. I guess we could get deals from Bible publishing companies, but really what else is there? Pizza?

1) The Draft- In the NFL many of the top college players are selected in the draft. The bigger the school and the bigger the stats you put up the higher you will probably go. It doesn't really guarantee success, but it sure looks good. In youth ministry, thank God they don't do a draft. If all churches went by were numbers and where you got your training (if you got any training), well I would be out of luck probably. Maybe I would be able to catch on as an undrafted free agent eventually.

Peace and Love y'all.

I Love You This Much...But No More Than That

2010-02-22T10:01:00.002-06:00

I saw this today on Stuff Christians Like and decided that it was too good to pass up. I posted the link on my Facebook as well, but I really thought it needed it's very own post on here too. I want to thank Jon Acuff for posting this in the first place (even if he found it elsewhere first).

When I was first watching this, I nearly spit coffee when the lady opens it in the kitchen and is so excited about it. Then the shot of the two girls laughing while one wears the Hug E Gram over her shoulders like a preppy dude wears his sweater, wow classic. Then of course there is the feature that allows you to create a "personalized" message for the person you love so much you aren't there to actually hug them. Finally, if you order now, they will also send your "loved" one some fake, wooden roses that will "last forever."

I mean really, what woman wouldn't want fake arms wearing Mickey Mouse gloves wrapped around her body instead of the arms of an actual person that she cares for? Does anyone else think this was invented by some guy with a fear of commitment? Peace and Love y'all.

Love and Grace

2010-02-22T00:08:00.001-06:00

There is peace of mind at last for congregations here in East Texas, at least that is what we have been told after the arrests of two men that are believed to have been responsible for 10 church burnings here in the Tyler area. Since January 1, 2010 these two individuals have been on an arson spree burning various churches in the area. Today, they were arrested and the East Texas "church" will now breathe a collective sigh of relief. I'm glad to hear that this seems to have finally come to an end as well. But here is my question and my real reason for writing about this. What should our response be to these two young men (they are 19 and 21 by the way)?

For starters, I know that there are going to be people who are angry about all of this. And that is a justifiable response I think. There seem to be certain things that you just don't mess with in a persons life, and their church is one of those things. So I think that one of the first responses will be anger, and wanting to know why?

We will call them "sick" or "deranged" of any other number of things to try and help us understand the why and to make it easier for us to "understand" why they would do what they did. I guess the question I have is are they? I do wonder what it is that would cause someone to be so frustrated with the church or with God that they would do this kind of thing, but I wonder about our label of "sick."

Here is what I think our response should be to all of this. I think that as the overall body of Christ, as the Church universal, it is up to us to show these two young men the Grace and Love that is in Christ. Should they have to pay for what they have done? Yes, there are still natural consequences for our sinful actions, even though Grace covers us. Yet, if we don't extend Grace and Love then we are adding fuel to the fire (no pun intended, I promise) of their already present frustrations concerning the Church. We will talk at length about how we will "pray" for them and that is good. But what we should really be doing is reaching out to them, showing them this Love and Grace that we have found.

I have no idea why they would do this kind of thing. From what I read, they attended a church in Ben Wheeler together. One of them was involved in a Bible club at some point. And yet somewhere along the way they became disenfranchised with the Church. I feel like there must have been some kind of frustration there to lead them on this path. Perhaps they encountered our humanity too often in the church rather than the Grace that we hope shines through us.

What they have done is awful, and I can find no justification for it regardless of what they may have felt about God or about church or organized religion. What I want to remember and what I want to express here is that now we have an opportunity to really be The Church. What they took were the buildings that housed a service. What they have given people is a chance to be the hands and feet of Christ outside of those walls. It is my prayer that we will take this opportunity and use it to expand the Kingdom of God rather than to shrink it down even further to the idea of us against the world. Peace and Love.

Lent

2010-02-17T22:23:00.001-06:00

Well today is Ash Wednesday, so that means the beginning of Lent. Time to give up something for the next 40 days or so (until Easter at least I guess). I've done this in the past but to be honest not always very successfully. I will go for a little while and then end up breaking it for one lame reason or another. So this year I am going to really try to stick with my Lent. Here are 10 things that I considered for this year.

10) Hating on the Dallas Mavericks- This has got to be my least favorite team in pretty much any sport that I care about (and that is really saying something when you consider the Yankees, Patriots and Lakers are out there). I'm just not a fan of this team, and have even been known to use their name as a derogatory term. Alas, I'm afraid that this would be just too difficult for me to stick with for what is basically the remainder of the season.

9) Dating other girls- I suspect that this one doesn't actually count for two reasons: 1) I'm married and Roni would do me serious bodily harm, and 2) you should really give up something that you do anyway. To be honest, I wouldn't date anyone even if Roni was cool with it (which again she for sure is NOT).

8) Showering (or hygiene in general)- I do like to shower and bathe and brush my teeth and all those things, so to give it up would fit that requirement. However I don't think it would take long for people to beg me to break my Lent with this one, and I'm not sure that is a good thing.

7) Blogging- Really I'm not consistent enough right now for that to be a big deal. I don't think it would have the same effect to tell someone that I gave up blogging for Lent and them respond by asking something like "You blog? Who knew!"

6) Spending time with my kids- Again not a great idea. Roni would not go for it and I don't think that my kids would like the idea much either. But besides that, there are three of them, there's no escape anyway.

5) Going to bed late- I've tried this before when it wasn't Lent and I'm just not sure that I can do it. Come to think of it though, maybe that would be a good idea. Hmmm.

4) Talking- Just in general you know. I could do the whole monk thing and go for 40 days of silence. The main problems here are that I don't think people would leave me alone and would keep talking to me, speaking is part of my job, and I like to get to talk to my wife and kids too much.

3) Bathroom time- No way. Just not going to happen. First of all I don't think it would be looked at favorably for me to start using the trees behind the house as my spot. Secondly, well without this time, I don't know that I would ever be able to get away from the rest of the world. Third, I'm just not thinking that friends and family would be understanding of my suddenly deciding to wear Depends for 40 days.

2) Texting- Now were getting crazy. Without this, how in the world would I be able to communicate important messages to my youth and friends and family? Without this how would I get up to the minute reports about what's going on in the world of sports? And without this, how ever would I be able to get those great forwards about Jesus and how I'm ashamed of Him if I don't retext the message to at least 10 folks?

1) Giving stuff up- Let's be honest here. I'm not good at giving stuff up really, at least not like this. I once gave up the XBOX for Lent. I think that is the only time that I have stuck with it. I think the best thing I could give up is this idea that I have to give something up.

Well there it is. My list of possibilities for going without this Lenten season. Peace and Love y'all.

YMtoday.com: Youth Ministry Resources

2010-02-16T15:19:00.003-06:00

I read this today in a Youth ministry eNewsletter that I get. I thought it was interesting and wanted to share it here. I think that in youth ministry this has been going on for years and it has finally caught up to "big" church. Peace and Love y'all

YMtoday.com: Youth Ministry Resources & News

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Super Saints

2010-02-08T14:15:00.000-06:00

Well it's all said and done, over with for another year. The Super Bowl has come and gone and we have a new NFL champion. The New Orleans Saints claimed their first championship in franchise history as I'm sure pretty much all of you know. After 42 years of existence they finally have what every team desires, a Super Bowl win. Not only did they finally win the big game, they won it on their first try. They showed last night that the Saints won 3 post season games this season: two leading up to the Super Bowl and then the Super Bowl itself. In thier previous 41 seasons they had managed to win exactly 2 post season games. Pretty remakable stuff if you're a Saints fan. After dealing with years of futility and frustration, it finally all came together. There are now only 4 teams left in the NFL that have not made it to the Super Bowl: The Lions, Browns, Jaguars and Texans. Maybe one of these days it will happen. Last nights Super Bowl game was the most watched TV program EVER with an estimated 106.5 million viewers, just edging out the MASH finale that had 105.97 million viewers. That's another pretty big deal.

Congratulations to Saint fans, both for the win and for thier endurance and patience. Congratulations to the city of New Orleans; it has been four years since Katrina swept through and caused you so much damage and heartache, I hope this win will continue to unify you as a city and help you to reclaim you sense of who you are. Congratulations Louisiana, you finally have something to brag about other than your purchase by Thomas Jefferson from France. All in all it was a great game, a great night and good for the NFL. Peace and Love y'all.

The Gospel According to LOST by Chris Seay

2010-02-04T16:02:00.000-06:00

Jack and Kate; Sun and Jin; Sawyer, Locke, Ben- these are a few of the characters that make up the show LOST. It is their actions and their lives and their stories that have kept me coming back to this show for six seasons now. In all those years, I have tried to look at the deeper meanings and find connections in the story to the Gospel. Now Chris Seay, a pastor from Houston, TX has seen those connections and has written a book to share with us what it is he has seen. That book is The Gospel According to LOST.

In this interesting read, Seay draws connections between the gospel and the lives and stories of a selection of main characters from the show. It is in these connections he tells how he sees the Gospel message conveyed. The thought of finding the connections to the Gospel in one of my favorite shows definitely piqued my interest in this book. What I found was a fan of the show who was trying to look deeper beyond what we simply see and hear on the screen each week. This, for me, made the book enjoyable and something that I would recommend to other fans of the show. Chris Seay does a good job of looking at the show through Jesus' own "lost' stories from the book of Luke, and making connections in that way. It was a refreshing way to look at a show that has such deep connections to faith, and is worth a read if you have the time, opportunity and a desire to think about those connections.

The "Ain'ts" No More

2010-01-24T23:11:00.001-06:00

It has finally happened. The New Orleans Saints have finally gotten to the Super Bowl. It has been a crazy season for them, not to mention a crazy history for them period. In 40+ years of being an NFL franchise, they now have the opportunity to play for a championship. Watching the post game tonight, listening to the reactions of the Saint players, there was a sense of relief. This is a team who's fanned pioneered the game day fashion statement of wearing bags over their heads. And now here they are, two weeks from playing in the biggest sporting event there is.

This is a day that has to have felt as though it would never come. After all the years of losing, of not even being close, this must be a feeling of relief. It was big the fist time they made the playoffs; bigger when they finally won a playoff game; bigger still when four years ago they reached their first ever NFC Championship game; even bigger to have the chance to HOST an NFC Championship game (the first ever in New Orleans), and now to have won that game and be headed to the Super Bowl.

One of the things that makes this even sweeter for the fans of the Saints is that it comes after so much loss and devastation due to Hurricane Katrina four years ago. Sean Payton touched on it tonight when he accepted the trophy, that four years ago the Super Dome had holes in the roof, water on the field, and people being housed there. But it was the way the players stepped up in this time of need, the way that the people of New Orleans embraced this team even through the 3-13 season that immediately followed the devastation, that must make this such a very sweet moment for not only the players but the city as a whole as well.

Yes it is a football game, but it is so much bigger than that. This is relief, this is history this is the turn around that the city not only wanted but needed, this was redemption. They are the Ain'ts no more after today. Peace and Love y'all.

Call me Ms. Vain

2010-01-20T10:46:00.001-06:00

So usually I like to do "topics" on particular days and I had usually done some thing faith related on Wednesday and something more pop culture related on Tuesday. Well that is switched at least for this week. I saw this clip this morning and it is really too good to pass up. Besides I wrote something that was faith related last night.

On this mornings edition of "Daytime In No Time" on Yahoo! they had a clip from the Good Morning America's interview with Heidi Montag about her recent plastic surgeries. That's right, not her recent plastic surgery, singular, but rather surgeries, plural. As in 10 "procedures" in a 10 hour span on one day. That's right, 10 surgeries in 10 hours in 1 days time. Yet as she said in the interview she isn't addicted to it. And besides, she really has only had two plastic surgeries: one about 3 years ago and then one a few weeks ago that happened to be 10 separate things. I don't know about anyone else, but if I go in for some kind of surgery and they do things to multiple parts of me while in there, I count it as two surgeries. Even if they do them at the same time, I would think that they would count as separate things. Then again I've never had plastic surgery, so maybe the math is just different for them. No longer is it 10>1 like I remember learning in elementary, but instead in plastic surgery circles it is 10=1. I wonder if you could get them to think that way when it comes to the billing too? That would be nice. I don't see that happening.

All in all the thing that got me the most from the clip of the interview was Montag's answer to this question: "Triple D is big enough, that I wasn't pretty enough. What kind of message does that send to young girls?" And what was Heidi Montag's answer? "Well my main message is that beauty is really within." Seriously? Within what? The plastic surgeon's office as the Daytime In No Time hostess quipped? I mean for real, how can you go in to a place have 10 "procedures" done to tuck, augment, and reduce parts of you and then say that your message is really that beauty is found within? Beauty is really within: the breast implants within, the coligen within, and the botox within. That's like John Dillinger claiming that hard work is the best way to earn a living and make money, after he had robbed all the banks. Who is going to really take that as the message? It seems that the message is something more like "If you want to be thought of as pretty, have some work done to change what you don't like." It is vanity of the highest accord it seems to me. But this is the culture and society that we live in, God help us. Is it any wonder that so many young men and ladies have issues with self-image and self esteem? When this is the message they are getting? Beauty is really about what's within, but if you want people to notice what's within, you need to do something about what is without. Peace and love y'all

Proof of Life

2010-01-19T23:14:00.000-06:00

Have you ever known that person that was all talk about stuff? You probably know the kind of person that I'm referring to here. It's the person that is more than happy to TELL you all about what great things they have done or can do, and yet you've never actually seen them DO these things that they are talking about being able to do. It can be pretty tiresome and annoying. After all, we want proof that they can do what they are saying they can do.

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (that's the 2nd book in case you didn't know that) there is a character by the name of Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart is a very famous, very good looking wizard. He has published numerous books about the things that he has done and on top of that he talks a big game ALL THE TIME. He is always telling various teachers what a great wizard he is and making wild claims about things. The only problem is that when push comes to shove, Lockhart is exposed for what he was: a fake. He has been able to talk big and fool many people, but when evidence was called for, when it was time to back up all the claims, Lockhart's facade crumbled.

The same holds true for us as Christ followers. It's one thing for us to talk a big game about following Jesus and being a Christian. But when it comes down to it, when it is time for us to go beyond the words, then what will people see? Will they see someone who actually lives out the faith that they claim to have? Or will they find a person that is a shell of what they have claimed to be? John the Baptist seems to have stated it best in Matthew 3:8. He said to PROVE by the way you LIVE that youthat you have this faith, not just by the words you say.

The Pharisees and the "religious" leaders that John was speakking to talked a big game when it came to faith in God. But what they said didn't match what they were doing. Is that what people will see in us? Or will they see an open, true, genuine faith that gives proof that we have turned from sin and are going hard after God? Peace and Love y'all.

Too Light

2010-01-13T23:08:00.003-06:00

Do you remember that old VBS song? You know the one:

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Hide it under a bushel-NO! I'm gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel-NO! I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Won't let satan whufff it out, I'm gonna let it shine. Won't let satan whufff it out, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Man that was a great song for vacation Bible school and children's Sunday school and stuff like that. It made a point and it was fun to sing. I remember doing all the hand motions and stuff like that and getting up in church to sing this song.

So in Luke 11:33 Jesus talks about us having this light in our lives. He makes the point that no one lights a lamp and then goes and hides it, or puts it under a basket. That would be pointless really. Instead when you light a lamp like that you would make sure that it was in a place where the light could be seen and would be useful.

After I graduated from high school, my family moved from Midland to Snyder (that's all in West Texas in case you are wondering). One of the things that we did at our new house was to put up a basketball goal. The only real problem was that the only outside light we had didn't really shine bright enough and throw far enough for us to be able to play at night. Then one of my parents showed us something that we had. In the garage we had a much brighter work light that we could move out there. So we would plug in the work light, place it on the corner of the roof and be good go even though it was dark. I would have pointless for us to have this light and to take it out and plug it in and then stick it behind a wall on in the flower bed.

That is what Jesus is talking about here. As Christ's followers we have his light burning inside of us. But if we hide it or try to cover it up, what good is that to us or anyone else? This world is a dark place desperately in need of the Light, and it is up to us to shine that light for others to see. Peace and Love y'all.

Patriot Games

2010-01-11T23:48:00.000-06:00

The time has come to start again. I am planning to start writing again on this blog on a regular basis and with daily topics once again. So with that said, the topic for Mondays have in the past been sports, so here we go.

Lots of great stuff in the sports world over the last 5 days it seems like. From the BCS National Championship game in college football (The Alabama Crimson Tide rolled over the Texas Longhorns 37-21 to win their 13th national championship) to the first round of the NFL playoffs (Cowboys won their first playoff game in 13 years; the Cardinals won a shoot-out, 96 combined points, on, of all things, a defensive play in overtime) it was a great 5 days of football (I honestly didn't pay close enough attention to any of the other sports that were going on).

But in all of that there was one thing that did seem to stand out and it happened yesterday. The New England Patriots showed that they are possibly on the downside of being a dynasty when they lost to the Baltimore Ravens 33-14. Not that big of a deal really just to look at the score. The thing that IS a big deal about it is the fact that it was a loss at home for the Patriots. And in the playoffs, well, that just doesn't happen. Not since 1978 at least, which they showed yesterday was over 11,000 days since they last lost a home playoff game.

Lets think about that for a moment. It has been 32 years since the last time these guys lost at home in the playoffs. That's three decades of dominance for them on their home field. I mean what kind of crazy advantage is that? There have been so many things that have happened in that time span. Here is a list of things that have happened in my life alone since the last time the Patriots lost at home in the playoffs:

I had three brothers born in that time.
I went all the way from elementary school through college graduation.
I got married.
I had three children.

So yeah, that's a pretty long time and so much has happened. But guess what. The world didn't fall off it's axis, the ice caps didn't spontaneously melt and flood the world, the world didn't go dark and flags were not flown at half mast (except maybe in New England). It was a heck of a run by the Pats. They will do what they do in the off season and will come back next year and give it another go. Here's to hoping they can reclaim their former glory days, when they were routinely 1-15 or 4-12 at best. Well at least I can dream. Peace and Love y'all.

Being "that" Fan

2010-01-05T23:39:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite things is sports. If you know me, you probably know this little tidbit of information already. If not and you are reading this just because, well I like sports. Football and basketball take the top two spots for me, but really I like others as well. And I like them at just about all levels (no matter how painful they may be to watch at times). But there is one thing about sports, and especially going to a sporting event in a small gym or football field that is hard to deal with: The obnoxious fan.
You know the one I'm sure. It's the person that sits in the stands and yells (wanting to be heard of course) at the refs, at the coaches, and the kids. It's the kind of thing that I am afraid of doing myself when my kids are actually old enough to participate in games that aren't as painful to watch. It's part of the reason that I am not sure about ever coaching my kids in pee-wee sports. I'm afraid that I would make myself look bad. Granted I have done this before and been reprimanded for it. I sit there at games now and can hear this type of fan yelling and I think the same thing that a couple next to me voiced: "This isn't Little Dribblers anymore. Nobody wants to listen to that now."

The thing that gets me though is when the person isn't just yelling indiscriminately, but instead is yelling very specifically, usually at their own kid. I can understand having a passion for the sport (or just sports in general) and even the desire to see your team and your kid do well. But is it really called for to yell at or to your child things that aren't exactly encouraging? My parents were great when it came to my sports. They were there and they were supportive, but thankfully they didn't yell at me about what I was supposed to do (in part that may be because they didn't really know any different). I remember a friend's dad who would come down and stand on the track behind us at Junior High football games and yell stuff at his son. Look let me put it like this, you're not coming off great to the folks around you. People that I've been around aren't generally supportive (or always appreciative) of this kind of thing. I know you're trying to help, to get a call, to get your kid to realize what's going on. I'm just saying that it may not be the best way to go about it.

I think in a lot of ways, people take that same view of Christians. Here we are on the outside, not in the heat of doing life with these people, and yet we are voicing (loudly usually) instructions about how they should be doing stuff. We are pacing on the track yelling out at those who are actully playing. What good does that do? Honestly, even if they hear us, do we think they are going to suddenly just listen to us? I think this is one of the reasons that Christians are often times seen as being that obnoxious sports fan. We think we know everything and we will loudly voice it for all those around us to hear, and yet what we doing to really help make a change?

In Acts 2:42-47 it talks about the early church. If you are a part of our youth ministry then you know that what we call it is 2Forty2. This refers to Acts 2:42, which talks about what the early believers did as far as worship, and prayer and fellowship and breaking bread together. But when we read further we also see that they shared what they had, not just amongst themselves but with others as there was need. They saw a problem and they found a way to deal with it, they didn't simply shout solutions. Then in verse 47b we reach the real kicker: "They enjoyed the good will of all the people. And God added to their number daily those who were being saved." They were not the obnoxious sports fan. This is what our call is. To live out our faith in such a way that people are drawn to us, not repelled by us. And that is hard to do, just like it is sometimes hard to not be that obnoxious fan in the stands. Peace and Love y'all.

Star Gazing

2010-01-05T08:01:00.002-06:00

Sunday morning we were sitting in church. A pretty typical thing for me on a Sunday morning really. In case you were wondering, Sunday was also the 9th day of Christmas. So I got up to read the scripture for the day which was Matthew 2:1-12. It is the part of the story of Jesus' birth that talks about the Magi coming to see him, about how they saw the star in the West and followed it, possibly for two years, in order to worship the King of the Jews that had been born. It is a great story and has a lot of great things in it that we can and should consider.

Yesterday however a thought occurred to me that I had never had before about the star. First of all let me say to you, think about everything you have have heard or seen when it comes to the Star of Bethlehem. What comes to mind? Is it some small pin prick of light that just happens to shine a bit brighter, perhaps like the North star? It seems that on most occasions when we think about this star, or we see a rendering of it it is pretty much a huge shining beacon in the night sky lighting the way not only for the Magi but for the shepherds and even some incoming air traffic. It seems that everyone believes that this star was like a spot light marking the location of where Jesus was for all to see.

And that's fine, and maybe it was that way. But if that were the case, why didn't (or couldn't) Herod and all his advisers see it outside of their city? Maybe it was because they lived in the city and the street lights and office lights were just too bright, I don't know. All I know is that if this star was as big and bright as what we tend to believe, it seems like it should have been hard to miss, and at the least someone should have noticed and maybe pointed it out to Herod so they could investigate. As I thought about this question in the last 36+ hours I have come up with a couple of reasons.

1) Herod and his "people" were blinded to the star. I can't help but wonder if it was a hard heartedness that kept them from seeing this sign from God that he was doing something in their very midst. In Habakkuk 1:5 God says that he is going to be doing a new thing. Herod was not the kind of king who was really hip to doing "new things". I think it is possible that they were blinded in some way to what was going on right there around them. It's the same way that people are today. God can be moving in the very midst of people, and yet some are so hard hearted, so determined not to see or acknowledge Him that they are basically blind to what is being done.

2) They weren't really looking something to happen. When the Magi come to Herod and tell him about the star and why they are there, the first thing Herod does is to call aside his priests and teachers and scribes and ask them about where the Messiah is supposed to be born. They all know the prophecy and tell him where Jesus has been born. Yet even knowing this information it seems that they weren't really looking for something to happen. Again we are this way at times. We have the information, we know what we need to know, and yet we are not really looking for anything to go down, therefore we miss what God is doing.

3) They didn't know what to look FOR. When the Magi arrived they talked about how they had been watching the sky and the stars and had seen this star as a sign that the King of the Jews had been born. These were not men who claimed to follow the One True God as the Jews did. These were people who followed the patterns in the stars and relied on that to navigate through life. Yet in the end, they knew what they were looking for when it came to the star that they saw. They recognized that there was something special going on and they wanted to be a part of it. Herod and the others didn't even seem to know where to start with all this.

So where do we fall in all of this? Are we like Herod who was hard hearted and didn't want to see what God was doing or are we more like the Magi who saw that God was doing something and knew that whatever it was they wanted/needed to be a part of it? That is something that we have to figure out and decide for ourselves. What choice will we make? Peace and Love y'all.

Explorers Anonymous

2009-12-29T21:14:00.001-06:00

So one of the last things I wrote on here was about Dora the Explorer and how there were some things about it that just made me go "Hmmm." Well here is a little bit of a follow up to that post for you.

Top 10 Signs my two year old is watching too much Dora

1) When he can name pretty much all the characters on the show, but still struggles to say the names of his sisters.

2) When he suddenly screams "DORA!!" when he is supposed to be going to sleep.

3) When he knows the answers to the questions Dora asks, but still doesn't speak in complete sentences to me.

4) When he has figured out how to open both the DVD player and case and can almost work it all on his own.

5) When he cries because he doesn't get to wear the Dora costume around the house.

6) When the first thing he does in the morning is to walk into the living room, point at the TV and say "Dora."

7) When he seems to believe that he can let himself out the front door and roam around on his own.

8) When you are afraid that you will have to have an intervention at the age of two.

9) You start seriously considering the idea of starting a Dora the Explorer support group.

10) When we go to Gran'maw's house and he immediately goes to the movie selection and begins bringing in all the Dora tapes.

Peace and Love y'all.

An Investment

2009-12-02T00:30:00.002-06:00

I have been doing youth ministry now for a long time. Long enough that I could for sure call it a career it seems. I have been doing this for 13 1/2 years now, and most of those have been full time. It has been something that I have loved doing, something that has been full of joy (and a little bit of pain) and has been very rewarding. I have built relationships with students over the years that I am able to still nurture today. These have been an incredible part of what God has called me to do.

In fact I would say that building relationships is the thing that I do best, and it is for sure one of my favorite things to do as far as youth ministry goes. I have learned that it is well worth it to invest in the lives of these young people. I have learned that that is one of the key elements to doing this job. It is that willingness to pour oneself out into the life of a student that can make all the difference really. Usually I am happy to do this, to pour myself into building these relationships. This I believe is one of the key elements to youth ministry. Many times it is easy to do this, to want to do this. There have been students that I have been willing to pour every last ounce of me into...they were the easy kids to minister to.

But what about those kids that aren't as easy to pour in to? Sadly, I can say that I have dealt with this in the past. There have been kids that I have had in my youth groups that I, for one reason or another, just didn't want to take the time to really invest in. I didn't pour myself out as willingly as I did with other kids. I know that there are these kids in every single youth group. For some reason there is just something about them that doesn't click with me and it is a struggle for me to be willing to invest myself into that kid. Why does this happen? Shouldn't I be willing to pour myself in to every student regardless?

I wonder if this was ever something that Jesus dealt with? Were there times when He and the 12 would be traveling and make camp for the night and Jesus would look around and think "Man, I really hope Andrew doesn't want to hang out tonight, because I know he stepped in a pile of something back there and I can still smell it." I wonder if he ever thought about things like this with Judas, especially as the end drew closer? Somehow, even if the thoughts and ideas occurred to him, I doubt that Jesus acted on them. I find it hard to believe that Jesus didn't invest as equally as he could into all 12, no matter what they may have stepped in to.

In the end, it is about taking an interest in kids and their lives. It is about investing myself in others even when it means that I don't really want too. I know that when I take time to be interested in the students' lives, the reward will be far greater than anything else I can do. Peace and Love y'all.

Dora, Dora, Dora the Explorer

2009-11-20T23:56:00.003-06:00

We have been watching a lot of Dora the Explorer here at the Durham house recently. I don't know what it is about that show that seems to just fascinate my children. Boo was a huge fan when she was young and Puck still watches it most mornings. But it is Little Man that is the biggest fan now. He knows where all the DVDs of Dora are and how to get them out of their cases and how to open the DVD player and the XBOX and try to get them in there. And he will ask for the show by name, although to be real honest at this point if you didn't live with him you would think that we let him watch The Simpson's because what comes out is "D'Oh" and that means Dora.

For real though, I'm not totally sure why it is that this show is so very popular in the 18 month -4 year demographic. I guess that if I were in that demographic maybe I would understand better what it is. As an adult though, I just have questions:

1) Dora is like 5, maybe 6 years old, and yet she runs around all over the place without ever letting her parents know what she is doing. Seriously, we have just recently started letting Boo walk to the post office alone, and it's only one street away.

2) Why is it that they always have to say the Spanish words and then follow it up with the English translation? Not saying that it is a bad thing to learn a new language, just I'm pretty sure that not everyone speaks Spanish. There was an episode the other day where twin brothers, who looked to be Swedish, automatically were able to speak Spanish to Dora. Weird.

3) Is it not weird/disturbing to anyone that Dora runs around with a talking monkey named Boots? Her parents seem to be totally fine with it, but again, it is a talking monkey who wears bright red boots.

4) Dora's backpack is from the same store as Mary Poppins' handbag it seems. I mean that kid carries everything you could possibly think of in that thing: scissors, markers, library books, life vests, ladders, English/Spanish dictionary, rope and stars...and it sings and talks to her too. I usually wear a backpack to the office or when I going somewhere, but her's is truly amazing.

5) Where does she live that every time she needs to go some place she has to cross rivers and climb mountains and out smart a fox that want to steal her stuff? "We are headed to the library to return my books. First we go over the crocodile infested river; nest we have to climb the nearly erupting volcano, and finally we go through the deep dark woods to get to the library." I think I would just keep the books and pay the fines.

6) One thing that might be really nice though would be to have the little insect mariachi band that plays every time Dora gets to a milestone of her journey. This would make it so much easier in the car to answer the question "Are we there yet?" "Have you heard the band yet, has the insect mariachi band marched past us playing the song yet? No? Then we are not there yet are we?"

Like I said earlier, I don't understand it, but for my kids its like baby crack (thanks Jon Acuff for that term). Peace and Love y'all.

The Big 2 and New Info about Dental Health

2009-11-09T23:34:00.002-06:00

So the Little Man turned 2 today. It is hard to believe that this time two years ago, I had welcomed my son into the world. Time has gone by so fast. There have been such crazy changes in that time it's unbelievable almost. We went from being in a "big" church to no church (or ministry job) to living with parents (hard to do as a family of 5) and working for a scaffolding company, to being in a smaller church that has a big heart and loves us and all our children a great deal. God has blessed us in these last two years.

So they say that this is the age where the child begins to want to assert themselves a bit more and they get to be a bit more of a challenge, thus it is dubbed the "Terrible Twos" (honestly, I'm not sure why it is plural). With the girls, this didn't start really until the year after at 3. With the boy, well lets just say he got the memo early about asserting his independence.

It has been so different having him around. He is just something else. A few weeks ago he got me up about 4:30 in the morning and took me to the living room. Once we were there, he turned on the TV, which happened to be tuned to ESPN, and started watching the replay of Boise State and Tulsa from earlier that evening. About a week ago he took me to the living room about 5:30ish. I tried to get him to lay on the couch with me to go back to sleep, but he wasn't having it. Instead, he directed me to the kitchen, had me get him a Pop Tart and some juice, and then and sat on the couch and turned on SportsCenter. He is quite the little man.

I can't imagine my life without him now at this point. He is a very special little boy to his Moma and I as well as to his sisters. We love him very much, and are so happy to get to celebrate two years of him being a part of this family.

Now onto the new info about dental health. For those of you who don't know, I have a tooth that is discolored. The reason for this is the fact that as a Freshman in high school I had it broken in half one day at basketball practice. It has never really been the same colorwise since that day. I have come to terms with this. It seems however that it is something that stands out to young kids. Puck as of late seems to have noticed this. Tonight, as we lay on the couch trying to get her to go to sleep, she started telling me about teeth a bit. Mainly she informed me that if people drink lemonade, that will turn their teeth yellow...like my tooth that I have. So glad to know that that is the reason that the tooth is discolored, it is simply from all the lemonade that I drink. So remember, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, but realize that if you drink that lemonade, it will turn your teeth yellow. I guess that is chance you have to be willing to take. Peace and Love y'all.

The Greatness of Metallica

2009-11-02T23:56:00.003-06:00

So I was walking over to the house today around lunch time and the guys at the construction site had the radio going. The song that was playing was "The Memory Remains" by Metallica. Now, I have only owned one CD by Metallica ever in my life, but it was a disc that I really enjoyed. As I was walking and and listening to the song playing, I got to thinking about a few things that I have been informed that Metallica helped to inspire. So this of course got me thinking and wondering what else they may have influenced. So I decided to make a list. Here you go.

1)The Faux-hawk- That's right, believe it or not I have been informed that the fauxhawk was inspired by James Hetfield, the lead singer. I think it was on a day when he had really bad hat hair combined with some serious static electricity. True story.

2) The chin only gotee- Again Mr. James Hetfield is responsible for this look. After being burned in a pyrotechnics accident he grew out only his chin hair to cover the scarring. On a side note, the three little pigs would like to dispute this, claiming they had the look first by the hair of their chinny, chin chin.

3) The Beatles- I know!! It seems that Metallica is so incredible that they once traveled back in time in order to help a little band from Liverpool get their start.

4) The Titanic- Though the great ship was not directly inspired or influenced by the band, had they been aboard on April 15, 1912 they would surely have been able to prevent the great ships sinking by their mere presence.

5) A Cure for cancer, AIDS and the eradication of the H1N1 flu- In the future scientists will discover the cure for these and many other diseases simply by playing all of Metallica's albums backwards. Tipper Gore really was on to something.

6) Mythology- The ancient gods were actually based on the band members of Metallica.

7) The Book of Revelation- It was actually a glimpse of a Metallica show that John saw.

8) Chuck Norris- He had to be inspired somewhere along the line to be as awesome as he is right?

9) The American Revolution- And you thought it was just taxation without Representation...we've already talked about the Metallica time machine.

10) The extinction of the dinosaurs- They just really rock that hard man...and there is that time machine again.

There you have it. My list of things that Metallica is somehow linked to. Peace and Love y'all.

The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield

2009-10-15T16:17:00.003-05:00

Have you ever wondered where Guinness got its start? That is the question that author Stephen Mansfield seeks to answer in his "biography of the beer that changed the world." This is not simply the story of a great beer , but of the family behind it that believed it to be their duty and calling to use their wealth to make a radical difference in the world in which they live.

I will admit that for me, the majority of my knowledge of the Guinness brand of beer came from the animated figures the Guinness brew masters dancing and eating hot wings and exclaiming things to be "brilliant!" This year however is the 250th anniversary of what Arthur Guinness began in Dublin, Ireland at the St. James's Gate Brewery. This piqued my interest in where and how this all got started.

For a non-beer person, I found it hard to put this book down as I delved into the story of Arthur and those who followed him. Not only did the family brew a beer that changed their world, they were committed to doing what they could to follow the will of God and to serve him. Mansfield takes his readers through the 250 years of history of a beer company and makes it interesting and intriguing even to those who know very little about the subject. It is inspiring to learn of a family and a business that is committed to more than simply making a profit. Many businesses today could learn from the Guinness business model and do well with it.

This was a book that I found hard to put down as I read and would gladly recommend it to others. For those who know and enjoy Guinness already this is a worthwhile read to expand your knowledge, and for those who, like me, know very little of the beer, it is a great book for learning not just about the beer, but about what a family dedicated to using wealth righteously can do to change the world.

You Decide

2009-09-14T00:48:00.003-05:00

I don't really know how I want to start this particular blog. In fact, I'm not even 100% sure that I know what this is really going to be about. I have a couple of thoughts floating around in my brain like drift wood in the gutter after a thunderstorm has swept through. I have been thinking though and that is where this has all started.

I've been thinking about the difference in some of my friends. I have a couple of friends that have made changes to their belief systems. Both were people that, when I was in more regular and constant contact with them, were deeply devoted to following and serving Jesus. Now, I can't say that really about either one. One is now an agnostic and the other is...well I'm not sure. Both however have turned their backs on what they once professed to believe. One is the child of a pastor and one was once a campus ministry intern, youth pastor and missionary.

I have questions for them, and yet at this point they remained unasked. I want to know what it was that brought about the changes in their lives, what made them turn their backs on that which they once professed to believe so strongly. What kind of experience did they have that led them to this place and point in their lives. These are the things that I would like to know, to help me understand.

I mention this because I was thinking about one of my cousins today. He and his wife were supposed to have their first baby this coming February, and yet have found out that there is something wrong, that the baby, a girl, has a rare disorder which will steal life from her and joy from her expectant parents.

I mention this because I have a friend who lost his baby boy only minutes after he was born. He held him in his arms for mere moments before he was gone, back to eternity, back to the arms of Jesus.

I mention this because I have other friends who have gone through multiple attempts to start a family and have just now in the last few months seen this hope of blessing come to pass.

I mention this because through all of these experiences, the faith of these people has been shaken no doubt, but it has remained. They have chosen to lean further into the arms of Jesus for comfort and peace (even when it seemed that they would not find it, even there)...they have not turned away.

In this end I believe that it comes down to a choice that we make. This thing we call faith, it is a choice that we make. And the thing about it is, we must make this choice each and every day, to walk with Jesus, trusting in him and in God, believing that even when there seems to be no obvious evidence of his presence in our surroundings and situations, that he is there. We choose to believe, even when God is silent in our lives.

It is a daily choice that we make. It is a choice that we make not only in the times when things are good and easy. No, we must make the choice even on the days when it seems that all hope is lost, or was never there in the first place.

Joshua 24:15 says to "choose this day whom you will serve." As I have thought about that I see that everyday is "this day" and we must choose whom it is we will serve. There will always be times that are good and there will always be times that are hard or even seem impossible. We must choose each day whom we will serve. Will it be God, even in the times that he seems to be silent? Or will we choose to serve our circumstances and situations and bow before them and let them lead and guide us through the day?

Hebrews 11:1 says that "Faith is be sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we can not see." Will we choose each day that sureness and certainty, or will we choose to fall away into hopelessness and uncertainty? The choice is ours. Peace and Love y'all.

4 Years and Counting

2009-09-10T00:17:00.002-05:00

So Wednesday was Puck's 4th birthday. That simply floors me to think about. She is such a wonderful, beautiful, sweet, funny little girl. I really truly honestly can't imagine my life without my Puck. She makes us laugh all the time and she is so sweet. I know this seems to be getting mushy, but dude, it's my baby girl, what do you expect?

Ok so in honor of her birthday, here are a few Puck stories that I thought about.

1) Wednesday afternoon she asked me what it was that I had done with the handle to her Littlest Pet Shop wagon that she had brought into the living room. I told her that I hadn't done anything with it. She then informed me that I had taken off the handle to her wagon-and I am quoting here- "Duh!"

2) Before I started writing this tonight I went in her's and Boo's room and said a prayer over the two of them while they were sleeping. As I turned on the bathroom light so I would be able to avoid tripping over who knows what and walked to the bed I noticed something about Puck. As my baby girl was sleeping there with no blanket and curled into a ball, her hand was once again stuck down the back of her shorts. Even in her sleep she seems to have a fascination with her booty.

3) I'm sure this has been mentioned before, but she has a saying when she toots. When asked what she should say she responds by saying "Excuse me booty" as though she has just done something to offend that area of her anatomy.

4) The girl talks more than any human I have ever met. From the moment she wakes up she begins talking. It is as though she has been storing up all the words through the night and her little brain can no longer contain them and they must burst forth into speech. She continues to talk just about every waking moment that she has, even if she is playing peacefully by herself. She talks right up to the moment she falls asleep, and sometimes even then. I guess that is why she wakes up talking...it is simply a continuation of where she left off when sleep finally overtook her.

5) There is a reason that her nickname is Puck. In the play A Midsummer's Night Dream the character that opens and closes the show is a hobgoblin named Puck. Puck is all about the mischief. This is why I call her Puck. From the time she could crawl, she has been being ornery. I remember the house we lived in in Sweetwater when she was born. The hallway was pretty long and at the end was a bathroom. Once Puck started crawling, that bathroom was one of her favorite places to go. She would head down there and if the lid happened to be up on the toilet she would pull up and splash around in the water. Of course her momma and I didn't want her to do this, so we would return her to the living room. It all became a game for Puck. As soon as we set her down she would head for the hallway again...only this time she would check over her shoulder to be sure you saw her going that way. As soon as you made a move toward her, she would take off crawling just as fast as her little arms and legs would carry her laughing all the way.

OK, I'll stop there. It's late and I'm tired. Again, I'm blown away by the fact that my baby girl is 4 now. The time has flown by me in such a blur. God has blessed me greatly with two beautiful daughters, a handsome son and of course a beautiful wife. Peace and Love y'all.

Rick & Bubba's Guided to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage by Rick Burgess & Bill "Bubba" Bussey

2009-08-23T15:23:00.005-05:00

What do you get when you take "the two sexiest fat men in America" and let them write a book about marriage? You get Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage, that's what. The title seems to really say it all here. These two radio hosts from Alabama have offered up a guide for having "the almost nearly perfect marriage" whether you are thinking about marriage, engaged, or have been married for years. They offer advice on such topics as communication, apologizing (for men) and even the art of finding lost car keys.

Drawing from a total of 30+ years of marriage combined, these two men have written a book chock full of their personal experiences when it comes to being married. The book is full of funny stories about each mans marriage and how they handle things within it. One of the things that I would like to have seen would have been for the book to have been broken down into topics with stories that related to such things. As it is, there are great stories, but the moral behind those stories is sometimes lost (at least for me). Although I did not find any necessarily new advice in the book, (save for a Top Ten list here and there) I still felt it was a worthwhile read. The humor, honesty and sarcasm laced throughout the book make it well worth the time to sit down and read what Rick and Bubba have to say on the topic of holy matrimony. I would recommend this book to couples I know who are thinking of becoming engaged, almost engaged, or even newly married. So if you have a chance, check out Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage.

Peace and Love y'all.

The Dash and the Spread

2009-08-20T22:48:00.004-05:00

Couple of sports related thoughts this eveing.

First I just read a blog on Yahoo! Sports Dr. Saturday about the Florida vs. Charleston Southern. This is Florida's big time "cupcake" game to start the season. No big deal right? I mean Kansas State did (does) this kind of thing all the time and blows teams like McMurry and Hardin-Simmons out of the water. It's just a standard part of the game of college football now adays to have that kind of game early in the season. Here's the thing that caught my attention: it seems that it was being reported via blogs and tweets through out the morning that Florida was a huge favorite in the game. The question though is just how big of a favorite are they? What would you guess? 40? Maybe even 50 for a season opener against a I-AA school. No the reports were that Florida was favored by...wait for it...73!!! That is a 10 touchdown difference. Let that sink in for a second...that's right, 10 touchdowns. And that is just to say that Florida will score at least 73 points more than Charleston Southern, even if Charleston Southern does manage to score.

Now let me say that this line is not accurate. Yes Florida is favored to win and win big, but not by 10 touchdowns. Instead they are favored to win by no more than 9 TDs, or 63 points. I have to say that regardless of what the outcome is, to be favored by 63 is incredible. If you are wondering, the line is from today's (Thursday) issue of USA Today.

The other thing that has captured my attention this week in sports is Usain Bolt. If you aren't sure who that is, or you have heard the name recently, but still can't quite place it, let me refresh your memory real fast. Bolt is the Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in both the 100m and the 200m. Not bad right? Here is the thing though. Bolt this week broke both of his own records in those two events.

First, on Sunday Bolt set a new 100m world record with a time of 9.58 seconds. Think about that for a second. This man, who is 6'5" ran 100m in less than 10 seconds. The fastest person in college track is a guy at LSU by the name of Trindon Holliday. He is a sprinter and a kickoff returner for the Tigers. In June he won the NCAA 100-meter dash title by running that distance in 10 seconds flat. That is dang fast let me tell you. Yet Bolt beat that time this past weekend by nearly a full half second. I know it doesn't sound like much when you just read it, but in a race like that half a second must feel like forever. Bolt, who is the size of some NBA guards, ran 100 meters-the straight section of the track-in less than 10 seconds. He was covering more than 10 meters PER SECOND.

Then last night (Wednesday) Bolt set a new 200m record, again breaking his own previous record. In the Olympics he ran the 200 in 19.30 seconds. Last night he ran it in 19.19 seconds. He was able to shave a full tenth of a second off his already world record time. The guy that finished second in this race ran a shade under 20 seconds. He was over six tenths of a second behind Bolt. That is a split time in the 200 of nearly 10.1 per 100m. Pretty dang fast. Basically, Bolt could beat me in the 100 (or any other race to be honest) running backwards, blindfolded and giving up a 10 meter head start. Incredible. It will be even more so to see if he can once again break his own records. Peace and Love y'all.

The Great Vick Debate

2009-08-17T00:45:00.004-05:00

Something that I have been thinking about in the last few weeks and days, especially as football season is fast approaching. It is a topic that I'm sure has been covered and then covered a bit more, but it is something that I spent some time thinking about in the last few days in particular. That subject is Michael Vick.

Now I will assume that pretty much everyone who might happen upon this here post will know at least generally what the deal is with Vick. In case you don't....Michael Vick was the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons a couple of seasons ago. He was convicted of bankrolling a dog fighting ring and sentenced to 23 months. He served 20 of those months in prison and the last three under house arrest. He has, in the last month or so, gained his full release. This of course brought about questions concerning what he would do once he was again a free man. Would he be able to return to football? Would there be a team out there that would be wiling to take a chance on young man who was such a phenomenal athlete before missing out on two full seasons in the NFL? One thing was sure, the Falcons would not be welcoming him back.

There was and is still great debate about all of this. Most of the debate seems to center on two things: 1) What team would be willing take a flier on him knowing that it could upset their fan base, and 2) does he even deserve to have another chance in the NFL after what he did?

The first question was answered on Thursday when the Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick to a one year deal worth $1.6 million, with a team option for a second year worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 million. Vick was introduced as an Eagle on Friday. So that answers that question in the debate. The other question is a touch more, well, touchy. Here are my thoughts about if Vick deserves a second chance.

1) As a man- As a person, I would say that yes he deserves a second chance. Let's face it, we have all made mistakes in the past...and will continue to do so in the future. What if every single time we made a mistake, it was held against us from that point on. There would not be a one of us who would be able to say that they deserved anything. With that in mind, how is it that we can look at Vick and say that he does not deserve a second opportunity as a person? What he did, what he was involved in was wrong. He lied about it in the beginning, but he has come to realize where he went wrong. That is the important thing here. Without repentance there is no hint of change. Many people will look at this situation and say to themselves "He has been sufficiently humbled, I suppose he can have another shot." I thought about this last night and what an arrogant statement it seems to be actually. We think that we can decide how much humbleness is a sufficient amount for someone? That if they are not as humble as we think they should be that they don't deserve that second chance. What I notice with Vick is that he went into jail seemingly an arrogant kid, and he has come out as a humble man. I serve a God and a Savior who has given me plenty of second chances. I believe that we are called to do the same in these kinds of situations.

2) As a player- I think that he also deserves to have an opportunity to do what he seems to do best and that is to play football. In all of our lives, we would like to have the chance to do that thing that we are best at and to get payed for it. That is the situation with Vick. What he does best it appears at this point is to play the game of football. Why should he be denied that chance to once again do what he is best at? He has served his time, paid his allotted debt to society, and now it is time for him, and us, to move on.

3) As a quarterback- Ok, so this is where my grace runs out. This is an opinion that I hold that has nothing to do with Vick's crime or the time that he has been away from the game. I have just always thought that he was an awful quarterback. He has a strong arm, and can launch the ball like nobodies business, but that really doesn't mean anything if you can't actually hit your receivers. Granted, he showed some flashes of what it is (old school) to be a QB. But those flashes were few and far between. Vick would be better off, in my opinion, as either a running back or a receiver. With his speed, who would be able to keep up with him if he were to break away? It has always been my feeling that Vick decides to run too soon from the pocket. As soon as he seems to think that he feels pressure, he bolts. With this in mind, I feel like he would be better served at a different position, maybe even as a return man what with his speed.

All in all, I do feel that Vick is more than deserving of his second chances in life, as a person as well as as a football player. I don't think that taking a chance on him as a quarterback at this point (or any other point really) is the greatest idea that a team could have. Peace and Love y'all.

Bits and Pieces

2009-08-17T00:12:00.003-05:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I last had anything to write about. I guess that happens. I don't want to write stuff just to be doing it you know, so I don't write as often as I would like to now it seems. On top of that, I've been really busy. I'll try to do better now that things are slowing down a bit.

As I sit here at 12:15am, I can still hear Puck in her room playing and talking. She takes after me too much in that regard I suppose. Roni told me last night when I was driving home from McKinney that she heard her in her and Boo's room crying. When Roni went to check on her, she found that the light was off (as it was supposed to be) and Puck lying in bed crying her almost 4 year old eyes out. When Roni asked her what was wrong she responded by saying that Boo wouldn't talk to her implying that she was being ignored. As it turns out Boo wasn't talking to her for good reason...she was asleep.

The boy is waking up for some reason. I can hear him fussing in his bed, and I know that I should go and see what he needs, but I don't want him to end up in my bed again. Too late for that as I just went to check on him and he is now going back to sleep next to his moma. Puck also informed me that Boo wouldn't give her any blanket. Again, Boo is asleep, not being mean or spiteful.

Thank you to any and all that may have read the last thing that I posted. I really enjoyed that book, and I hope that maybe someone else will pick it up now and give it a chance. Fair warning there will be another book review coming in the near future. This one will be over the book "Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage." So far it has been a pretty entertaining read.

Not much else is going on really. I'm writing now just because I wanted to write. I do greatly enjoy doing this kind of thing. Thanks for taking time to peruse it...or at least to give me a hit on here. I know that this post seems rather random, but I needed to take a little bit and just do that. Peace and Love y'all.

Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl by N.D. Wilson

2009-08-01T00:26:00.004-05:00

Do you ever wonder why in the world you are even here? Why is it that you are here at this time in this place? How does God (if He is even there) view all of this craziness? Is He paying attention? These are questions that we all struggle with at times and wonder about as we slog through this crazy world. In this book, N. D. Wilson lays out what he sees as God's design for us on the crazy, spinning sphere that we call Earth.

The questions that each of us has probably asked at one point or another are laid out here for us to consider. Wilson looks at each of these from the point of view that God is the Creator, the Artist, the Author, the Painter and the Poet. So many times it is easy for us to get lost in the questions that threaten to consume us, and yet this is a fresh point of view of who God is and how He feels toward us, His creation. Wilson doesn't quote a great deal of Scripture, and yet he is Biblically sound in his presentation. The style of writing, although seemingly random at first, holds you fast once you catch the rhythm of it. Reading this, I begin to realize that there are unfathomable depths to the Infinite Creators love and desire for His creation. This is a book that I would recommend to those who feel they have heard it all, and are looking for a new way of relating to God.

Peace and Love y'all.

Dance, Dance

2009-07-24T12:13:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine had this posted on Facebook today and I thought I would share it here as well for anyone who hasn't seen this:

Roni and I watched this and both had the same thought: "Grandad would have flipped if we wanted to do this kind of thing." That's ok though, he was just a little more old school when it came to weddings.

I look at this though and it brings to mind thoughts of being the Bride of Christ. On that day when He comes to claim us it will be Forever (the song in the video). I can't wait to go dancing down the aisle with as much joy and laughter and fun and desire as the wedding party above had. Peace and Love y'all.

Pass the Cheetos

2009-06-26T23:32:00.002-05:00

Got in today from a day spent in Tyler with the family and came and checked my email and such. As usual I looked at the head lines listed on Yahoo's front page. This story just seemed to stand out for some reason.

Tenn. couple accused of assault using Cheetos

Fri Jun 26, 3:19 pm ET

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. – Authorities said a couple got into a fight using Cheetos. The Bedford County Sheriff's Department said a 40-year-old man and 44-year-old woman became involved in a 'verbal altercation.' Somehow, the orange puffy snacks were used in the assault.

Deputies said they were charged with domestic assault. No one was hurt.

According to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, both posted bond of $2,500.

___

Information from: Shelbyville Times-Gazette, http://www.t-g.com

That's right, they were fighting not over the Cheetos, but with the Cheetos. I feel that the line "No one was hurt" might have been a bit much. I mean I don't about you, but it seems to me that really the only way that a Cheeto is going to hurt someone (other than in the waist line perhaps) is if the "cheese" powder gets in their eye.

Imagine being the deputy called to the scene though. You get the call from dispatch that there is a domestic dispute going on so you make a beeline to the address. You get there, enter the house to the surely horrifying scene of orange dust all over everything, the couple covered in most of it, the crumpled bag that once held the snack food on the floor, its contents scattered all over the floor. And you have to call it in to dispatch.

How does that call sound do you think? "Uh, this is Unit 123. We are at the scene of that dispute you called in. Yeah, it seems they, uh, they were heatedly throwing Cheetos at each other as they were yelling....that's right, right the ones with Chester the Cheetah as the mascot....No, they're not the Puffs....those wouldn't fly as well, you're right...No, they're just the regular original style of Cheetos....yeah, we're gonna go ahead and bring them in....what do we charge them with?....Would it be with a weapon you think?....Ok, we'll be there in 20....Yeah have some wet wipes ready to clean their fingers."

As the deputy, when you show up at the door, how do you keep a straight face as the story is unfolding before you? They were arguing and it escalated to throwing Cheetos at each other. Man you know they had to be laughing on the way back to the station right? I know I would be. The sad thing is that they went to jail for all of this. Amazing. And they had to post $2500 each for bail. $5000 for what was basically a food fight with yelling. Goodness (shaking my head). Peace and Love y'all.

Various Things

2009-06-25T01:57:00.003-05:00

It has been a long time since I have written anything on here. Did you miss me? Let's see what is there that has happened in the time since I last posted? Here are a few things:

I spoke at the 6th Grade Graduation Ceremony here in Quitman. Doesn't sound like such a big thing, but it was one of the hardest speeches that I have ever had to write. And on top of that, I was far more nervous about it than I usually am with that kind of thing. The pressure of being accepted by a bunch of 6th graders I guess.
We went on vacation. It was great to actually get to take a real vacation. Last year we weren't really able to, even though we did get to hit the beach. This year we went to Colorado Springs. It was nice. Made it really hard to come home to the heat and humidity, that's for sure.
Boo turned 7. Crazy to think that my baby girl is 7 years old. It doesn't seem like it has been nearly that long since I first held her tiny body in my arms and realized: "Holy crap!! I'm responsible for the little person!"
Did VBS. We had our VBS right after we got home from vacation. It was a good week, but I didn't have a very big part in it so I was kind of glad.

So I guess that it has been a little bit eventful since the last time I wrote anything. It has been such a good year for us here in Quitman. We just feel like we fit with this place, you know. That is such a great feeling after the 15 months we spent in San Angelo knowing after about 6 of those that we didn't fit, but trying desperately to do so.

July is nearly here and that means that I will have a lot going on. Starting July 5th I will be gone for about 3 of the 4 weeks that month. I will be gone for two straight weeks starting on that date, with about a half a day to be home and do laundry and such. Here is what my July looks like, in case you're interested.

July 5th-11th- U.M. Army Mission Trip to Porter, TX. That is about 4 1/2 hours from here, not too bad, but the kids here are a little spoiled when it comes to travelling...they think that is so far to go. They should try living in Snyder, Texas where you have to drive at least an hour just to get to a place with an actual mall, then driving 4 1/2 hours doesn't seem so bad.
July 12th-17th- District church camp at Lakeview. I'm on the director team this year, and got to help write the curriculum. It was some of the hardest stuff that I have ever had to write.
July 17th-19th- 15 year semi-reunion in Midland. At least those are the last dates that I have heard.
July 20th-25th- Home for the first time really since the 4th. Ahhhh.
July 26th-30th- Mystery Trip to a mysterious place. Should be fun, especially since we will have some of the newer youth on the trip with us. It's a chance to get to know them and (hopefully) build some unity.

Then August gets here and I have one weekend trip to Rock the Desert the 7th-9th, and then we end the month with youth weekend the 28th-30th. It's going to be a crazy next couple of months, but really I'm looking forward to it. Please pray for me and my family for the next couple of months, especially in early July when I will be gone back to back weeks with only a few hours to spend with them. Peace and Love y'all.

Fear Itself

2009-05-09T21:44:00.002-05:00

I have one huge fear. It's kind of strange really I suppose when I think about it. As a youth minister however it is a fear that seems to make sense really. There are times when I jerk awake with this fear trying to push it's way into my waking moments. It takes a moment or two usually in fact to remember that the fear I'm feeling is nothing more than a dream.

The fear that I experience in this line of work is that of being afraid that I am supposed to be filling in for the pastor and that I have forgotten and missed the early service at the church and then I don't have anything prepared when I come rushing in late. It is something that nags at me. It gnaws at the edges of my brain at times when I wake up on Sunday mornings. It is my nightmare that lingers even when I wake. Thankfully it has been only that, and has never become an actuality.

Last week however I took it one step further than just a nagging, lingering feeling. I knew that I had responsibilities on Sunday morning in the early service with the scripture that was supposed to be done via DVD. It was something that I had done before, but for some reason this particular weekend, I was extra nervous about the set up.

I woke suddenly and looked frantically for the clock which, upon seeing and focusing on, read 8:13 AM. At this point all my fears seemed to race forward into my consciousness as I literally leaped from my nice comfortable bed, throwing my covers aside and exclaiming to Roni "CRAP!! I am supposed to be doing stuff in the early service!!" I was about to make a beeline to the bathroom in order to hurriedly brush my teeth and throw on clothes when from the bed beside me I hear the voice of my loving wife say "What are you doing? It's Saturday." At this point I immediately collapsed back onto the bed, pulled the blanket back over me and went back to sleep. Crisis averted...for now. Peace and Love y'all.

Shapeless

2009-04-30T11:49:00.003-05:00

We have been going over Revelation during our Wednesday night youth time. Last Wednesday (April 22), we covered chapter 4. If you're not sure what is in that chapter, it is where John has a vision of the throne room of God in Heaven. He describes God in terms of color and sound rather than with shapes and forms. I had never thought about God like that before.

We seem to get caught up rather often on God being not just a man, but a white man, or an old man or a man in the clouds, or the man upstairs. Really when you think about some of those things they are kind of limiting. We tend to make God in our own image rather than realize that we are made in His image. When we start putting all these terms on God it can begin to put limits on what we allow Him to do in our lives.

(Now, don’t misunderstand me on this. For our minds to be able to understand and grasp God we have to use terms that we can understand in order to comprehend Him [by the way the male pronoun is really more generic than anything]. We refer to God in terms of gender I believe more from a relational aspect than from an actual gender designation. If we referred to God as It, that would take all the relationship out of things. Think about it, when we refer to our possessions, we call them “It”, when we refer to a person, we use a descriptive gender pronoun. That has as much to do with our relationship to that person as it does anything else. Granted we will call an unborn baby an it when we don’t know the sex, but that is due more to the fact that we don’t yet have a relationship with that baby. Once we know the sex, we refer to the baby as he or she him or her.)

Ok, I say all of that to say that in order for us to understand God, we first have to personify God in our minds. However God is not limited by the ways that we personify Him. It should be our goal to realize that even though we have a need to think of God in such ways, God is actually beyond those limits, and if we try to confine him to just those limits that is where we begin to have problems in our relationships with both God and others.

So here is my challenge to you: Begin to think of God, as John says in 1 John 4, as Love rather than as just a personification and remember that Love, as it is laid out in 1 Corinthians 13, is limitless and really has no set form or boundary or gender. When we can do this we will begin to see our relationships differently and we can change begin to change the world. Peace and Love y’all.

Not A Man

2009-04-30T00:19:00.002-05:00

Here is a music video that I saw/heard today. I think that it is pretty great. Pretty straight forward it would seem. It is by The Michael Gungor Band. I hope you enjoy and that the words will speak some Truth to you as you listen and watch.

Peace and Love Y'all.

Just a smidgen

2009-04-17T00:39:00.003-05:00

Do you ever feel small? I mean, have you ever really stopped to think about how small we really are in the over all scheme of things? When you think about it, it can be a little bit daunting really, especially if you consider how big so many other things are.

I got a tweet earlier from one of my favorite authors, Don Miller. Granted I am just one person who happens to be following him on Twitter, and I for sure don't know him (but I do think it would be dang cool if I did), but it still is cool to get updates from him. Anyway he posted something about the entire cosmos that made me start thinking tonight. Check it out, cause it's really pretty cool.

Anyway, he added this verse to it: "What is man that you are mindful of him; the son of man that you care about him?" (Psalm 8:4) That is a question that I first heard nearly 13 years ago. I was listening to the song "God" by Rebecca St. James and that was in the lyrics. It made me stop and really think about it. What are we that God is mindful of us? Then of course when you look at the picture from that link there, you start to really wonder about our place in the cosmos. We think that we are big, and yet the images clearly show us just how small we are as a planet, much less as inhabitants of that planet.

So what is all of this? I am just going on about how little we are? No. See all those years ago as I listened to that song in my car (in cassette form to be sure) I asked God that same question. "God what am I that you are mindful of me, that you care about me?" I was curious, especially when you consider the size of everything. And as I drove a little further, I reached a point that I had to pull over on Interstate 20 between Big Spring and Stanton in order to write down the answer that I heard that day.

I felt like God spoke to me telling me that what made Him mindful of me was the simple fact that I was his creation. He had created me, and in the same way that an artist does not create something and then just turn away from it, that is what it is like with Him. He has invested himself in me and because of that he cares for and is mindful of me. I admit I can understand that so much better now that I have children. I am invested in those children...I could never not care for and be mindful of them. God, the same one that I believe is responsible for all the things in that picture, CARES FOR ME. Wow. I mean really, wow. As I sit here and think about it, it blows my mind.

So even though we are really very small in the over all scheme of things when it comes to created things, we have tremendous value to the one who created us. God is God of the huge things of the (seemingly) eternal cosmos, and yet he is also the God of the small things, like me. Peace and Love y'all.

So Sweet

2009-04-15T23:31:00.004-05:00

Ok, I am laying on the floor of the living room this evening watching the end of LOST and Puck comes walking in. Not a big other than the fact that she is supposed to already be in bed and hopefully asleep at this point. She however is not, but she is so very sweet about it. She walks into the living room carrying a blanket with her and talking (she is always talking). Roni and I tell her it is time for her to go to bed.

Before she goes she drops the blanket near me so I pick it up. Within about 5 minnutes she is back and standing in the doorway from the hall to the living room. We are talking to her, telling her that it is time to go to bed, she has school in the morning and she didn't take a nap, things like that. I roll over and take the blanket that I have wadded up and playfully throw it at her. It hits her in the chest and she looks at me and in her sweet, innocent 3 1/2 year old way says "Hey F@*&%er".

I lay there not sure that I have heard her correctly. Roni jumps on it however. She is sitting in the rocking chair hear Puck and immediately says to her "How about calling him a silly head instead." So Puck says "Yeah...silly head" with all the 3 1/2 year old attitude she can muster it seems and we all laugh. She finally heads to bed. Roni wants to know what I think of her recovery and reaction to hearing such a word come from the mouth of our sweetly innocent little girl. I tell her that she did a good job to not make it a much bigger deal than it really was. She was afraid that if she made too much of it, Puck would continue to say it, much like she does with Shut-up.

Earlier this week. either Sunday or Monday, I was standing on the porch. I was minding my own business really talking to Roni a bit. Puck has a stick and is pretending that it is a snake. She proceeds to poke me in the butt with the stick, just on the right cheek, and tells us that the snake just "bited Daddy's butt." Roni again corrects her and she changes it to booty for the next time, but by now it doesn't really matter because Daddy is laughing so hard that I would not be able to correct her if I tried.

I have no idea where it is that she has picked up these words. Well, ok, she has heard her daddy use the word butt before. In fact I've probably called her a silly butt or some such. However it is strange to hear a 3 1/2 year old use such a word correctly. I am convinced that at times however, kids just figure out words. It's not that they are always taught them, or hear them and repeat what they have heard (if that were the case, my kids would have said some other things by now that they shouldn't). I really believe that sometimes, they just take a sound they have heard and they add a letter to it that they shouldn't and it comes out as something not nice.

Or perhaps she really doesn know what that word is and that is how she feels about me sometimes. Peace and Love y'all.

Ask Not...

2009-04-12T01:06:00.003-05:00

I have been reading a book lately that I really like. I should actually say that I am re-reading a book that I really like. The book is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and I think it is just about my favorite book of the entire seven book series. This is about the fifth time that I have read it. Roni has always wanted to know what it is about this book that I seem to like so much. To her it is one of her least favorites. It's the longest book of the series and to her it just takes a while to really get going.

For me it has the character that I despise more than any other in the entire series...even more than Voldemort and he is THE bad guy. The character is Delores Jane Umbridge. She is from the Ministry of Magic and comes to Hogwarts as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. The thing is that she is horrible and not just as a teacher. Overall, she is just bad. On top of this, the Ministry is horrible in this book as well. They have decided that it is time for them to take a more "active" role in what goes on at Hogwarts in this book and do so by implementing policies that take away from the students and other teachers. At one point, in a DADA class, Umbridge tells one student to just do her work and don't ask questions. Much of this is based on the Ministry refusing to admit that Voldemort has returned at the end of book four. In the end, a group of students decide to form a "club" and learn defense on their own. It's a great book in my opinion.

The reason that I bring this all up is because it makes me think of the Church in some ways. Don't take this the wrong way, I don't mean all churches by an stretch of the imagination. But being from the Biblebelt and all, I have had some experience with the kind of churches that come to mind. It's the kind of place that doesn't like it when people as questions about faith. It is the kind of place where you are not encouraged to really figure things out for yourself. It is this way and that's it, just accept it and go on. As I read The Order of the Phoenix the other day, this is what came to mind.

First there is the Ministry of Magic. By all accounts it has lost it's focus. It is no longer doing what it was created to do, which is to help guide the magical world. They have lost their focus but they don't want to hear this. When they are confronted with the truth, they turn a blind eye and a deaf ear and do their best to make others the target. They have become power hungry. Those who have gold to give are able to receive a certain amount of influence. This reminds me of the stories that we hear in history of the Church. Priests reaching a point where they believe themselves to be a bigger deal than the Bride of Christ; rich people and nobles gaining special favor in the church because of who they are and what they are able to give in terms of money. This is the problem in the fifth book.

By the middle of the book, a group of students who believe the truth have decided to split off and form their own defense group. They are going against what the Ministry says that they can do, and yet they are doing and thinking for themselves. They will no longer just take what the Ministry says they have to do. It makes me think of when Martin Luther split from the church, when the Wesley brothers chose to do their own thing. Throughout history there are groups who break away from the company line and follow what they know to be the Truth. They realize that it is ok to ask questions and to think for themselves and to figure out this thing called faith. After all, faith is our first line of defense against the dark arts (sorry I knew that was dripping in cheese when I wrote, but I bowed to the temptation anyway).

Here is the comparison that I come up with for all of this. In this book, the Ministry is like the Church in Ephesus from Revelation chapter 2. The Risen Christ tells the church there that they are doing all the right work, but they have lost their focus, lost their forst love. This is how I would compare the Ministry. They are doing some things that they should be doing, but they have lost their focus which is to protect the people of the magical world. At times we as the Church are the same way. We lose our focus and forget the reason that we do the things we do. I pray that now, in this season where we celebrate the power, love grace, majesty and authority of the Risen Christ that we will remember why it is we do the things we do and for whom we do them. Peace and Love y'all.

Limping In

2009-04-07T00:41:00.003-05:00

Well the NBA season is winding down. Most teams have only about 6 games to go and there were no games this evening due to the NCAA Men's National Championship game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Tar Heels of North Carolina (Carolina won the game).

The thing is, the NBA playoffs start in a little over a week I believe it is and right now the team that I will be rooting for is limping into these playoffs. The Spurs seem to be having a spot of difficulty right now, which isn't good at this point in the season. This is the time of year that if you are a playoff team you want to be gelling and really hitting your stride as a team, not tweaking the line up to find the best fit.

They call the Spurs a "veteran" team, but really that's just code for old. Look at the team: Tim Duncan is in his 12th year (and has been in the playoffs every single season and won 4 championships) and is dealing with sore knees that tend to keep him from playing on back-to-back nights; Tony Parker is in his 7th season and is only 26, but can he bear all the load in the playoffs?; it was discovered today that Manu Ginobili has a fracture in his right ankle and is out for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs; Michael Finley is still a good player, but he is getting old and playing heavy minutes in his earlier years seems to have extracted some kind of toll on him; Bruce Bowen is a great defender and three point shooter, but the guy can't make a free throw usually for anything. Roger Mason has had a fantastic season, but he has been something of a journeyman in his NBA career, so he is an unknown as far as the playoffs go.

When you add up all the parts what you seem to get is a team that is good and can still compete for a fifth title this summer based on experience alone, and yet they are limping in. They have dropped from the number two seed in the West to the number 3 or possibly worse (depends on how these last 6 games shake out). Teams in the conference are getting younger and adding talent to their rosters. The Spurs, to their credit, don't get to make lottery picks in the draft (consequences of always being in the playoffs). In fact the last time that the Spurs picked in the Lottery, they got Tim Duncan (they haven't picked that high since then). They make it work with foreign players and former lottery picks from other teams. It is amazing that they are able to do what they do. They have never failed to win a Finals series that they reached.

That is why it is so hard to see them more or less limping in to the playoffs this season. I love the Spurs-they are possibly my favorite team of all time regardless of the sport-and I am hoping for them to get it done once again. I will say this for them however: no matter how hard it seems right now, no matter how many bumps there are in the road in to the playoffs, Thank God, that at the very least they are not the Dallas Mavericks. Peace and Love y'all.

Play Time

2009-03-28T19:31:00.002-05:00

I went in to play with Boo and Puck and earlier. They were playing "school" and were in need of a teacher, so I was the one who was recruited to fill the role. The only problem that I encountered was the fact that all I was supposed to be doing that I could tell was that I was in the Teachers' Lounge rather than in the classroom doing the job of teaching.

All of this seems pretty normal I guess if you don't know Boo. See I went in to play and spent the whole time I was in there being told the set up of what we were doing. I was in the Teachers' Lounge, but I had gotten there by going over the top of the bunk beds it seems to get there which was, of course, the secret way. Boo on the other hand had discovered the way there and sneaked up and saw me in the lounge talking to the other teachers. Not about anything I guess, just talking. She then went back the other way and told Puck, who had gone to bathroom which allowed for Boo to do this sneaking about. While in the lounge, I couldn't go very far due to the imaginary wall that was there (this is why I had to go over the bunk bed I suppose). Boo was also the only one if the room of pretend students who knew about the secret way to the lounge. She was however going to inform Puck about the secret. Keep in mind that during all of the above, all I was actually doing was laying on the bottom bunk waiting to get to play. That was all that I really got to do as far as this time of playing seeing as how Boo and Puck starting fighting soon after that.

This is not the first time either that I have gone to play with Boo and didn't really get much chance to actually play. It used to be that I would go in to play with her, and we would spend the whole time watching her line up her Little People. This was so they could all go to "the" party" or whatever.

Now maybe it's just me, but I really don't remember playing that way. When my friends and I got together to play something, we didn't spend a lot of time setting it up with all kinds of stories and details...we just grabbed what we were playing with and went to it. We might decide on a couple of things before hand, like what the game was we were playing, but I'm pretty sure that we didn't take all kinds of time laying it all out before we played. That would have taken too long for us.

So maybe it's just Boo that likes to play like that. Maybe it's lots of kids that are that age. Whatever it is, it sure makes play time different for me when it comes to them. Peace and Love y'all.

How He Loves

2009-03-26T23:46:00.003-05:00

This past summer at church camp we did this song called How He Loves. It was an awesome song. You know how it is when you are in worship and there is one particular song that just really stirs you? That is what this song was like for me. Every time we would sing this song, there was something that would just resonate deep in my being.

I have looked for this song ever since then but I'd had no real luck in finding it. Until last week, a young lady that I know had a line of it as her status on Facebook so she was able to hook me up with the name of the artist as well as the name of the song and from there I was able to find it. Now I would like to share the words with you.

How He Loves
John Mark McMillan

He is jealous for me, Love's a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and Mercy.
When all of the sudden I'm unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
and I realize just how beautiful You are, and great Your affections are for me.

Oh how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us so.

Yea He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

So we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to Redemption by the Grace in His eyes,
If Grace is an ocean we're all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest.
I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way...

He Loves us,
Oh how He Loves us,
Oh how He Loves us,
Oh, how He Loves.
He Loves us,
Oh how He Loves us,
Oh how He Loves us,
He Loves us.

I also wanted to post the video of the song as well. I will admit that it is a little bit long, but the first part of it is John Mark McMillan explaining why he wrote the song and what it is all about for him. I hope that if you watch it and listen to the song that it will move you like it has moved so many others. Peace and Love y'all.

Where the Action Is

2009-03-22T21:32:00.002-05:00

As long as I can recall, action figures have been a staple of the toy industry for boys. These have been G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe, Star Wars, and so on. These figures allowed little boys (and sometimes bigger boys as well) to create and live out adventures in their imaginations. One of the best parts was always the little stickers and such on the packages that would proclaim what the special "action" was the figures could perform. "Kung Fu chopping Action!!" "Weapons actually fire!!" These were the things that would, at times, draw me to the figures that I wanted to play with. These were the things that were so cool about the toys.

Now there are "alternative" action figures for sell at select Wal-Mart stores. These are figures that I'm sure some would call "the original action heroes" and they are, but I just wonder what kinds of adventures and actions people will be able to come up with that will be all that different from the other action figures they have. Starting soon, in the Wal-Mart stores that sell the most Bibles, they will also offer Bible Action Figures. So far there are three that I know of. With that in mind, here is my list of who would be good "Bible action figures" and what their special action could be.

10) Noah- With super hammering action (Ark and animals not included)

9) King David- With spinning sling arm action (Bathsheba and Goliath sold separately)

8) Samson- With donkey jawbone swinging action (Philistines soldiers sold separately)

7) Daniel- With super praying action and lion with non-working jaws

6) Aaron- With staff and miniature golden calf statue

5) Moses- With 10 Commandments and burning bush (Israelites sold separately)

4) Balaam- With talking donkey (batteries not included)

3) Elijah- Alter & sacrifice included (Prophets of Baal sold separately)

2) Paul- Comes with scraps of cloth for healing, and a viper (snake, not car)

1) Jesus- With rising hand (squeeze his knees) "miracle" action (Apostles sold separately)

What do you think? Peace and Love y'all.

And In This Corner...

2009-03-19T23:55:00.002-05:00

I think that the MMA is getting a little carried away. I understand the draw of it, but come on. I just read that there are allegations that South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas made some students settle their differences by squaring off in some bare knuckled cage fights.

That's right, the teachers encouraged the students to settle their disputes by locking them in a cage there at the school and letting them fight. No word on if they were hardcore matches or just strait pin falls. Perhaps they had a few tag team matches as well, I'm not sure.

Regardless it is said that the principal knew what was going on. Whether or not he was there for any of the fights I don't know. He could have been a guest referee I suppose. I know that this is really not a good thing, but imagine for a few moments what this could all look like.

In the hallways between classes fighters are giving interviews and calling out their opponents. If one guy was just getting pounded there is a run in by some of his buddies to help. Go all WWE for it.

Maybe the people got wise to what was going on when the big octogon was ordered for the field house. Or maybe they started announcing the matches during the morning announcements. The Hell in a Cell match tipped them off. Regardless of what your view is of punishment in schools and how that should be handled, THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA!!! There has to be a better way. Peace and Love y'all.

In or Out

2009-03-11T22:37:00.002-05:00

So I was talking to a friend of mine today and we were discussing John 3. He will be preaching on this passage in a couple of weeks and we were talking about the direction that he might want to take with it. After bandying about the idea of using one of the more obscure verses as his sole point of reference, or listing one as the verse to have read and then going totally away from it, we talked about something with some meat.

The question that was posed was about Nicodemus. Nick came to Jesus and questioned him about who he was and what he was teaching. Not that big a deal really, seems that people wanted to know this about Jesus, which would help explain why there were always such large crowds around Jesus. But if you read the first half of the chapter with Nick's story you see will see what it was that had us talking.

Nicodemus was a pharisee you see. So pretty much by this time the pharisees weren't so sure that they liked what Jesus was doing. He was ruffling some feathers and going if directions that they didn't really like. The thing is, Nicodemus didn't seem to be completely convinced that what he was saying was bad. So he went to talk to him about it...at night...when no one would see him talking to Jesus. Seems kinda weird right?

So the question was "Why do you think Nicodemus went to Jesus at night?" The answer seems pretty obvious at first glance, right? He was a pharisee and was afraid of what the other pharisees would think if they knew he was consorting with the "enemy" as it were. I mean, if you don't want people to know what you are doing, you do it under the cover of darkness. So the first thought is that he was scared of what the others would think if they knew.

This is the answered that I posed to the stated question. It makes sense. Damon then posed a different answer to his question. He said "What if the reason that he went at night (other than fear) was to be able to avoid having to share Jesus with any of the crowds? Or some combination of the two."

Now this was an insight that I had never considered before. It was something that had not even crossed my mind as his reason. We always hear about how he didn't want to upset his standing with the pharisees or disturb the status quo. But what if there was another motive to why he went at night? What if it was because he didn't want to have to share his time with Jesus?

It would make sense really when you think about it. The crowds that followed Jesus were huge. Can you imagine what it would be like to try and be able to even get close to him? And as far as getting to ask him a question and get to have some discussion about it? Good luck with that. So going when the crowds are gone makes a great deal of sense.

Aren't we all just like Nicodemus though at times? We are selfish with Jesus. We don't want to share him with others. Or we want to "try out" Jesus but we don't really want anyone to know that we are. We are scared and we want to be hidden...just like Nick. Jesus talks about how things that are done in the dark will come to the light. To this particular situation it's like he is saying that it's fine to start off secretly, but at some point you have got to take a stand one way or another. You're either in or your not.

We have to make a choice at some point...will we continue to go about in the dark, hoping no one knows we are actually into Jesus, or will we step into the light and live our faith for others to see. Nicodemus' story ends (for us at least) with him being the lone voice to oppose the "trial" of Jesus (that we know of) and he is there to help take him from the cross and bury him. Nicodemus was willing to step out of the dark into the light, will we be willing to do the same? Peace and Love y'all.

Found

2009-03-09T22:05:00.006-05:00

So I was in Ohio last week and I was listening to this new radio station (for me) and I heard this song on there on multiple occasions. I'm sure that you have probably heard this if you listen to the radio at all. The song is called You Found Me by The Fray and it is incredible. I just really dig what he is saying in his lyrics. If you haven't heard it yet click on the video below and give it a listen real quick.

The words of this song seem to express what we all feel when tragedy hits us. There is that sense of pain and doubt anger and we wonder where was God in all this crap that is happening. We want to have our moment to stand before God-with-skin-on and ask the question "Where were you when this happened in my life?"

The thing is, that's fine. God is able to take that from us. It will not alter our standing with Him if we have questions about where he is in the darkest of times in our lives. That is part of what it means to have faith though, to believe and understand that there will be times when it feels and seems that God is a long way off, yet we believe and trust anyway. It brings to mind the story in Genesis of Jacob wrestling with the angel.

Here is what Isaac Slade of The Fray had to say about his lyrics:

"I dreamt I ran into God on a street corner. He looked like Bruce Springsteen and he was smoking a cigarette. I had it out with him and asked 'Where were you when all this bad stuff was happening to those very undeserving, good people?'" Slade, who's Christian faith is very important to him added, "There were tough times. I was questioning my faith, angry at things that had happened in my life and in the lives of my friends. A friend had suffered a miscarriage, I had lost my grandfather. I was angry and the song felt angry and hopeless too. I imagined what I'd say to God, in the face of all the crap my friends have gone through in the last couple of years." (www.songfacts.com)

I think that is a place that most of us have been. Here is one more quote from Slade about the song:

"It demands so much of my faith to keep believing, keep hoping in the unseen. Sometimes the tunnel has a light at the end, but usually they just look black as night. This song is about that feeling and the hope I still have, buried deep in my chest."

For all of you out there that might be feeling like this right now, know that there is hope. Sometimes you just have to really look to find it. Peace and Love y'all.

I'd Like That Back Please

2009-03-05T22:50:00.003-06:00

Ok, I have a post that I have been sitting on for about a week now. As you may know I flew to Ohio last week for a youth ministry conference. Well on the second part of my flight there I had a chance to read some of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer newspaper. As I was reading through it, there was a small story that caught my attention. I thought about sharing it then, but I never really had a good chance to write over the weekend. So I wanted to share it tonight. This just seems to say volumes about the state of our culture (at least to me).

The paper has a section (at least on this day they did) titled "5 Things You Should Know Today." This was the #5 thing in that section, but it seemed to stand out the most to me.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that a court has rejected a New York surgeon's claim that he should get $1.5 million in his divorce settlement because he donated a kidney to his wife. In a ruling Tuesday, matrimonial referee Jeffery Grob says the kidney was a gift. It was donated in 2001, during happier times in the marriage. Grob says a wide range of items are considered marital property, but donated organs would not be among them.

What a crazy world. So, if you are thinking about donating any vital (or otherwise) organs to a spouse you better be dang sure that this is the real deal because you won't be able to get that back from them. It's not exactly like when you break off the engagement and ask for the ring back. Can you put organ donation in to a pre-nup you think?

Again it just kind of stands out that the guy wanted to get paid for doing something (the right thing even) for someone he loved (at least at some point). I think the funniest thing though is the fact that the "matrimonial referee" had to clarify that donated organs don't fall into the range of marital property. Peace and Love y'all.

Not Here

2009-03-04T23:41:00.002-06:00

Man it has been a while it seems since the last time I wrote anything. I'm somewhat debating the amount of writing that I want to do, simply because I don't want to write stuff just to say that I wrote it, but rather I want it to be worth reading and so I want it to be that I have something to say...anyway, that is all beside the point.

I spent this last weekend in the state of Ohio at a youth ministry conference. It was a good conference and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn some new things and see what is out there to help with the field of youth ministry. On top of that I got to hang out with some family that I don't get to see very often so that was just like gravy...only not creamy, or brown or done with gibblets...that is an odd expression then when you really think about it...but I digress. The conference was good, but it is always nice to be home.

All of the above however is not what I wanted to actually write about tonight. I have something else that is on my mind actually that I wanted to share. All that other stuff is just to more or less get you caught up on where I have been as of late. What I wanted to write about is something that struck me last night as I was reading in the Book of Mark.

In chapter two of the Gospel of Mark, there was a passage that really caught my attention. It made me stop and ask the question "When did following Jesus become something that only respectable people can or should be allowed to do?"

Here is what got me started on this train of thought. In chapter 2, Jesus is going along headed back to Capernaum and he passes by the offices of Levi the tax collector (also known as the apostle Matthew). Jesus calls Levi to follow him, and he does. That is all in verses 13-14. Verse 15 goes on to say "Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus' followers.)" There, did you catch that? The next to last line mentions that there were "other disreputable sinners at the dinner", besides just tax collectors, who were bad enough. But the biggie is what we read in the parenthsises after that: There were many of this kind of people among Jesus' followers.

It wasn't that there were a few who tagged along on the edges. No there were many people of this kind among Jesus' followers. It was not the Pharisees who were following Jesus around. It was the rabble, the rough crowd, the people that no one else had much to do with. If you read on in verse 16 and following, you see what the response was of the Pharisees to this. They were appalled by the people that Jesus hung out with. Yet, there were many of them who followed Jesus.

I've been doing youth ministry for nearly 13 years now. There are two phrases that I completely hate to hear from people. The first is "We've never done it that way before." The second is this: "Well those aren't the kind of people that you would want showing up at church anyway." I can't stand to hear that from people. It's not just when it comes to the youth either.

It seems that these would be exactly the type of people you would want in church. These were the very people who were following Jesus to start with. Jesus' response to the Pharisees who said basically the same thing? He told them that he wasn't there to call the righteous but rather those who knew they were sinners in need of his grace.

I heard a story this past weekend of a church in Florida. The guy telling the story is a youth leader who was leading a training seminar at the church. He talked about the servant heart of the people of this church, both youth and adults. After the training was all done, he and his co-presentor went to dinner with the youth pastor of the church. In the course of the meal, they asked about how it was that this church was so loving and accepting and had such a servants heart. The youth pastor replied that as best he could tell it was the result of a prayer that the Senior pastor prayed everyday. What this man would pray was this: "God, send us the youth that no other church in town wants. Send us the adults that no other church in town wants."

So my question again is this: When did it become that it was only the respectable folks who could follow Jesus and come to church? Peace and Love y'all.

With Authority

2009-02-24T00:11:00.001-06:00

That's just dang impressive to watch. And the girl actually dunks it with some power and authority. Regardless of if she is 6'8" or not, the most impressive thing about it is the fact that she is a SHE. You don't see it very often. Peace and Love y'all.

Questions about Judas

2009-02-18T10:54:00.003-06:00

This year at Easter our church will be doing a small dramatic production as a Holy Thursday service. The production is called "Two Faces in the Shadows" and it deals with a dialogue going on between Peter and Judas. I think it will be very interesting really. I will be portraying Judas in it (thanks to Roni volunteering me at a worship committee meeting). Actually I don't mind playing that part. Besides, someone has to do it right?

Actually I have thought about Judas a lot in my life. Honestly there is a part of me that wants to be sympathetic to the guy. He was just doing his job right? Of course according to what John says about him in his Gospel, he was also stealing from the purse and was more concerned about money and power and prestige than he was about what Jesus was really teaching. He is a dark figure in the light of what Christ was and is.

The question that always comes to my mind is how in the world he could spend three years as a disciple of Jesus and not be affected by what he saw and heard on a daily basis. Yeah he was interested in his own power and prestige, but so were the other disciples. They argued about who was the greatest and who would have the seats of honor in Jesus' kingdom. But they eventually got it. If Judas had stuck around for a while longer, would he have gotten it too? I once heard the difference in the reactions for what he did and what Peter did was that Peter came back a broken man searching for forgiveness while Judas was overwhelmed with his choice and hung himself rather than awaiting the return of his Master.

So the question surfaced in my mind this morning about Judas. I have long wondered about where he ended up. Was he sentenced to Hades for what he had done, or will we see him in the Kingdom when that day comes? I have thought about the doctrine that Jesus descended into Hell in order to free the captives...those who didn't have an opportunity to know Him and his healing, freeing Grace and Love. And I have wondered if Judas could possibly be among those who were set free. It is a great thought to have really. Judas, the scoundrel, the betrayer, forgiven and released from what he had done. It was something that had to be done after all.

But the new question that played in my mind this morning was this: Is Judas perhaps an example of what Jesus tells us is the unforgivable sin, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? From what I have understood of this, it is to be presented with the evidence of the Christ, of His Grace and Truth and to simply walk away and harden your heart and say that "I don't need this." Judas, it seems, fits into this understanding. He was there for three years with Jesus. He saw the miracles, heard the teachings, experienced the Grace and Love that were embodied in Jesus, and yet he turned away and betrayed him for 30 pieces of silver. He made a choice to do this.

Truth be told there is a little bit of Judas in all of us. Granted it may not be that we turn our backs and walk away from Jesus. Rather we make the choice to betray Him by attempting to conform him to what we want rather than conforming our lives to what He desires for us. That is what Judas is guilty of. He sought to bend Jesus to what he wanted the Messiah to be rather than submitting himself to what the Messiah wanted him to be.

So will we see Judas worshiping and praising the Lamb who was slain when we finally reach that place? I have no idea honestly. It is just something that we will have to wait to find out. But until that day, I hope to live my life in a way that when I do find out the answer, people won't be pondering the same things about me as we do Judas. Peace and Love y'all.

12 Feet

2009-02-16T15:21:00.003-06:00

This past weekend was the NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. This is always a weekend that has some cool stuff that happens. Plus the game is usually really high scoring because no one cares too much about playing D. Of course the highlights of the weekend usually seem to be the various individual contests that go on, most notably the Three Point Shoot out and the Slam Dunk Contest.

The video below is of Dwight Howard's second round dunk. The rim is set at 12 feet. In case you didn't know already, the regulation height for the rim is 10 feet.

He made it look too easy. That is how I am able to dunk on an 8 foot goal. It's nice and easy and not really a reach. He even tried to get them to go higher after the one dunk, but they either weren't able to, wouldn't, or he ran out of time. It would have cool to see him do 13 feet though. Peace and Love y'all.

Performance

2009-02-13T11:10:00.004-06:00

So there is a lot of talk and such right now in the world of sports about the use of PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs). It seems to be focused primarily on Major League Baseball, but the NFL has also been looked at in the last few years. Really the NBA and NHL are the only "big" leagues that you haven't heard much about as far as PEDs go.

Now, all of this did get me thinking. In some regards I can understand the thinking behind taking these drugs. You are looking for an edge, something to be able to continue on at a high level. It got me to wondering though: what are some professions that we should start testing for PEDs? Here is a list of 10 that came to mind (with a nod of thanks for the contributions from R-Dub).

10- Administrative Assisstant- Think about it. Who would ever think to test an Administrative Assisstant for PEDs? What would the signs be? They answer the phone faster, make copies more quickly and their typing ability soars through the roof. Things to be on the look out for if you suspect your Administrative Assisstant is juicing.

9- Female Fashion Models- Signs that maybe there is rampant use of PEDs in the modeling world: They actually look like normal healthy human beings, they are able to get into and out of their turns on the runway with greater fluidity.

8- Journalist- Mainly print journalists here. Look for stories that are better and acurate quotations of what was said by those who were interviewed and deadlines reached on time.

7- Author- Less confusing plots and the number of books written to sky rocket.

6- Artist- Paintings make more sense and sculptures are of things that can be recognized.

5- Scientists- Look for experiments that go faster and yield more immediate results. Also look for better calculations and formulas.

4- Photographer- They will do better getting young children to not cry and to look at the camera. Also the pictures will be composed better and the process will go faster for everyone.

3- Seamstress/Taylor- Sewing ability and stats go through the roof. Thread flying off the spools.

2- Preacher- Sermons become more concise and to the point. It would seem that one side effect of PEDs, the "roid rage" has been around for years in the pulpit--we have just always called them Southern Baptists.

1- Librarian- Look for books to be back on shelves quicker and new books to be in earlier. Also look for threatening late notices warning of more than just a "fine" for overdue books.

So that's it. These are professions that have never to my knowledge had any history of testing for PEDs, but with the obvious explosion and expansion of their use, it may now be time to consider testing these very professions. Peace and Love y'all.

Popcorn

2009-02-13T00:46:00.001-06:00

Riley: "I wish I could slow motion record popcorn popping."

Blake: "That would be awesome."

These are the kinds of conversations we have late at night (or any other time really).

Our Vows: Witness

2009-02-11T10:39:00.003-06:00

This is a new one that has been added in the last year or so I believe. It used to be that our vows were (in the Methodist church at least) were that of prayers, presence, gifts and service. In the last year, or since the last General Conference of the UMC witness has been added. I like it, I think it is important to have that as one of our vows.

So what does it mean to make a vow of witness? Again all I can really offer on this are my own thoughts and insights (if that is what we want to call them). But I know what it brings to my mind. For me, to make a vow of witness means that we are going to do what we can, to the best of our ability, to allow Jesus to be seen in us. Paul seems to really hit on this in 1 Corinthians 9.

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Paul writes about his approach to doing ministry. Here he says that he does his best to become all things to all people in order to win at least a few of them to the Gospel of Grace that is the good news of Jesus. This can be very easy to misunderstand it seems. It almost seems to imply that Paul is trying to be many different things and in a sense is being two-faced or hypocritical about things. In truth, as William Barclay writes in his commentary on this letter, Paul is doing more to find that common ground with those people he is being a witness to. He is in a position where he is able to speak to them about the tings that they know, not only what he knows. His witness is that of getting to know people and what matters to them and then being able to talk to them about those very things and relate to them.

This is where our vow of witness should begin: with understanding of those around us. Barclay says that "the man who can never see anything but his own point of view, who is completely intolerant, who totally lacks the gift of sympathy, who never makes any attempt to understand the mind and heart of others, will never make a pastor or an evangelist or even a friend." It is through this ability to relate and know and listen to others that we are able to win others.

It is important for us to remember that as the Body of Christ, it is not always the things we say that will convey the Grace of God that is Christ to others, but rather the things that we do. We are being watched, even when we don't know it (and i don't mean by Big Brother). This is how we convey the truth and depth of Grace to our world and those around us. The world must be sick to death of our talking about the Grace, and is longing to be a witness to that Grace. As a witness it is time for us to talk less and act more in the name of Jesus. In the words of Saint Francis "Preach the Gospel at all times; if needed use words." If we are truly wanting to extend the Grace of God that is Christ to others we must first demonstrate it to them lived out in our lives. That is how we fulfill our vow of being a witness. Peace and Love y'all.

Follow the Bouncing Ball

2009-02-10T21:43:00.002-06:00

This is an incredible pass here.

Notice how it passed right between Grant Hill's legs. That was incredible to behold. Peace and Love y'all.

Coming Clean

2009-02-09T15:17:00.003-06:00

So, A-Rod has admitted to using steroids for three seasons when he was in Texas. He says he felt pressure to perform. Well of course he felt pressure to perform. He was on a last place team and had been signed to the largest contract in the history of sports at $252 million. Is it disappointing to find out? Yeah...mainly because even with the performance enhancers the Rangers were still in last place every year. Maybe there shouldn't be any punishment for A-Rod because I don't think the steroids did their job.

It's hard to be shocked or appalled by this news really. I mean, it isn't like he is the only one from this era in baseball to be juiced. I think that it is getting to be where many in the public will just assume that all the players at this time were taking something. It's sad really. There is the thought that if the players would just come clean about what they had done the public would be forgiving of them. The problem that the public has is that we don't like to feel lied to. Makes it much harder to be trusting and forgiving about the matter.

Finally, I have to say that I agree with Curt Schilling on this issue. He wrote on his blog 38 Pitches that there was a list of 104 players that were to have tested positive at the same time as A-Rod. If they are going to release his name, then they need to release the names of everyone else that is on that list. I'm not a huge A-Rod fan (I think Texas overpaid and he made the team better when he finally went to the Yankees), but it's not fair to target him for positive testing when there are at least 103 others that had the same result. Don't target him just because he is a superstar. If you are going to throw him out there, then do the same with the rest of the list. After all, he wasn't the only one to get caught. He made a mistake, even if he knew he what he was doing. It's only fair. Peace and Love y'all.

From Hollywood With Love

2009-02-09T10:47:00.004-06:00

So Saturday night here in Quitman was the 2nd Annual Quitman Community Theater/Quitman Rotary Club Dinner Theater/Fundraiser (that is a lot of slashes for a small space). It consisted of various love songs from Hollywood musicals such as Annie, Guys and Dolls and Annie Get Your Gun. We had a great time and performed before a sold out crowd on Saturday. It was the largest single night crowd in the history of the QCT.

For the second time now in about 4 months I was a part of a show that involved a lot of singing and music. For me that is pretty crazy. I've never been much of a singer (I at least don't feel like I'm very good at it) so to say that this is a step out of my comfort zone is an understatement really. This is more of a catapult launch out of my comfort zone. I don't mind being on stage either as a speaker or in a play, but getting in front of a crowd of people for the sole purpose of singing, well that is hard for me to do. Thankfully, the audience only had to hear me do any kind of solo (longer than a single line of a song that is) one time. I was part of a duet that sang the song "High Hopes." It was fun to get to do though and I'm glad I had the chance...it's nice to stretch yourself really. Here is a picture of the cast from the show. Peace and Love y'all.

I Love Jesus but I Drink A Little

2009-02-05T00:47:00.001-06:00

So I don't know if this is a real lady or someone like Roy D. Mercer, but it is dang funny. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Peace and Love y'all.

Our Vows: Gifts

2009-02-04T10:23:00.003-06:00

A lot of times it seems that it would be easy to skimp on this one you know. Usually when we think of the vow of giving our gifts we are thinking of our money. This isn't entirely wrong either. What really comes to mind is though is what we are willing to give to the church. Usually this is something that is monetary sure, but there are other things that we can vow as our gifts. Regardless of what it is, it is something that God has asked us to give, and we should give this to do our best to support the Body of Christ.

The first thing that we touch on here is the fact that in Malachi 3:10. Here is where God tells His people to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. With this command he offers us a promise as well. He tells us to give this to him and he will bless us. This is the only place that I can think of where God tells us to test Him. He says that when we do this he will pour down on us overflowing blessings. Now, don't misunderstand me here. I'm not by any means looking at this as a gospel of prosperity. I don't believe that just because we have faith in Jesus that we will be blessed with vacation homes and overflowing bank accounts. To me that seems like a rather cheap faith really...where is the sacrifice on our part? Jesus says that to follow Him is not about the easy life and that we should count the cost first.

Anyway, I think I got a little distracted there, sorry. What God is telling us here I believe has more to do with calling us to be obedient to Him than it does with the fact that we are giving. God wants us to be faithful to Him and obedient to his commands. He says he will bless us overflowingly when we are. It's not as much about the gift that we give as it is the obedience in giving it. Whether it is your money (which if you have that you should be giving it in support of the Church and Body) or your time and talents, God is asking us to first be obedient and faithful to Him in giving of these things. Peace and Love y'all.

Commercials

2009-02-03T15:18:00.003-06:00

I know I commented last week about how the Super Bowl commercials were such a huge part of pop culture and the game. Well the game didn't seem to have that many great commercials as a part of it this year. There were a few that were pretty funny, but for the most part, really they were kind of weak. I think I said something yesterday about a few that I liked, so I thought that today I would add them to the blog.

This one was just about my favorite of the night. I heard a bit of the story about it today as well. Two brothers who were unemployeed came up with this ad for a contest by Dorito's and it won them a million dollars. It kind of goes to show you how big a deal these ads have become in our culture.

"Meeting" (Bud Light)

As much as anything else, this one was funny because the beer people almost always have funny stuff. Seems to say a bit too about our cultures view of drinking.

Career Builder: It's time

I thought this was dang funny too. I mean come on, who hasn't felt this way at least a few times when it comes to work? When the fist comes out and smacks the koala in the face is classic.

Coke Zero: Polamalu

Nice take on the classic Coke spot from 1979. The shirt bit at the end was good stuff.

Finally I thought this was one of the funniest things that I saw all night long. It was just a promo spot for NBC's Thursday night line up, but (no pun intended really) I thought it was great.

Like I said, these were a few of the ones that I liked best. Let me know if there were any that stood out to you. Peace and Love y'all.

Thisclose

2009-02-02T13:58:00.003-06:00

Well the Cardinals were just thisclose to getting their first Super Bowl win last night. I was disappointed that they lost, not so much because I'm a Cardinals fan--I like them enough to cheer for them when they are playing most anyone other than the Cowboys--but because it meant that the Steelers were the first team in the Super Bowl era to win six of them. I don't mind that they have six, I just didn't want them to be first (I'm a Cowboys fan you might recall).

We had our youth Super Bowl party last night, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it a great deal. It was small no doubt, but it was some of the most fun I have had doing one. There were only six of us there, but it was all guys and we were all actually watching the game (something different). Also we were all actually cheering for the Cardinals to pull it off. It was a good chance to get to hang out with some of the guys who make up our core here in a fun atmosphere.

Some of my thoughts on the game:

How do you manage to get three--THREE!!!--personal foul penalties called on your defense...ALL ON THE SAME DRIVE???? That really hurt, and a couple of them were iffy calls I thought.
When you have a three point lead as the underdog with less than three minutes to go and you have been getting pressure with the blitz and it's been working, you don't stop doing it.
It helps to actually cover the receivers in the back corners of the end zone.
I'm a little surprised that James Harrison didn't need a cart to get him off the field for half time...you could tell he had nothing left after the INT return. I guess he forgot to take his 5 Hour Energy shot.
James Harrison should have been ejected for the cheap shot he delievered to the Cardinal player that was down on the ground.
The celebration after the Holmes TD was pretty good--the LeBron chalk throw--but it was pointed out that there should have been a flag on that--15 yards that would have been assessed on the kick off--for using the ball as a prop. Hey they called all year, why not in the biggest game of the season?
The last fumble of the game should have been reviewed. Regardless of if they confirmed that the call on the field was right, it was a close play and had a hand in determining the out caome of the game so it should have gotten a look from upstairs.
Larry Fitzgerald is a beast.
The commercials weren't really all that great to cost at least $3 million.
The three best (in my opinion) were the first Doritos commercial, the career builder list, and the Coke Zero take off of the classic Mean Joe Greene.
Thanks to Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's "mishap" a few years ago, the people in charge of planning the half time shows have decided that the way to go is to try to revive the "old school" music scene. In the years following we have had Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Bruce Springsteen...just saying, these aren't exactly young and spry performers.

Over all I was pleased with the game. It was a good, competative game that was fun to watch, especially with other people. Here's we continue to get good games like this for years to come. Peace and Love y'all.

Where's my Ring?

2009-01-30T22:42:00.003-06:00

So it is the Friday before the Super Bowl. Every year I think of some of the greatest players are that I have seen that were not fortunate enough to win the Super Bowl. As I was thinking about this today, I came up with ten guys that I felt were great players who just weren't quite able to get it to all come together enough to get that ring. So here is my list of guys that came up short.

10) Boomer Esiason (QB- Bengals, Jets, Cardinals)- Boomer was the QB for the Bengals team that went to Super Bowl 23. They were close that year, losing in the end to the 49ers. Boomer was the NFL MVP that year (1988), was a four-time Pro Bowler and is (or was) a top 10 NFL QB in career marks.

9) Warren Moon (QB- Oilers, Vikings, Seahawks, Chiefs)- Moon is the guy that would be the all-time leader in passing yards if you combined his CFL yards with this NFL yards. He was the 1990 NFL Newspaper Ent. Assoc. MVP as well the AP Offensive Player of the Year. He was a 9-time Pro Bowler as well.

8) Bruce Smith (DE- Bills, Redskins)- Smith retired as the NFL's all-time leader in QB sacks with 200. He had at least 10 sacks in 14 of his 19 seasons in the NFL. He was an 11-time Pro Bowler as well. He helped lead the Bills to 4 straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s, but came up short each time.

7) Thurman Thomas (RB-Bills, Dolphins)- Thomas was the main cog in the Bills K-Gun offense that helped them make those 4 Super Bowl runs. He was the 1991 NFL MVP as well as a 5-time Pro Bowler. He also won the Heisman Trophy in 1987 at Oklahoma State.

6) Randall Cunningham (QB-Eagles, Vikings, Cowboys, Ravens)- Cunningham was one of the first truly mobile QBs to play in the NFL. He was the the 1998 NFL Newspaper Ent. Assoc. MVP. He was a 4-time Pro Bowler and led the 1998 Vikings to the NFC Championship game with a 15-1 record, but missed the Super Bowl.

5) Tim Brown (WR-Raiders, Buccaneers)- Brown was a receiver for the Raiders and Bucs in his career. He made the Pro Bowl 9 times in his career and is the 4th all-time leading receiver. He played in one Super Bowl with the Raiders, but lost to the Bucs.

4) Cris Carter (WR-Eagles, Vikings, Dolphins)- Carter was one of the greatest wideouts of all time. He is one of only 5 receivers with 1000+ receptions. He was on the Vikings team that made it to the NFC Championship game in 1998 only to lose to the Falcons. He was an 8-time Pro Bowler.

3) Derrick Thomas (LB- Chiefs)- Thomas was the 1989 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year as well as a 9-time Pro Bowler. He finished his career with 126.5 sacks. He never was able to get to the Super Bowl and passed away a few weeks after being injured in a car accident.

2) Dan Marino (QB-Dolphins)- Marino was one of the greatest QBs of all time. With his size and quick release he had all the tools of a Super Bowl winner. After playing in the Super Bowl in his second season it seemed that this was just the first of many. It was would turn out to be his only one. He was the 1984 AP NFL MVP as well as Offensive Player of the Year. He was a 9-time Pro Bowler and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

1) Barry Sanders (RB-Lions)- Easily the greatest running back of his time. He made it to the NFC Championship game one time in his career, falling to the Redskins. He is the 3rd all time leading rusher in the NFL. He was the 1997 AP and Newspaper Ent. Assoc. MVP, the 1989 Offensive Rookie of the Year, and a 10 time Pro Bowler.

So there it is. My list of some of the best players to never win a Super Bowl ring. I know that there are some that I have probably left off, but hey, it's my list. Peace and Love y'all.

Top 10 Super Bowl Ads of All Time

2009-01-30T11:14:00.004-06:00

Ok, so I saw this on MSNBC.com and thought I would share it with everyone minus the economic stuff behind it and without all the set up as well. These are, according to MSNBC.com, the top 10 Super Bowl commercials of all time (dramatic music crescendos in the background)!!!

10) Master Lock--"Shot Lock" (1974)

9) Coke--"Parade Balloons" (2008)

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8) Budweiser--"Sleigh Ride" (2004)

7) E*Trade--"Money Out the Wazoo" (2000)

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6) McDonald's--"The Showdown" (1993)

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5) Budweiser--"Frogs" (1995)

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4) Apple--"1984" (1984)

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3) Reebok--"Terry Tate Office Linebacker" (2003)

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2) Budweiser--"Respect" (2002)

1) Coke--"Mean Joe Greene" (1979)

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So there they are according to msnbc.com. Hope you enjoyed these and if you want the other information that goes with them, you can click right here for that. What is your favorite ad from Super Bowls past? Peace and Love y'all.

25 Random Things

2009-01-29T18:57:00.005-06:00

This seems to be the "craze" right now...to write a list of "25 Random Things" about yourself. In all fairness, Roni wrote one of these just this week that was 25 Random Things (About My Husband), so in some ways I guess I have one of these out there already, but I thought that maybe I should do one myself, and since this is the day for to write a random type of post, I thought this would be a good one. So without further ado, here is my list of 25 Random Things About Blake.

1) I have a thing for tattoos. I have four (with more in mind) myself. The thing is though, I have a thing for tattoos on other people. I just tend to notice them--and Roni would probably want me to add "especially on other women."

2) The other night I had a first. I was publicly UN-invited to someone's birthday party. The thing is, I didn't ask about going, I merely commented on the fact that I had never been inside the place where the party is being held.

3) The first comic book that I bought when I officially started collecting them was issue #1 of Marvel's Super Pro. Yeah, it was about an ex-football player who now fought crime in a souped up football uniform--shoulder pads, helmet, knee pads, the whole bit. How cool was that?

4) I used to have multiple caps that I earned by doing Jump Rope for Heart.

5) Mom used to have two wigs. I mention this due to the fact that I liked to wear them so it would look like I had long hair. In my defense, I was in elementary school at the time.

6) Every summer when I was in elementary I would beg to not to have to get a hair cut so I could let my hair get long.

7) I wear an earring. I used to wear four earrings. I have had my ears pierced a total of 9 times. It took three times before I finally kept one in (long story), but I had wanted an earring since I was in about the 5th grade. I used to wear Mom's clip-on earrings at that point.

8) I love books. Seriously, they are awesome. I love places like Barnes and Noble. The problem is that there are many books that I own, but have never even opened or finished reading.

9) I mentioned earlier that for some reason I have always wanted long hair. At the same time, I love the way my head feels bald--Roni however isn't big on the way it looks.

10) I once peed on my shoe on accident. Thought I was aimed the right direction, but the next thing I knew, it was spraying all over my left foot. Thankfully I was wearing shoes.

11) I will watch pretty much any movie that I think looks interesting at least once.

12) My second year of church camp, I got the nickname Crew because of my flat-top hair style.

13) I have always wanted to be some kind of writer.

14) Even though I am 33, have three children and have been married for 10 years, I still don't always feel like I'm really an adult.

15) One of my favorite things to behold are skaters and BMXers when they are doing their stunts at things like the X Games. It simply amazes me.

16) I have recently gotten back into doing theater stuff after taking a 13 year break.

17) This is my 79th blog here on Blogger.

18) When I first started getting into "Christian" bands, my favorite was Whitecross, and they were a total 80's hair band.

19) I think cars are cool and I like to look at them and admire them, but all the car shows on Spike and Speed, and all the technical stuff means zip to me. It is so not my thing.

20) Strange as this may sound, there are times that I like to paint my finger nails cool colors--what? I'm married for 10 years, have three children and am 33, I'm secure with me.

21) I still think of Midland as home and would love for my kids to be able to go to school where I went, which is Greenwood.

22) I am the only one from my family (parents and siblings that is) that did not graduate from Snyder High School.

23) I really, really like cookies. Especially the cookies that Mom makes. Yeah it really doesn't matter which ones either.

24) My closest brush with fame is that from the 6th grade through graduation I lived across the street from Jessica McClure (Baby Jessica who was trapped in the well in Midland, for those of you old enough to remember that), and I am still friends with the family.

25) I will have been out of high school for 15 years in May. In that time I have gone only about a total of 7 months without facial hair of some kind and mainly on my chin. Now Roni doesn't like it when I decide to shave because it makes her feel older than she wants to.

Well there it is. 25 (hopefully) random things about me. Hope you enjoyed it. Peace and Love y'all.

Our Vows: Service

2009-01-28T22:37:00.005-06:00

I'm gonna go out of order here. Normally this would be gifts, but I really want to go ahead and cover service before I lose the train of thought that I have for it. So thank you for your patience (or whatever it is) and indulgence.

One of the vows we take (or should) is the vow to support the Church, the Body of Christ as a whole, with our service. So what does that mean? I know that for me, many times it brings to mind the images of helping others, and mission work either overseas or on short term mission trips. These are all great things, but it seems that in some ways we have glorified the idea of being a missionary to almost a rock star kind of status. Does that make sense? We like to bring in the people who are called to Africa and to China and the Middle East and hear what they have to say and we look at them with a sense of awe many times...I know that I have felt that way when I think about people that have done such things. I'm not saying that we shouldn't respect them or anything like that, but I think there is more to this vow of service than that.

The story comes to mind of Mary and Martha. These two ladies were the sisters of Lazarus. They were friends of Jesus. In fact they had him over to their house on at least one occasion. Having Jesus over would have been a pretty big deal you know? So Martha begins to do exactly what Roni or Mom would do--she starts to clean and work. She is cooking and getting everything ready for dinner while Jesus and the guys are hanging in the living room doing what they do. I imagine that Jesus was teaching and the guys were listening. Maybe he was just hanging out and sharing some stories from the road--like we youth ministers tend to do when we get together. Whatever it was that he was doing, Mary was right there with them. She was sitting at Jesus' feet listening to him and just taking in what he had to say. So here is poor Martha who is running around like crazy, doing women were expected to do at that time, she was doing the serving and playing hostess.

Now I have been around both Roni and Mom as they are doing this kind of thing, and I can tell you, they are not exactly relaxed in doing this. In fact they are a little stressed about it. They would like to have a little help in fact. This is where we find Martha. She is working her tail off and all she really wants is a little help from her sister who is going against what tradition and custom says she should be doing. So Martha understandably goes to Jesus and asks if he will please send Mary to help her. "I've been working all day to make sure that everything is the way it is supposed to be and she is just sitting here not lifting a finger to help, Lord. I am serving here."

At this point Jesus gently rebukes Martha. "Martha, you are serving you're right, but you see Mary has chosen the better part of this deal." This makes it sound a bit like Jesus is telling Martha that her serving is not important. That however isn't the case. What we can take from this as far as what our vow of service means is this: in order for us to have an attitude of service like Jesus (which we should), we must also sit at His feet and learn from Him what it really means to serve others.

Philippians 2:3-8 Paul talks about the attitude of service that Jesus had. He willing left behind (at least temporarily) being an eternal part of the Trinity in order to carry out God's plan of salvation and redemption for humanity. He died on the cross in order to see God's plan fulfilled. He did the things that had to be done, not just the parts that He wanted to do.

I don't think there is any better example of this found in Scripture than in the beginning of chapter 13 of John's Gospel. Here Jesus knows that his time has come. This is it, his last meal with the disciples. They are of course all there: Peter, John, James, Andrew---Judas. Jesus knows what will happen to himself and these men in the next few hours. He knows that all of them but John will run away when he is arrested; he knows that Peter will deny him three times, likely all within earshot of Jesus, when pressed about being associated with him; he knows too that Judas will soon be going to see the leading priests and collecting 30 pieces of silver in return for his betrayal of Jesus. And yet, Jesus does something that is amazing.

Jesus stands up, removes is robe, wraps a towel around his waist, fills basin with water and begins to wash the feet of these 12 men. Think about what that means for a second. These were men who walked everywhere they went. They either wore leather sandles or were barefoot. The roads were dusty to say the least, their feet would have been sweaty from walking and the heat of the day. They would be caked with dirt and who knows what else. They would smell. They could have fungus on them. This was a common courtesy extended to guests in the Jewish custom when they entered the house. It was however done by the lowest of the slaves, and not by a Jewish slave even, that is how bad it was. And yet Jesus, the Lord and Rabbi for these 12 men takes it upon himself to play the part of the servant and wash their feet.

He knew what was about to happen, who would deny him, runaway from him and betray him, and yet he did it anyway. This is the attitude to service that Paul is talking about in Philippians 2. It is service in it's purest form. As a my friend Zac said "it is the performing of certain tasks which are motivated by Love, not by any desire for self-fulfillment or gain." It is the kind of service that we are vowing to offer when we say we will support the Body of Christ with our service. Peace and Love y'all.

Crash and Bash

2009-01-28T22:23:00.004-06:00

So Tuesday night I was talking to Boo about what she wanted for supper. She informed me that what she wanted was Rama Noodles (Ramon Noodles for the uninformed). I told her that she needed to pick something else 1) because I didn't know if we had any and 2) I didn't want to fix them if we did. So we began to discuss this a bit.

I picked up my fists and told her, "I've got your Rama Noodles right here: this is Rama (my left fist) and this is Noodles (obviously my other fist)." Boo looked at me and raised her 6 year old fists to me and said "Oh yeah? Well this is Becky (left) and Sally(right)." Not exactly great and fear inspiring fist names, you know? So I said "Oh yeah? Well this is Thunder (left) and Lightening (you know)."

This exchange continued for a couple more namings. I had Crash and Bash, and Boo had Thunder and Crash I think. And then she ended it. She finally told me "Well this is God (left) and this is Jesus (right)." Really how do you top that? All I could tell her that I really didn't think it was right to name our fists God and Jesus, as in many ways it seemed a bit counter to what they are about--especially that whole turn the other cheek part. Something just wrong about having a fist named Jesus. Peace and Love y'all.

The Game within the Game

2009-01-28T14:05:00.004-06:00

Ok, so I am about a day or so behind on everything with my blogging, so I will try to get caught up here today. In case you didn't know it, there is a huge pop culture phenomenon taking place this Sunday in Tampa, Florida. That phenomenon will be called Super Bowl 43 (I can't remember all the letters to do it in the Roman numerals, sorry but not really). I blogged about this early last week about the Cardinals being so unexpected and the Steelers having such tradition, so that is not what this will be about this week.

No I wanted to go with the other part of the Super Bowl: the Commercials. You know that you will watch at least part of the game (ok, the broadcast) for no other reason than to see the commercials that are being aired. And why not? Most times they are the best commercials that we see all year. This is where companies really pull out all the stops and go big or go home. Granted it's not always successful, but hey you might as well give it a shot.

This year the cost for a single :30 second slot in the game is a measly $3 million. Or as Walt Mueller of CPYU put it, "$100,000 per second." That's a lot of money. And the thing is, businesses pay it just to get thier product out there. This is due in large part to the fact that we are so very consumer driven at this time in our culture. These businesses know that if they are willing to dish the cash, people will see their product. And whether the ad is the best or the absolute worst, someone is going to see it and will give theat product some kind of chance thus making the ad a (small, marginal) success.

Now on a lighter note, here is a video of last years top 10 Super Bowl ads. These should be a taste of what we will be seeing again this year during timeouts, between quarters, after punt returns and kick returns, while the teams are in the huddle, and while there is still time left on the play clock...basically every possible chance.

Again, I'm taking the Cardinals 31-24, and a co-MVP of Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. Peace and Love y'all.

The Escalator

2009-01-26T12:21:00.004-06:00

So I didn't ever get around to doing a random thing last week, and then I happened to come across this one today. I thought it was both funny and really very true as a message about how we seem to view exercise sometimes. Hope you enjoy this one.

Isn't that just too true though as far as how we might react to getting stuck on an escalator? It's supposed to be about the convenience and even though all they would have to do is walk a few steps, it's like they have forgotten how it should work. Anyway, I just wanted to share this and a couple of thoughts. Peace and Love y'all.

The Beard

2009-01-23T11:59:00.003-06:00

So I was looking at this list today of pictures of celebrities that had made "bad choices" in what they decided to wear out in public. For the most part, I don't really care what they are wearing or what not, but this picture of Joaquin Phoenix grabbed my attention. I knew that he had retired from acting to follow a career in music, but I wasn't sure about his new look until I saw this. So It got me thinking about what else he could do with a beard like that. Here is what I thought of.

10) With that beard he could be getting ready to play the Unibomber in some kind of biopic.

9) He could be getting ready to move to Seattle and join a grunge band.

8) He could be heading to the Pacific Northwest to give up both movies and music and become a lumberjack.

7) It could be that he has started trying to live his life according to the Torah.

6) As a supporter of PETA he could be starting a refuge for small animals on his face.

5) It could be that he just really likes being single and would like to stay that way.

4) He is just a really big fan of Cousin IT and plans to enter various Cousin It look-a-like contests.

3) He thinks that the Taliban look is the height of fashion.

2) He is hoping to be part of a relaunch of the old show Grizzly Adams.

1) He's just a really big fan of Jack's beard from the show LOST.

Peace and Love y'all.

Our Vows: Presence

2009-01-21T23:28:00.002-06:00

Last week I said that I would write about what the vows of the Methodist Church are, not so much as a Methodist thing, but rather as a Body of Christ thing. I think that it is important to know that when we begin to follow Jesus, there are some things that we should be committed to doing and these seem to be as telling as anything else. Last week was prayer and this week is about our vow of presence.

Hebrews 10:25 says that we "should not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but rather we should let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching." So I've always looked at that as the author saying that we need to not give up meeting together with other followers of Jesus. It's not just about our choosing to follow Him. As one of my former youth ministers used to tell us, this is not a Lone Ranger thing.

Every year that I worked the 6th 7th and 8th Grade Mid-High Camp at Camp Butman there was one rule that was always the same. Every year for 16 years I heard this same thing: If you want to go hiking, make sure that you go in a group of at least three. That way if one of you gets hurt, one person can stay there with them while the other one runs back to get the needed help." It is one of those rules that you hear over and over and you know it by heart and yet it is something that is very important to hear.

We should apply this to our journey with Christ as well. That way when one of us is hurting and confused and not sure which way to go or what to do we have those others who are with us to help us along the way. At the same time by vowing to be present we are there for those who are in need of us. We see at the end of Acts 2 how the early followers of Jesus lived out their faith with each other. They were present and there for each other. There was a sense of community and togetherness and a knowing that when things were hard, as they would be, there would be people there to lean on for that much needed support. That is what it means to make a vow of presence to the Church universal, to the Body of Christ. Peace and Love y'all.

Today

2009-01-20T12:31:00.004-06:00

I was thinking a bit about what I could write about today that had to do with pop culture. It seems like there was supposed to be something that was happening today that was going to be a big deal...

That's right today is the day that Barack Obama to the Oath of Office as our 44th President of the United States of America. I think that along with most Americans today I took time to watch the process of the Inauguration take place. It was so very cool to witness this piece of history take place. The grandness of it was incredible. Seeing the cameras pan out over the National Mall and seeing the huge numbers of people who were there spoke to the magnitude of the event.

Rick Warren said his invocation and I was impressed with it. He did just as he said he would I believe and held true to who he is. I know some people felt that maybe he should have used more inclusive language, should have not invoked the name of Jesus, but he said all along that he is a Christian pastor asked to pray and that is just what he did. He prayed as he knew how to pray. It seems that we would not ask a Muslim to not say the name of Muhammad or Allah in a prayer, not to change how they do things or to be more "inclusive" in their wording. The biggest things that I noticed with his prayer were that 1) he ended with the Lord's Prayer, which I wouldn't have thought to do and 2) he sure seemed to have a lot more hair than what I remembered from seeing on those Purpose Driven Life videos.

Joe Biden took his oath as Vice-President. They commented after all was said and done that due to the fact that things were for some reason running behind, when Bush's term was officially over at 12:01 EST, and Obama had not yet been sworn in, Biden would have been the President on a technicality for about 12-15 minutes. Just thought that was interesting is all.

Finally there was the Inauguration of our 44th President. The words of the oath were jumbled a bit and there were a couple of gaps it seemed, but for the most part it went off without a problem. President Obama then took the podium and gave his Inaugural Address. The full text of that can be found here if you missed it or just like to read speeches. In the address he spoke of the greatness of our nation and how we will continue to strive for that greatness and will strive to increase that by reaching out to other countries with an open hand of friendship if they will only be willing to unclench their fists. It was moving to hear him talk of peace and hope. The only thing that I wanted to hear was for him to bust out the line at the end and ask: "Can you smell what Barack is cooking?" That is of course due to the fact that I think he sounds like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson when he really starts getting into what he is saying.

It has been an historical day already. I'm sure that there is much more to come. I feel excited to be a part of this history. If this isn't something that will influence our pop culture then I'm not sure what is. Peace and Love y'all.

Finally!!

2009-01-19T15:07:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Championship Sunday in the NFL. There were two games held and each decided who would play in the Super Bowl taking place in two weeks. The results were somewhat surprising to many people.

In the AFC it was the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Baltimore Ravens to determine who got to represent that conference in the big game. In what was a game that featured snow, great defense from both teams and some huge hits (the one on Willis McGhee was scary in fact). In the end it was Pittsburgh who earned the ticket to the Super Bowl.

In the NFC we find the bigger and more improbable story of the day. In the match-up between the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals, it was the team from the desert who earned their way into the big game. What makes this so improbable and so unlikely is a couple of things: 1) Since the merger of the NFL and AFL in 1970, every team in the NFC except the Cardinals had at least been to the conference championship game; 2) This was only the second home playoff game that the Cardinals had hosted since 1976 I believe; 3) The Cardinals came from the weakest division in the NFC if not the entire NFL, and yet two of the teams that they beat were from what was considered by many to be the strongest division in the NFC and then finally they beat a team that had lambasted them just 6 weeks earlier. The Cardinals are the oldest team in the NFL and yet this is their first Super Bowl.

The match-up between the Steelers and the Cardinals should be a good one on February 1. It is truely David and Goliath. The Steelers are now going to their 7th overall Super Bowl, 5 from which they have emerged as the victors. The Cardinals on the other hand will be looking at having a draft pick in April that is not in the top 10 (virgin territory for this team really). Each team has a quarterback who has won a Super Bowl. Both have defenses that are playing very well right now. It should be a very interesting game come the 1st of February. I am going to go out on a limb and take the underdog for my pick in this game...the Arizona Cordinals will win their first Super Bowl this year, 35-31 and the MVP honors will be split between Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. Should be a good game. Peace and Love y'all.

The Truth About Alcohol

2009-01-15T13:44:00.006-06:00

So here it is. The truth about what happens when you drink too much. Finally someone with the guts to tell it like it really is.

ICYMI: Dirt Cheap Commercial @ Yahoo! Video

Thought this was pretty funny, especially coming from a liquor store. Hope you got a kick out of this commercial. Peace and Love y'all.

Our Vows: Prayer

2009-01-14T20:20:00.003-06:00

So last week we started a new series in our youth group. We are going over the United Methodist vows of membership. These are the things that you proclaim when you go forward to join the church. The vows are these: Will you support this church with your prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. These are the areas where you say you will support the congregation you have chosen to become a part of. For the next few Wednesdays, I will share with you hear as we discuss these at 2Forty2.

As I have looked at these I felt that they encompass far more than just the Methodist denomination. These should be the vows we make as a follower of Christ, not just as a member of a denomination. When we choose to proclaim Jesus as our Savior and Lord, these are the things where we say we will show support to the Church universal.

So the first one that we talked about was our prayers. When it comes to supporting the body of Christ with our prayers, we are saying that we are going to be praying for the Church as a whole. As we do this we are praying for God's kingdom to flow down into this world and to begin changing things in the world around us.

Prayer can be a difficult thing for us to do though at times. Let me clarify that statement: it is easy for us to talk to (or at) God. That in and of itself is not fully prayer. No what is missing in this aspect is that we need to be taking time to listen to God as well. That is where it gets rough for many of us. It is so much easier for us to just throw out our laundry list of things that we want God to take care of for us. We don't want to take the time to sit and be still and quiet and open ourselves to what it is that God has to say to us in response.

Jeremiah 33:3 is a promise from God for us. He tells us through his prophet that if we will call to him he will answer us and tell us things that we don't know. Man to me that is awesome. I want to develop the patience to sit and listen to God as he begins to tell me things that I don't know. This is all part of our vow to uphold the Church in prayer. It takes time and work, but it is well worth the time that we take to learn to do this. Imagine what will begin to happen when we as the Church begin to really listen to God's plan for us, his Bride and the world as a whole.

Peace and Love y'all.

14528

2009-01-13T16:33:00.003-06:00

We live in a fast paced and changing world. There are many things that help to speed up our regular lives. In this day and age we are able to have have our food hot almost instantly, have our food prepared and delivered with minimal wait time and without even having to leave the comfort of our cars. We can access information in just a few clicks with the internet and send letters, updates, jokes, junk and chain letters to people instantly with email. Instant messenger allows us to communicate with people in real time even when they are on the other side of the world. Add to this the fact that we also be reached just about anywhere and you realize that this is a different world.

Now one the thing that has taken over for instant communication is the text message. I'm sure that if you are reading this blog then you know what text messaging is and have most likely partaken in it. It is something that is becoming increasingly more popular and used in our culture. It has it's own language even. There is a texting world championship as well. Thankfully, many cell phone carriers offer plans with unlimited texts for a small monthly fee. That was a good thing for this dad and his daughter. That story amazes me and just shows you what kind of phenomenon texting is in today's culture, especially among young people.

I text. In fact sometimes I text a lot. But that is astounding. 14528 text messages in one month. What does it say about the mindset that we have? In some ways texting is like social networking on the internet. It keeps you connected, but in truth there is something that is missing in it. Rather than taking the time to have a conversation with someone we text them. I admit that at times it is easier to do...it doesn't require as much signal strength and doesnt' drain your battery life quite as fast. Yet there is something to be said for taking the time to actually call someone and hear their voice, or to meet face to face. It is my hope that we are able to rediscover these things. Because without a real connection to other people, this world is a very lonely and sad place to be...no matter how many LOLs and OMGs you can text in under a minute. Peace and Love y'all.

The Tradition

2009-01-12T10:37:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite things is sports. I like to play sports, watch sports, do fantasy sports (does that make me a fantasy athlete?), write about sports, read about sports and talk about sports. One of the things about sports that I like is the tradition that can be found there.

As a high school athlete, these traditions were important. In the middle of the varsity locker room floor in the field house in Greenwood, there is a circle of smooth painted concrete. It is Columbia blue and has a picture of a Ranger painted in it. Around the Ranger there are the names of all the senior football players from each year. My name is in that circle, and I'm proud of that; proud to have been a part of that tradition. The thing about tradition is that it carries over from one group, one year to the next.

When you look at sports at all levels, you find traditions. Whether it is things that teams do or things that players bring there is that sense of tradition. There are some that even transcend the level of participation and type of sport and find their way into the game. There is one that stands out to me in particular even. It is something that I have seen done at all levels of sport-from early morning pick-up basketball games and Rec League flag football, to professional athletes paid millions of dollars to run and catch and throw and shoot-and in all different sports from football to baseball and everything else. It is long standing.

I will say this about this particular tradition: even though I have taken part in it, I don't really understand where it started, how it started or even why it started. The tradition is that of the Butt-slap after a good effort or play.

What is it that causes these men-big, tough, muscular men (and why is it that it is typically only men)-to slap each other on the rump at the conclusion of an athletic sequence? How did it become that the sign that someone appreciated your effort was to slap them on their rear? And why is it that it is really only in the world of sports that this is acceptable? Every where else in our world it would be thought of as awkward and could even have the makings of legal trouble. Imagine if on Sunday morning as the congregation was filing past the pastor, rather than shaking his hand, they all slapped him on the butt and said something like "Good message, way to bring the Word" or to the ushers after the offering and were like "Way to hustle with the plates man." It just wouldn't really be the same.

I guess that is the joy of tradition in sport though. They don't have to carry over or even make sense in the "real" world. They are things that can be done and people look at them and rarely question it. Still, there are some traditions that should stay in sports. Peace and Love y'all.

Pay Up

2009-01-09T23:04:00.003-06:00

Don't you hate it when you have to deal with things like the phone company and they put you on hold forever, or they just don't deal with your problem? It's so frustrating to have to deal that. It's a waste of time and effort and even money. Well one man took matters into his own hands. He kept a log of the time he spent talking to the phone company and not getting results. You can read the story for yourself here.

In case you didn't read the story (or even if you did) here is a recap of what happened. The guy kept calling to have his phones fixed and all he was getting was apology after apology, but no action. He was promised credits and yet still nothing was done. Finally he took his story to the local paper and got something done about it. In the end, after his story ran in the paper, he took his notes that he had kept through the whole ordeal and sent a bill to the phone company for $5481.16...and they agreed to pay!! That is the most amazing part of the whole story. Makes you wonder what would happen if you did that with the DMV. Peace and Love y'all.