Lessons from Barbecue...

Okay...maybe this lesson wasn't from the barbecue itself, but rather the management of the restaurant. Either way I had a huge lesson reinforced this week by a good friend.

My friend Steve runs Black's Barbecue in Lockhart. He has done an oustanding job running the place, which offers some great food. Blacks also happens to be the oldest barbecue restaurant in the state of Texas.

Earlier this week I had lunch with Steve and he told me he was closing early that day. When I asked why he explained that he was closing at 5:00 to take his staff to a movie. Stop-Loss came out this week and a big portion of the film was shot in Lockhart, in the street in front of Blacks. To show his appreciation to his staff, Steve decided to shut down early and take them all to see the movie - snacks, popcorn, and sodas included.

Steve's idea for his staff reinforced a lesson for me. You can never over-invest or over-appreciate a good staff...If you have people who work for you, especially volunteers in ministry (which is the case for me), they ought to be continually encouraged and shown how much they are appreciated.

When people feel appreciated they will show more effort, sacrifice more, and realize they are a big part of the team. I try to make it a priority to tell my team that I appreciate what they do to serve and lead in our ministry. I also try to do tangible things to show them. It doesn't always have to be something big...The little things sometimes mean the most.

Who on your "team" needs to know how valuable they are? Who invests in your ministry or job that needs to know how much you appreciate them? Let them know they are a valuable part of the team and watch their effort and investment soar!

The Weekend (and week long) Update...

So it's been a week since my last blog. Last week and weekend were super busy. Just to catch you up to speed I'll hit the highlights.

• I preached last Sunday morning. I absolutely love to teach the Word so it's always a blast. But it means a lot more work so I had a really busy week.
• I got to baptize 5 students on Sunday! It was great. Over the last 6 weeks or so we've seen over 15 students come to Christ in our Student Ministry...It is AWESOME (in every sense of the word) to watch God work!
• Spent the weekend painting. Myself and a couple guys in our student ministry are painting a house for a couple in our church. I paint every know and then as a sort of side job, so making some extra money never hurts.
• Speaking of extra money, all of it, plus some more will go to my uncle next week...Uncle Sam that is...UGH!
• Johanna spent the weekend at a Mother/Daughter retreat with her mom, sisters, and nieces. From what I've heard she had a great time.
• Johanna came back in time to sing at church on Sunday. Her, Meredith, and Michael sang a great acoustic version of Barlow Girl's I Want You To Love Me.
• I've had forgiveness on the mind - We are talking about that in our series The Rock Cries Out tomorrow at our midweek student gathering. Our band is covering the song Sorry by Buckcherry...That will be cool.
• Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive? Or maybe some bitterness you need to let go of because someone has wronged you? Don't let bitterness build a barrier between you and God!
• Watched Hell's Kitchen earlier...I think I would have a blast hanging with Gordon Ramsay for a day!
• I'm out!

Disciple Now Recap...

Here, as promised earlier, is my recap of this past weekend's Disciple Now. It was a fantastic weekend for our student ministry. God is good and he showed that yet again this weekend...

Here are the highlights...

• David making the commitment to give his life to Jesus and follow Him! David YOU ROCK bro! I am praying for you. (Pray for David. His family is Buddhist and he has made the decision to follow Jesus with his life!)
• Saturday Night Worship Service - For the past two weeks we could sense God moving in our ministry...It's hard to explain, but we could just feel it. Saturday night was a culmination of the Spirit of God working in students' lives for weeks now...It was awesome to see God move in the lives of students.
• We have one of the most talented student worship leaders on the planet (and a fantastic band as well). It was great to hear what he shared with his group on Saturday night. "I know that I am called to use my music and talent to change peoples' lives for Christ." (That's a paraphrase, but close...)
• Our youth worker team going all out to show students the love of Christ. I am proud to work alongside you guys as we storm the gates of hell together!
• Mark McConkey (check him out here) rocked the worship all weekend long!
• Scott Venable (here) did an amazing job teaching the Word.
• Spending the weekend with our Group Leaders. Our team is made up of some of my closest friends on this rock called earth. Most of our group leaders were people who I've done life with for a long time. We've been on the mountaintops and in the valleys...And I suspect (or maybe I even know) that we'll be doing life together for a lot longer too...
• Overall, it was a great weekend in which God moved and did only what God can do...transform lives!

Vision...

There is one thing that any church, organization, or business simply cannot live without: Vision. Vision is the driving force behind the success of any organization. Unfortunately, there are thousands of churches across our world who seem to lack any real vision for what God has called them to be.

God's word is simple on this topic too: Where there is no vision, the people perish. That is pretty straightforward. God's word is plain to the point on the subject. The Message Bible puts it like this: If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.

Vision comes from the top. It's the responisbility of the leaders of a church to understand the vision God has given for that local group of believers, to have the courage to follow that vision, and to cast the vision for people to follow as well.

Perry Noble, pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson S.C., posted an absolutely off-the-chain critique of churches and vision last week. He gives his "15 Signs That Your Church Lacks Vision." If you are a church leader of any kind (or just involved in a church in some way), check it out here.

Blogging Silence...

This past weekend was our student ministry Disciple Now weekend. Those of you who know anything about how crazy Disciple Now's are and how much planning go in to them need me to explain my silence no further. Needless to say this past week has been insanely BUSY.

But it was all worth it...We had an INCREDIBLE weekend. It was amazing to see how God moved in the lives of our students. Lives were forever changed.

This week is another busy week. I am preaching in both services this weekend for the first time in a good while...I LOVE it, but it does mean a busy week.

I'm working on a D-Now recap post, but for now you'll have to settle for a peek at our logo...

Mars Hill Men Die...

Below is a clip from Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Driscoll is always thought-provoking and challenging. He's made some strong stands on his expectations of men, specifically pastors and the men of his church. You can read (and watch another video) some of his opinions about how a church ought to treat pastors' wives here. Got thoughts on the subject? Feel free to comment away...

Maturity = Immaturity...

There is a great post on this concept over at Tim Stevens blog. You can read it here. The post is originally from Mark Beeson, pastor of Granger Community Church. GREAT stuff! It's a short post and probably takes less than two minutes to read. So check it out and let it provoke your thoughts...

Dook Is Gone...

I know this is a little late, but one of my highlights of the weekend (besides that whole Easter thing) had to be West Virginia knocking the Dook Blue Devils out of the NCAA Tournament. Now, if my Tarheels pull off the championship it will be one of the greatest tourney's ever...A Tarheel Championship and a Dook exit before the Sweet 16! Here is a photo from the West Virginia game, showing Joe Mazzula, the backup point guard for the Mountaineers outjumping Sheyer, Nelson, and Smith from Dook, who just all happened to be McDonald's All-Americans. Not only did the Mountaineers beat dook on the court, but they talked a lot of smack after the game. You can read about it in this article here. Lot's of good basketball this weekend...I hope the tourney continues to provide us with this level of entertainment...

Guitar Hero Addicts...

For all the Guitar Hero addicts out there, you've got to check out this article here. It's "10 Signs You May Like Guitar Hero Too Much" and it's full of crazy accessories for the ultimate addict. You can find everything from a Guitar Hero caribiner that allows you to play a mini-game on the go to gig bags and react pedals for your guitar...But beware - You could end up so addicted that you become a Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker.

It's Friday, But Sunday's Comin'...

Here is a clip of S.M. Lockridge's famous sermon, "It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming." Tony Campolo is also well known for quoting this sermon and using it as an illustration...The video is set to scenes from the Passion of The Christ. I hope it helps you reflect on this Good Friday and Easter weekend. I know it was good for me to see...

Thank You Jesus...

There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him. He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn't say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led off—and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man, even though he'd never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true. Still, it's what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life. And God's plan will deeply prosper through him. Out of that terrible travail of soul, he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it. Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant, will make many "righteous ones," as he himself carries the burden of their sins. Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—the best of everything, the highest honors—Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch, because he embraced the company of the lowest. He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many, he took up the cause of all the black sheep. - Isaiah 53 The Message

I hope you'll take some time today to reflect on what it really took to free us from the trap of sin. My prayer is that each of us will realize that the grace and love Jesus freely offers us, had a very high price for Him.

Let The Madness Begin...

Today is the day millions of basketball fans have been waiting for all year. Today the madness begins. Well, if you count the "play-in" game the NCAA Tournament really kicked off on Tuesday night, but today is when all the real action starts.

Opening day has already provided us with some great basketball. It almost even provided me (and millions of other Tarheel fans) with the best day of 2008, when Belmont almost beat Dook. If the dookies had lost to a #15 seed that would have definitely made my month...

Just in case you were wondering, my pick for National Champs is my UNC Tarheels. I have them picked in every bracket I've filled out and not just because their my team. I really think they have the best chance to win it all. My final game pick - UNC 87 and UCLA 78. I wouldn't be suprised to see Texas in their for UCLA with the same outcome. Let the madness begin...

Did Anyone See The Bus...

Did anyone happen to see that bus that ran me over? Ok, maybe there wasn't a literal bus, but I sure feel like it...I woke up this morning and my throat felt terrible. I can't remember the last time it felt this bad without me speaking the day or night before. Then I spent most of the day standing outside in the rainy weather with one of my students while he was waiting to try out for Nashville Star. Don't get me wrong...We had a lot of fun. But I don't think it did my throat or allergies or whatever this is any favors.

Tomorrow night we kick off a new series at the Attic that I am PUMPED about! It's called The Rock Cries Out and it's all about finding the truth of God in modern music. We'll be looking at a popular rock song each week and seeing how it relates, both positively and negatively, to some stories in the Word of God. It's gonna be great! Our band is covering some Nickelback so students, you do NOT want to be late! We also have another youth group joining us tomorrow night...So it is a big night. And I need to feel a lot better. Please pray for me! I think I am gonna' watch the rest of this NCAA play-in game from bed and then call it a night. Maybe that will help...

Blogging Silence and Exhaustion...

So it's been awhile since my last blog and there's good reason. That's where the exhaustion comes in. I spent all of last week on a mission trip in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area with a group of students from our ministry. We left Lockhart on Sunday and spent the week serving in various ways at Mission Arlington. If you have never heard of Mission Arlington/Mission Metroplex you can check them out here. It is an incredible ministry in the metroplex area that really is seeking to be Jesus with skin on to the people of Arlington, TX and the greater metroplex area. The people there take seriously what it means to show the love of Christ to the world and it's been a blessing to be a part of their ministry and mission for the last several years. I have been on almost 20 trips to Mission Arlington and I can honestly say that EVERY TIME, I see God move. It's crazy what happens when we just simply obey and go...across the street, across the tracks, across the office or the lunchroom. Too many times as Christians we're really good at going all across the globe with the love of Christ, but we're not too good at going across the street in our neighborhood. That's one thing that Mission Arlington models. It was a fantastic week and our students did GREAT, but I am beat. We got home last week and then spent the weekend helping some friends paint/remodel their house. I spent all day at the office today and then went back over to our friends again for some more painting...I just walked in the door and I am spent! Tomorrow I've got a ton of stuff to do and I'm also taking one of our students to Austin to try out for Nashville Star...It should definitely be an interesting day. I'll be getting back in the blogging groove this week, so check back for more...

THE Game...

I'm sitting in my living room getting ready to watch THE game. My UNC Tarheels vs. the Dook BlueDevils. And just so you know, I HATE Dook. Here are a couple pics I found online in honor of the big game:

GO HEELS!!! BEAT DOOK!!!

The Last Lecture...

I saw this video a couple months ago...It's pretty moving stuff. Check it out. It brings up a pretty good topic. What message do you want to leave with your life? What would you say if you could give one speech to the people in your life that mean the most? If you knew you had a limited amount of time left on this planet, what message would you want to leave behind? Feel free to comment...

The Weekend Update...

This weekend was crazy-fun. One word wouldn't do so I had to actually make up a new word it was such a blast. I was in Austin on Thursday morning running some errands for the church and I got a call from a couple friends of mine. These two guys are actually some of my closest friends in the world and happen to be fellow youth pastors too. Johanna and I go to conferences with them and their wives each year and always have a blast.

So Jason and James call me up and tell me there coming in to Austin to watch the Texas Girls State Basketball tournament. Some girls from Jason's church were playing and they had planned on staying with Jason's sister-in-law but she got sick. So Jason and James ended up spending the weekend with us from Thursday to Saturday morning. James' family even stayed with us on Friday night. The three of us caught a couple of the basketball games and got in 9 holes of golf on Friday morning.

On Saturday, Jaron, one of my former students and good friends, and I drove to Columbus to meet my brother for some golf. We spent a few hours playing golf and then grabbed lunch before heading home. We had a blast!

Yesterday was filled with church stuff...band practice, game night, meetings, etc. Overall, the weekend was a blast. Jo and I love having people in our home so it was great...And I can't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did hanging out with all these people all weekend...Great friends, great family, good times.

"I Think She May Be Hurt..."

Buble Was KILLER...

I'll admit it. I was skeptical, at best. I made a lot of jokes about Michael Buble and his music to a couple guys I know who are big fans. I even jokingly offered my ticket to several people to go to his concert in my place...But I knew it would be a great time with my wife so I thought I would endure the concert in order to spend some quality time with Johanna.

And I was wrong. The Michael Buble concert last Wednesday night in Austin was killer. He is so much more than a singer. He's a comedian, an actor, and in one word - an entertainer...And a very good one at that! This is off his website:

Bublé spent the months his parents were away with his music-loving Italian grandfather, who introduced him to the singers who would become Bublé’s idols: Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Sinatra, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley. “These guys were triple threats,” he says. “They could sing, they could dance, they could act. They were entertainers, and I believe that’s a lost art now.

The concert was one of the best live music events I've ever been to. Great music and even better entertainment. Here are some of the highlights:

• Naturally Seven as the opener. Check these guys here. Really cool stuff called instrumentation.
• Buble's sense of humor. The guy is hilarious.
• The Encore - Buble came out for an encore song and at the end he cut the band off, had his piano player play softly and sang the last chorus without ANY amplification. No mic at all. And his voice filled the Erwin Center.
• Buble's rendition of "Home" with various clips of Texas and Austin on the screen in the background. A guy walked out of the crowd and tossed his cowboy hat to Buble during the song, which he wore as he finished it up. Check it out in this video:

Like I said, I went in as a skeptic, but I came out a fan. Next time Michael Buble comes back to Austin, I'll be there.

Practicing What I Preach...

Last night I practiced what I preach. And at times that is a lot harder than you might imagine...I constantly share with our students and our adults that our priorities in life should be this:

1. God
2. Family
3. Ministry
4. Other Stuff

That's really easy to tell other people. It's a lot harder to live out...And to be honest, there are times where I don't do a very good job of it.

But last night wasn't one of those times. I took the evening off from our mid-week student gathering. Wednesday nights are our biggest weekly event and the one night where I usually lead and teach. But last night I left a great group of our adult and student volunteers in charge and put my family first.

For Valentine's Day I gave Johanna tickets to the Michael Buble concert in Austin that was last night. Going into the concert I admit that I wasn't a fan (more on that later). In fact, I was a bit synical...But it was something I knew my wife would LOVE and so it was of the utmost importance to me.

So last night I put into practice the things I preach. My family is far more important to me than my ministry. Period. Even though I might struggle with my time management in this area at times, my family is first. If I am not the Christian husband that Christ has called me to be, then my ministry is in vain...And I think it is a great lesson for our students to see me live out those values. Plus, I got to see a pretty sweet concert with the love of my life...Ya' can't beat that!

Lickable Ads - More Great Marketing...

Here is some more great, creative marketing. Welch's recently unveiled their new "Lickable Ads." So long to scratch and sniff flavors or the smells of perfume. Now you can taste the product right off the page. Here's a description:

Similar to perfume ads that have panels you pull back to offer a hint of the fragrance, Welch’s is launching tabs in this month’s edition of People magazine in the form of a one page print ad that let the customers peel to taste.

Check out the full article here.

Iphone Madness...

I just read an article about Abilene Christian University's new policy to provide all incoming freshman students with an Iphone...Crazy! Check out the story here.

Integrity...

Integrity. According to Merriam-Webster integrity is a firm adherence to a code of especially moral values or the quality or state of being complete. In the words of my good friend and college roomie David Brown (check him out here) integrity occurs when you come to a stoplight at 2 AM in the morning and there is no camera, no police, and no one else around. In his words, "integrity stops anyway." Over the past few weeks I've noticed that the topic has come up over and over again in conversations. In conversations like the one below, that I had last week with a T-Shirt company here in town. I was ordering some shirts and the lady I usually deal with was busy so she asked her boss to help me. Here's the convo:

Lady: Can you help Nic? I am busy.
Boss: Sure. Come take a seat at my desk Nic.
Lady: And be sure and give him a great deal...He's one of our best customers.
Boss: Ok.
Lady (To Boss): He works at that church and he's a nice guy...and they actually pay their bill on time.
Lady (To Me): You'd be surprised at how many churches don't pay us on time!

Wow. Real ministry cannot happen without integrity. And integrity cannot be bought. It cannot be faked. Authentic integrity can only be earned...by living a consistent witness to who Jesus is. Integrity is HUGE when it comes to reaching others with the love of Christ. It gives credibility to our message and earns us the opportunity to be heard...

How is your integrity? Are you the same person in the crowd as you are behind closed doors? When you come to a stoplight at 2 AM and no one is around, what do you do?

You Are God...

I got the privilege to be in a couple worship services where Charlie Hall was leading worship back in the fall. He has an incredible God-given ability to lead people into worship. This is one of his songs on the new Passion CD "God of This City"...Great lyrics. The new Passion CD is solid stuff...If you haven't heard it yet, check it out. Here are the lyrics to "You Are God" by Charlie Hall:

You’re closer than our troubles
More present than any danger
More grand than gold and silver
You are God, You are God

You’re the joy of man’s desire
You are Father, satisfier
We are stunned with wide-eyed wonder
You are God, You are God

You fill our hearts with love and faith
You fight for us, You make us brave
You are God, You are God.

You walk with us, You lead us on
Faith, hope and love wakes up with dawn
You are God, You are God

Talent...

I have been in student ministry for around 12 years now...Just typing that sentence makes me feel EXHAUSTED! But over the years I have had the privilege to serve some incredibly talented students. Several of those students are now adults who are serving in churches and plugged in to ministry in various ways...And that's what it really is all about - making disciples who make disciples...

Right now I have the privilege of serving with some incredibly talented students, specifically in the area of worship and music...We've got two guys who rotate leading worship for our mid-week student gathering...And they are super talented. Michael is gonna' be the next American Idol and you name the instrument and Austin can own it...You guys ROCK! Thanks for being willing to serve God and serve others by using the incredible talent that he's given you...

Accused...

Anytime I'm driving and I see a cop car I automatically hit the brakes. Regardless of whether I'm speeding or not, that is my initial reaction - every time - without exception. And anytime a policeman or highway patrolman is following me I feel like I have to watch my every move - like they know of some random law that I have never even heard of and are just waiting on the right moment for me to mess up so they can hit the lights and write the ticket. Do you ever feel that way?

Late last week and during the weekend I was struggling. Every now and then I let the devil get the best of me with his accusations. I allow the accuser to bring up mistakes and mess ups from my past that are long gone...And I lose focus and begin to feel accused. I know that the sins have been forgiven and I know that the mistakes are in the past. I am fully confident that Jesus has not only forgiven me but removed those sins as far as the east is from the west...But I still let the devil win sometimes...It's kind of like driving with a guilty conscience just because you've got a speeding ticket in the past.

But the cool thing about God is he knew stuff like this would trip us up. He knew we'd have these days...So he talked about it in his Word. There is this cool story in John 8 where these religious nuts and community leaders bring a woman whose been caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. They throw her in front of Jesus, treating her like the trash that they believe she is. After all, she's nothing but a sinner, right? They demand that Jesus respond to her sin and deal with her accordingly. And the cool thing is, he does. He looks the guys in the face and tells them that if they can honestly say that they are without sin, then feel free to judge this woman and even stone her. But Jesus knows they don't stand a chance. He knows they're just like the rest of us and have messed up time and time again...After her accusers drift off one by one, Jesus looks at the woman and says these words: "Woman, where are your accusers? Does no one condemn you?" She responds by saying, "No one." And then Jesus tells her this: "Neither do I. Go and leave your life of sin."

Jesus was far more concerned with where her future was headed than with where her past had been. He was more focused on the change that would take place in the woman rather than the times she had messed up in the past...

What a great reminder for those days when the devil acts like the accuser and trys to make us lose our focus and passion by bringing up our mistakes from the past. In God's eyes, it has been dealt with. There's no need to go through life driving like your guilty when your ticket's been paid for, taken care of, and completely removed from the system...So the next time you're feeling accused by things from your past, realize the source of the accusation and then turn your focus to the One whose dealt with your past and still has great plans for your future...

My Partner...

I'm blessed to have tons of great people in my life. I have the best friends in the world. I have a great group of friends in ministry who help challenge me and keep me accountable - even if we live hours from each other. I've got friends and former students who've been in the trenches of life and ministry with me. I know that I can trust them and that they've got my back. I've got a fantastic family that believes in me and has poured themselves into making me who I am. But I've got one person in my life who is my partner.

Webster's dictionary defines a partner as one who shares life with another. Today, on Valentine's Day, I just want to say a public thanks to my partner - my incredible wife Johanna.

You are amazing. Thank you for listening to all my rants and crazy thoughts...Thank you for being a listening ear when I need to vent. Thank you for encouraging me when the world, or those not supposed to be of the world, have beat me down. Thank you for believing in me and my ministry when it seems that all others have fallen by the wayside. Thank you for hearing some of my crazy ideas and just shaking your head affectionately...I've said it before - God has called us to a crazy, insane, incredible ride in following Him. I'd rather share my journey with no one else. I love you babe...

Fantastic...

I absolutely love fresh, new, outside-the-box creativity and marketing. One of my favorite new sites that keeps an eye out for all things fresh, new, and hip around the globe is here.


I honestly think that the church, in most cases, is light years behind our culture in marketing and creativity. We have the absolute best message in the world. But there are times when that message is presented in the most plain, dull, boring, old, traditional ways. And when that happens we do a great disservice to Jesus and his incredible, revolutionizing, life-changing message...But that is a soapbox that I can easily climb atop, so I'll stay away from it for now...


Here are a few cool ad pics from the link above. You've got to appreciate the creativity and freshness of this stuff. Check it out...



A Casino Advertisement in an Airport:

A Harley Davidson Ad:

Denver City Marketing Campaign to encourage people to conserve water usage:

Temptation...

I must confess that I am a not-so-recovered reality TV addict. I used to watch every reality TV show a few years ago, regardless of it's entertainment value...and definitely regardless of it's contribution to society. There was this one show called Temptation Island. Basically, the premis of the show was to place couples in a resort island setting, divide the couples into groups of guys and girls, and then bring in 20 members of the opposite sex to tempt them, party with them, and do everything - and I mean everything - they could to destroy the pre-existing couples' relationships.

And that is what temptation does, really. Temptation, if followed through on, leads to our destruction. When the devil tempts us, his desire is not to cause us to have a bad day. His plan is not to cause us to stumble or to make a little mistake...He desires to destroy us. He wants to bring us destruction and death.

But here's the deal: We like to dance with temptation. We like to get as close to sin as we can. We want to know how close we can get without it "officially" being a sin. We all struggle with our flesh and it's desires to dance with temptation. So we toe the line and get as close to sin as we think we can...And then we wonder why we continually stumble and fail.

The apostle Paul addressed this in a letter to his young friend Timothy. He told him to RUN AWAY from tempation...He literally screamed at him to run from temptation and toward righteousness.

What are you doing to run away from temptation? It's so easy to go through life dancing with temptation and then wondering why you continue to struggle and fail in following Christ...Here's some advice we can all use when it comes to dealing with temptation: Set some boundaries. Get some accountability. And when the devil comes knockin', run away...

The Weekend Update...

Johanna and I spent Thursday evening through Sunday in Georgetown as Disciple Now Leaders at FBC Georgetown. My good friend Brett Levy is the Youth Pastor there. I spent the weekend playing cards until 3:00 AM, getting shot with paintballs, and loving on some teenagers...It was a great weekend and we had a blast, but I am exhausted from the lack of sleep. I love these weekend events, but there are times - like yesterday and today - that I feel way to old to be hanging out with students all weekend long...But when you see the end results of a weekend like that - students lives being changed by the love and grace of Christ - you know it's worth it!

One of the cool things about this Disciple Now is that Brett uses several of my former students as leaders. It is incredible to see these students that we poured so much into when they were teenagers using their lives to serve the kingdom...I believe that far too often our students graduate from our student ministries and also graduate from God...I'm thankful that we have a number of students who've left our youth ministry days and are now using their lives to love God and love people...They understand that church is not a building or a program, but a lifestyle and a people.

So not only did we get to spend the weekend loving students and sharing God's love with them, but it was also a family reunion of sorts...It's always a blast to get together with these former students and sharing life again...I even think that's what the New Testament leaders had in mind as they started this thing called church...

Amazed (My 200th Post)...

I have been milling over this specific post in my head for a couple days now. Not this actual written blog, but the fact that it is my 200th blog post. I'm really not sure if anyone outside my immediate family and a few close friends read this thing, but I still enjoy it so I've kept at it...For the past couple days I have been wanting to make this a great post since it is a milestone being number 200 and all...I've thought about humorous stories, catchy graphics, and deep thoughts. And I could not come up with anything that fit.

But God did. God provided me with something amazing to blog about...Actually, I am sure that what God did had nothing to do with my blog, but I get the joy of sharing it anyway. Yesterday I asked you all to pray for our students tonight as we presented the gospel in a very plain and understandable way. I asked you to pray that God would literally bring light into dark places. And guess what? He did! We had 6 students accept Christ tonight and begin their journey as Christ-followers! God literally changed lives and changed eternity forever for 6 students tonight...And we won't know until we get to heaven how much the kingdom of God will be changed because of what happened tonight. If you are one of those students, know that I am so happy for you, proud of you, and PUMPED about what God has done and is going to do in your life!

But here is the crazy thing to me - it still amazes me. I asked God to change the lives of students - to use tonight to convince students of his love and his grace for them. Our youth workers prayed for the same thing. I asked you to pray that He would bring light into dark places. And then after we ask, we are blown away that he does it. I think I should expect him to by now...

I was talking with one of our youth workers after the service and we were celebrating how great God is and I said, "I don't know why we are surprised. God loves these students far more than we do." And that is the truth. God loves our lost friends and neighbors far more than we ever could. I hope that you will continue to pray for our students. I also hope you'll pray that God would use you - in the lives of your neighbors, family, and friends - to bring light into dark places. Wow. God is good.

Assured...

Tomorrow night we are starting a new series at the Attic called Assured: Having A Confident Faith in a Blurry World. It's a study of the book of 1 John and it's all about the identifying marks of a Christ-follower. In a world that is in constant change, how do we live in such a way that we know, without a doubt, that we are following Christ and living for the kingdom? How do we live ASSURED of the faith we claim to follow?

Pray for our students tomorrow night. We're talking about forgiveness and how Jesus made the sacrifice for our sins. For some of our students, this night could be bigger than life-changing...It could be eternity-changing...We have several students on the verge of beginning their walk as believers and we are praying that tomorrow night God will use his Word to bring life to dead places. Join us in that prayer...

Ouch...

Found this over here. Great cartoon commentary on the church, life, ministry, and what it means to follow Jesus...

Super Bowl Recap...

I've read several game recaps...I won't go anywhere near saying that I saw this coming, but I'm sure not dissappointed that the Giants beat the Pats. I thought it was a pretty good game. Because of the low scoring nature, it wasn't the most exciting thing I've ever watched, but it was competitive and overall, a solid game. Check out my blogroll link Dbrown to see a live blog critique of the first half - good stuff. Below is a post I wrote on a friend's myspace page today that happens to be a Pats fan. He's also Red Sox fan and gives me a hard time when the Sox beat the Yankees, so turnabout is fair play:

Video Crew To Tape Jets Play Signals: $2,000 per game

Hiring Randy Moss to make Tom Brady look invincible: $3 Million

New Camera to Video The Rams Walkthrough in 2002 Super Bowl: $300

Losing Your Undefeated Season in The Super Bowl to A Team Led by ELI Manning: Priceless.

Only A Sorority Would Do Something Like This...

A friend of mine got invited to a Sorority Fundraiser to raise money for cardiovascular disease. The sorority is holding a benefit lunch for students to raise money and promote heart health awareness. Below is the actual description of the event on their invitation:

"Come enjoy an all-you-can eat barbeque lunch for only $5! In honor of Cardiac Care Month, Alpha Phi is holding a lunch benefit to raise money and raise awareness about cardiovascular disease. We can all help support cardiac health together! Invite your friends!!"

Un-be-lievable! Only a bunch of sorority girls would host an "all-u-can eat" greasy BBQ lunch in honor of Cardiac Care Month. Wow...

Examining My Feet...

I love the spring and summer because I believe that my feet were born to be free...One of the best things about spring and summer is that I can wear flip-flops every day. It's the best. But I always hate the first few weeks of flip flop wearing because my feet are ghostly white due to the fact that they've been hidden by those dreaded shoes...It usually takes a couple weeks for my feet to catch up with the tan of the rest of my body...I know you might think this is a bit random, but I have a point.

I've spent a lot of time these past couple weeks examining my feet. I've also spent some time examining the feet of those around me - especially those who would call themselves part of the body of Christ here in our local community...Paul, who wrote a lot of the New Testament, wrote a letter to the church in Rome and he talked about feet. Here is what he said:

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

As I examine my feet, I want them to be more beautiful. But the kind of beauty I desire cannot be gained through a pedicure or a trip to the spa. This beauty is gained through obedience, love, and passion. When God examines my feet, I want him to be glorified by their beauty. I want my feet to be beautiful because I have been faithful to be someone who tells the Good News. When I look at my cirlce of influence, my neighbors, my family, and my friends, I see numerous people who need to hear. And when I look at my feet and the feet of those I walk with in this thing called following Jesus, I see a lot of feet that could be made a lot more beautiful...

What about your feet? Are they adorned in the beauty of the Good News? I'll be breaking out the sandals and flops pretty soon and I really don't want to be the one with ugly feet...

All We Need To Know...

I've been teaching a series on evangelism at our midweek student service for the past three weeks. Tomorrow we finish up the series and we're talking about how to communicate the good news - that God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us - in a way that is effective. We're going to talk about how to share the message of Jesus in a way that people will actually listen to what we have to say...

As we've walked through this series, it seems that a lot of our students become very timid and shy when it comes to sharing the gospel with their friends...And most of the time it's because they feel like they don't know the answers to the questions they'll face.

But there is this incredible story in John 9 where Jesus encounters a blind man. He spits on the ground to make some mud and he heals the blind man by putting the mud in his eyes. The man is so excited he starts running around everywhere, telling people what has happened. When the religious leaders of the day see the raucus that he's causing with his testimony of what's happened, they begin to question him. They throw questions at him, trying to trap Jesus and trying to find out what the man knows and experienced. The man's reply is simple. He can't answer any of their questions. Not one. He just simply says, "I once was blind, but now I see."

For those of us who've been forever changed by the incredible love of Jesus, isn't that all we need to know to share our hope...Now, sure we need to own our faith and know what we believe and why we believe it. We need to speak about our faith from experience and with knowledge and wisdom. But we don't have to know all the answers...There are so many things I don't understand about God. For example, I have friends who are currently going through losses and tragedies, and I don't get it. I don't know all the answers...But I know this - I once was blind, and now I see. I once was helpless, a sinner on a one way track to being separated from God. But Jesus intervened. I once was blind, but now I see. And that is the kind of life-change and hope my neighbors need to know...

What about you? Who has God placed in your life that needs to hear the Good News - that God loves them and wants to have a relationship with them? You don't have to have a degree in theology or have hundreds of Bible verses memorized to share your faith...You just have to go across the street...

Got Change for A Dollar?...

That's usually the question you ask when you want something from the vending machine...something like some chips, a candy bar, a coke, or...MARIJUANA??? Only in California. You can read about the new marijuana vending machines at the article title below:

Marijuana Vending Machines Open In California

Email...

Do you ever get an email that you know you need to keep? Maybe it's a letter of encouragment, an important conversation, or a password you know you'll forget...I am usually pretty good about keeping up with those types of emails but the last several months I have just let EVERYTHING stay in my inbox. And I mean everything - Everything from daily quotes and news sites I am signed up for to jokes and sports stuff people have sent me. So I just spent the LAST 3 HOURS going through my three different email accounts deleting all the junk and stuff I should've deleted the moment I read it...What a waste of time...

The Weekend Update...

Here's the wrap up from our weekend and the thoughts I have floating around my head at the moment.

• Pray for my friend David Brown and his family. His blog, Three Words Back, is linked on this page...D Brown and I were college roomies and he's one of my closest friends. He lost a cousin to a tragic surgery complication on Thursday. She was only 38 and left behind a husband and two kids...Pray for God's comfort and peace for the family in this tradgey.
• Johanna and I traveled A LOT this weekend...We went to see my parents and grandparents in the Stephenville area, as well as heading into Ft. Worth. We spent well over 10 hours in the car this weekend - Maybe that's why I have a bad case of sore driver's butt...
• It was GREAT to see the fam...We just don't get to do that enough these days.
• Got lots on my mind. A TON OF STUFF I'm pondering, thinking, praying about, seeking guidance in - about the future, the present, God's will, and our lives.
• Worked on finishing up my Teaching Calendar for the semester today...I had the semester planned out, but God really has given me a different direction to go with one of our series. I am PUMPED about what God is going to teach our students and adults in our Student Ministry this semester.
• I am also looking forward to being even more creative in our ministry since we have all the series/messages/topics planned out already!
• In one of my few new FAVORITE blogs I read a great post about cut and paste ministry...And I am intrigued by the wheelbarrow full of runts illustration and if you read this Stephen Furtick, I gotta know what it was for! Check it out here .
• Another one of my new favorite blogs is here...It's the blog of church planter Ben Arment and the brain behind The Whiteboard Sessions. I am so pumped about the possibility of heading to this conference and the site for the conference launches tomorrow! Gotta' sign up fast!
• This guy has WAY TO MUCH time on his hands (ht to Marko) :

Old School...

There was an article on Yahoo News today about video game myths that linked an old Atari commercial. That peaked my interest to check out what Atari stuff might be on YouTube. Not quite the graphics of my XBOX 360, but definitely old school...My brother and I actually had one of these in the early 80s, before we moved up in the world and got our Nintendo. Not the Wii, the gamecube, the N64 or the Super Nintendo. Just the old school Nintendo...Anyway, check out these videos to see how far we've come:

Baptism Sunday...

Earlier this week I alluded to an incredible worship service our church experienced this weekend. Sunday morning as our pastor got up to begin speaking, he talked about the baptisms he was supposed to do at the end of the service....The only problem: When he went to fill the baptistry early Sunday morning, their was a plumbing problem in the pipes that fill the baptismal, so it couldn't be filled like normal...His solution? We were baptizing two boys who both were super excited and whose family members had traveled to be there that day...We couldn't just not do it. In his words, "our church had a responsibility to minister to these young guys and their families." So that's what we did. Instead of our pastor preaching a sermon, we all formed assembly lines from every faucet in the church to the baptistry. Every person in the church took part...The stronger guys filled trash cans and buckets. Kids filled cups, ladies formed lines to pass bowls and pitchers throughout the church...It took us about 20 minutes to fill it up, but we got the job done...Then while the two kids were getting ready to be baptized our pastor invited anyone else who needed to take that step in their journey of following Christ to come forward and be baptized...We ended up baptizing another teenager and an adult that were both there that day...Probably one of the most powerful "sermons" I have ever experienced...I think we should baptize like that every time!

$1,500 Anyone?...

If anyone has an extra $1500 they'd like to invest in my ministry and in me as a minister, I'd gladly take it for this:

Granger Community Church in Granger, IN is quite possibly THE MOST CREATIVE church in this country. Some of the stuff they do in ministry is not only out of the box, but it is out of this world...And for the first time ever they are offering 24 church leaders a chance to be immersed in what they do, how they do it, and why it's all done with their leadership team for two whole days...Here is what the website says:

Ever wanted a front row seat to how Granger’s Senior Management Team leads the church? How they plan for the future? How they decide which series to present and what direction to go? A new event is being offered for the first time that will give 24 leaders a chance to spend two full days with the Senior Management Team at Granger Community Church.

Sounds great, right? You bet it does...But the pricetag for the event/conference/training is $1,500...So if you have an extra $1,500 laying around and want to invest it in someone, I know a great way to spend it...

In Honor of The Day...

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It's the day we celebrate Dr. King's birthday, which is actually the same as mine, January 15th. In honor of the day, here are a few video clips and quotes from Dr. King...

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Last Speech - The Night Before He Was Assassinated:


Here is an excerpt from King's "I Have A Dream Speech." Not sure what the German subtitles are about, but you can still hear the speech and see the broadcast from 1963:



And finally, some of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Famous Quotes:

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.

I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

The church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

The Weekend Update...

Here is the weekend update - bulletin style:

• Friday, Jo and I met Jaron, Jenna, Daniel, and Melissa in Austin...The original plan was to go to Alamo Drafthouse for a belated birthday celebration, but our movies were sold out...So we got some grub at Chuy's (fantastic!), some coffee at Halcyon, and bowled at the 300 Austin until 2:00 AM...Great time with great friends.
• Saturday we slept in, needless to say...We had planned on a evening of hanging around the casa, when Jmob called and invited us to go with him and his pops to CalvaryAustin to their Saturday night worship service. Phil Wickham was leading worship their that night and so we went and checked it out...It was pretty rockin, except for the time he came on stage in an old school leather bomber jacket...That is a definite fashion mistake for worship leaders who play the guitar...We hit up some Potbelly Sandwich Works before headin' home...Another great time with great friends...
• Today was an incredible church service...I am gonna' expand on it more in the morning (It's 1 AM Sunday night right now...). It was one of the coolest things I have ever been a part of and totally deserves it's own post...But after church, a group of us headed to Austin to lunch at Matt's El Rancho...We got back just in time for me to head back up to the church and set up for some meetings I had...Our Student Ministry team got together tonight to plan out the next few months of ministry...Then I led a seminar for parents of teenagers about teens and the internet...It was pretty cool.
• It's now 1 AM on Sunday night/Monday morning and I just walked in the door from hanging out with some students...It's a school holiday tomorrow, so they can all sleep in...Lucky for them...

All in all, a great weekend...We have some great friends and it's always fun to get to hang out with them when we get the chance...And if you've never heard Phil Wickham before check him out on Myspace or Itunes or check out this video:

Joy Killers In Ministry...

Check out this link to a great blog by Perry Noble, pastor of NewSpring Church...He's one of the new blogs that my friend Zak White, over at http://www.zakwhite.com/, turned me on to...It's a great piece for anyone in ministry to read about things that kill our joy in ministry...Check it out:

http://www.perrynoble.com/2008/01/18/seven-joy-killers-in-ministry/

"Change or Die"...

I've been sitting around on this slow Saturday morning, surfing the web with the TV on in the background...I just realized that "Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares" is on...Basically this incredible chef and restraunteer goes into dying restaurants in England and teaches them how to change in order to save their restaurant...He overhauls everything - the food, the menu, the decor, the staff...And in an advertisement for the show he says, "Change or Die! It's that simple."

As the church we have the greatest message and the greatest hope the world will ever know. Yet, in so many places we refuse to change...and we are dying. In America, we live on the only continent in the world where the church is not growing...We must change or die. The world has changed around the church and it is time for the church to change in order to reach the lost...Our message is the same hope of Christ that we've always shared, but our methods must change to reach those who, by their absence and apathy, have voted today's church irrelevant for their lives.

We have loved our preferences, our traditions, and our comfort more than we have loved the lost. It is time for the church to begin to be the people of God that we are called to be. And it is time for us to focus on our one mission - reaching the lost...And to do that, we must adopt a "change or die" mentality...Whatever it takes to see Christ change lives!

Shouting It Out...

Tonight at The Attic we started a new series called "How To Shout Without Screaming." It's all about communicating God's love through our lifestyles...Basically, living in such a way that we shout the love of God to people with our lives. I was pumped to start this series tonight and I am excited about what God can do in the lives of our students and in our ministry if we had just a few students take seriously the call to love God and love the people that don't know Him...It would literally transform our community! How awesome is that!

So FLBC Students, get to shouting! Good news is best shared by good friends so be sure you are living out your faith in your friendships and let's watch and be amazed at what God does!

As for the rest of us, think about the people God has placed in our lives. Who has God put in our workplace, our family, and next door? These people aren't in our lives by accident or chance. God placed them in our lives so that we might influence them with His love. People respond best to God's love when it's lived out and shared by a friend. Build those friendships and realize that God's desire for us is to shout his love for the lost with our lives...

Tonight...

I forgot to mention it earlier, but Season 7 of this kicks off tonight:


I cannot wait! I love the first few episodes of this show, where they play the absolute worst singers and craziest people that they can possibly find...Then I usually get bored with it before the season ends...But the first few episodes during the tryouts are AWESOME!

I'm Feeling Older Today...

For some reason I'm feeling older today...Almost like I've entered into a new decade. Oh wait. I have. And while I promised some reflections and goals earlier in the week, I promise they are still coming...

I have an incredbily busy week this week. We're kicking off a new series at the Attic Wednesday night called "How To Scream Without Shouting." It's all about sharing the message and love of Jesus in ways that are real, practical, and relevant to others. Then on Sunday night I have a meeting with my Student Ministry Leadership Team. Right after that meeting I am presenting a Seminar for parents in our church and community called "Your Teen...Online." It's basically a seminar about teenagers and the internet and I still have tons of things to tie together on that...There is an ENORMOUS amount of information that I want to communicate in this training session for parents...Anyway, all that to say this: I've got a busy week, but the reflections and goals are sure to come...Thanks to all who've already given me birthday wishes today...Jo and I are headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner tonight so that makes a pretty great birthday to me...

There's No Crying In Football...

You gotta' be kidding me! I just had to post this for Jaron and Andy...

In The News...

I grew up just outside of Stephenville, TX...The town made the national news today, even being one of the featured headlines on Yahoo's main homepage. Here is the title of the article and the link below...There are just some things you really wish didn't make the news...

"Dozens in Texas town report seeing UFO"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080114/ap_on_fe_st/odd_ufo_sightings

Surprised...

I am never surprised...Never. I am sneaky and I am nosey and I am snoopy. So very seldom does anyone pull of any kind of surprise for me...But this weekend, my incredbile wife, along with the help of some other family members, pulled off a great surprise party for me.

Johanna had told me that my parents and my brother and sister-in-law were coming into town to go out for my birthday dinner. Well, that wasn't entirely the truth. To make a long story short, she had been planning a surprise party for me for weeks. She invited friends new and old to come to my "29 Vol. 2" Surprise Birthday Party which was held at the Lodge Hall at the Lockhart State Park...It was a great night to hang out and visit with friends...And I was honestly surprised...I knew something was probably up, but had no clue to what extent my wife had gone to pull of such a great night...

My actual birthday is coming up this Tuesday and I'll be 30. It is difficult to type and even harder to say out loud. But I've been thinking about what reflections I have on my first three decades on this earth and it's sure to make a blog post...And I've also got my goals and plans for 2008 on the way as well...

In the meantime, I need to go and sharpen up my sneakiness and snoopiness...

Best of 2007 - Family Moments...

This is more than likely my last "Best of 2007" entry...I have worked on a top ten for music and movies, but its so hard to narrow down, I don't know if they'll get done...Plus, I really think that once you get a full two weeks into 2008 you ought to be done with the "best of's" from the last year and we are almost there! Anyway, I wrote this post a few nights ago and am just getting around to posting it...This list holds a lot of special memories for me. Here is my "Top Ten Family Moments of 2007". Enjoy.

10. Curry graduating at Pride High School. - You'll notice very quickly that when I talk about family I mean it in a very extended way. I have an incredible family, an amazing wife, great parents, the best brother a guy could have, but I also have so many people I consider family that aren't blood. Curry is one of those guys...I've known him since he was in elementary school and a couple years ago he and his family moved from Goldthwaite to Southeast Texas and Curry dropped out of school...He moved in with us in March and attended a "pace yourself" high school program here in town and graduated in May. It was really good for Johanna and I to be able to help him make that happen.

9. Chicago Trip With Mark & Mike - Back on Memorial Day, I got to go on an incredible trip with some great friends, who have become a big part of our lives. Mark is a student in my youth group and Mike is his dad. For Mark's 16th birthday, we all flew to Chicago to spend a couple days and watch the Cubs play...Incredible trip and I absolutely fell in love with Wrigley Field.

8. Weekend With Norwood, D Brown, and Chance - Earlier in the year, I got to spend a weekend in Austin hanging out with some fraternity brothers and great friends from college. What was really cool is that Norwood lives in Cali now and D Brown is in Ohio so being able to spend some time hanging with those guys doesn't happen very often...Great weekend and great friends.

7. August Days with Justin and Christie - Jo and I spent a few days this summer with my brother and his wife...We were actually traveling to speak at a church in Bridge City and left a few days early to spend some time with them...It was cool just to hang out and chill with them for a couple days.

6. Day with my Dad at The State Basketball Tourney - Every year our family has at least two tickets to the Boys State Basketball Tournament. We used to all go, but since it is the weekend before Spring Break it seems I am always getting last minute things together for a mission trip...But this year my mom and dad came down and stayed with us while they were at the tourney and I got to go on Thursday and watch all the games with my dad. That was really cool.

5. Youth Specialties @ St. Louis - Let me just say that St. Louis has nothing to do with why this was a top ten moment...St. Louis actually sucks...But Johanna and I spent five days with some of our closest friends in ministry at the annual Youth Specialties convention...I'm not sure that I've ever heard so many National Lampoon Family Vacation quotes in such a short time...And I'm not sure St. Louis will ever be the same...But we all had a blast and I love getting to spend time with James and Jason because they are two of my closest friends in ministry and in life.

4. Andy & Jaron Interning This Summer - Again, although these guys aren't blood relatives, they are as much family to me as anyone...They are former students who came and lived with us this summer and interned for me within the student ministry at the church...To say that we had a blast doesn't even get close to how incredible this summer was! We made memories that will last forever! Thanks guys!

3. Johanna's Birthday Trip in July - We spent a weekend in San Antonio for Jo's birthday this year. I suprised her with reservations at Tower of the America's and we had a blast going on the Mission Trail looking at all the old missions in the area and taking pictures. What a great weekend, even if the Marriot's fire alarm went off at 6:00 in the morning!

2. Family Christmas - This year our family Christmas was just awesome. We started out with Jo's family in Houston and got to see our nephew get baptized (outside in 32 degree weather!). We spent a few days there before heading to North Central Texas to spend a few days with my family. Justin and Christie were in for Christmas and since my Papa had been in rehab from a surgery for Thanksgiving, it was great to have us all together at Christmas. I really have come to cherish the time I get to spend with my family since it is rare...Definitely one of the highlights of my year.

1. Our Anniversary Trip to the Coast - In April, Jo and I spent four days in the Rockport-Fulton and Port Aransas area...We had an absolute blast! We did everything from swim in the frigid gulf waters on a deserted island to taking a tour boat to watch the dolphins...Throw in great seafood, a rented UT golf buggy, and a fantastic hotel and you have yourself a fantastic celebration of the 2nd anniversary. This was definitely the highlight of my year and we had an absolute blast...The only bad thing was having to leave to coast and come home!

Wow! I Want One...

Panasonic has gotten all this buzz at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show with this: It is the first 150 inch Plasma TV! The viewing screen is 11 ft x 6 1/4 ft with 8.84 million pixel resolution. Yahoo Tech had this to say about it:

It's the elephant in the living room: Panasonic's 150-inch plasma has all but stolen the show here at CES 2008. When people ask you "What's the coolest thing you've seen at the show so far?" they invariably follow that up with "Except for the 150-inch TV."

I really want one. In fact, I am tech-lusting right now. But I think I'd have to get a bigger house first...

This Kid Really Didn't Want To Go Back To School...

Mexican boy glues self to bed to avoid school

MONTERREY, Mexico (AFP) - A 10-year-old Mexican boy glued his hand to his bed to avoid going back to school after the Christmas break, authorities said Monday.

"I thought if I was glued to the bed, they couldn't make me go to school," the boy, Diego, told AFP. "I didn't want to go, the holidays were so much fun."
"I remembered my mom had bought a very strong glue," he said of the industrial strength shoe glue he used to stick his hand to the bed's metal headboard, where he stayed stuck for two hours.
His mother Sandra Palacios was unable to free him and called paramedics and police to help. Diego watched cartoons while they worked to unglue him, eventually using a spray to dissolve the chemical adhesive.
"I don't know why this happened. He is a very good boy," said his mother.
Diego eventually made it school a few hours late.

A Good Laugh...

I saw one of these "Demotivation" Posters over at Ysmarko.com...The company Despair, Inc. (www.despair.com) makes posters and t-shirts that mock those motivational posters we see in office buildings and meeting places all over...There are tons of them on the website and you can even customize your own posters. Here are a few that made me laugh:

And We're Off...

The start of another presidential race is officially upon us. Huckabee and Obama take the win in the Iowa Caucus...This might just get interesting before it's all over...

Wahoo...

Tonight Johanna, Jmob, Andy, and I all went and ate at Wahoo's Fish Tacos in Austin...A couple weeks ago Jmob and I were hanging out and somehow my love for fish tacos got brought into the conversation...I consider myself a connoisseur of the fish taco. There is just a certain way to do it right and I definitely have found more misses in the fish taco department than hits...But Jmob guaranteed that Wahoo's in Austin would be a sure hit...And he was right. Great atmosphere and fantastic food...Combine that with incredible company among friends and you've got yourself a great night out on the town...

Best of 2007 - Tech & Gadgets

Continuing the Best of 2007 lists, here is my Top Ten New Gadgets of 2007:

10. Amazon Kindle - Now you can read a book without the book. What will they come up with next? You can check it out at amazon.com.

9. Zune 2 - Apple finally has a little competition. Please observe the word "little" in that sentence. While its no Ipod Touch, the new version of the Zune really does give the Ipod some competition, especially at a price of less than $135 for a 30 gig unit at several pre-Christmas retailers' sales.

8. Ipod Touch - It's not the Iphone and has a pretty steep price, but it's still pretty sweet. Ipod came out swingin' this year.

7. ASUS Eee PC - This mini-laptop has become all the rage at the end of 2007. Weighing less than 2 pounds and with a price range that begins at $299 and tops out at $499, this little fella' packs a punch.

6. The XO $100 Laptop and One Laptop Per Child - In an effort to get computers into the hands of children in developing countries, the organization One Lap Top Per Child offers a $100 laptop that covers all the basics. They even did a campaign to end 2007 called "Give One, Get One" where you could spend $200, getting a laptop for yourself (or really for your young child) and donating one to their charity to send to a child in a developing country. Very cool. You can check it out at www.laptopgiving.org.


5. Halo 3, New Editions of Guitar Hero, & Rock Band - Really, I could include Video Games in general at this point on the list. With all the new technology in gaming systems, the industry has created some very entertaining, and somewhat addictive games.

4. Olevia TVs - Olevia has combined what the majority of Americans have been waiting for in LCD TVs: Cheap and Good. Seriously, these TVs are great and have some of the highest ratings of any TV, while costing half of what some of the more expensive brands run.

3. GPS - While GPS was not new in 2007, it blew up this year. The capability and selections of GPS that are available now are mindboggling. You can get 3D maps, LCD touch screens, and even select if you want to listen to the voice of a man or a woman.

2. Iphone - This is a debatable number one on the list, but with the glitches and the quick price changes, I had to go with it at #2. Plus, while no phone is the mighty Iphone, cell phones in general have all improved this year.

1. Nintendo Wii - Since you can't find one in any store in America, its got to be #1. If you have a new Wii right now you can make some serious cash. Plus, Nintendo has found a way to bring our craze and deep desire for experience into the video game industry in an even better way...You can now play your video games and it can be considered excercise...Honestly, what will they think of next???

I Am Legend...

We just got through watching the movie I Am Legend with a few of our students...The movie is GREAT. Loved it and highly recommend it. Some great quotes/scenes/lines for teaching too - specifically for teaching the gospel.

Here are a couple of the lines I really liked (of course if you haven't seen the movie these scenes and quotes won't make sense, but for those of you who have, here it is):

"The cure is in the blood."

"This is his legend and we are his legacy."

I'll be posting a few more Best of 2007 lists as the week continues so keep checking back to see what pops up...

Best of 2007 - Ministry Moments...

Here's my "Top Ministry Moments of 2007." It represents the highlights of another year spent doing my best to try to love God and love others.



10. Disciple Now - Back in February we had the first D-Now here that the church had held in several years. Only one student in our entire ministry had ever been to a Disciple Now weekend before, so it was really tough to get students to buy in to it. But God did some awesome things that weekend. We had a great team of leaders, Lindsey Kane leading worship, and Zak White sharing the Word and it was a great weekend for our students.

9. The Best Sex Ever & The MySpace Series - We tackled two HUGE subjects within the lives of our students this year at our midweek gatherings: Sex & Dating Relationships and Living In An Online World. It was awesome to see students' eyes open up to the relevance of the Word of God to their everyday lives.

8. Seeing Growth in Students - Johanna and I have been here almost two years now. It was good to be able to see how our students are growing and maturing in following Christ and reaching others over the last almost two years.

7. The Attic - The Attic is an old, upstairs building just off of the downtown square that we use for our midweek gathering place for our student ministry. We moved in in April and it's opened a ton of doors for us to reach students who would never come near a traditional church building or setting.

6. Junior High Camp @ Hi-Line Lake Resort - Combine some incredible junior high students with an absolutely amazing, God-created, get-away on beautiful Lake Buchanan and you have one heck of a week! Our high school camp at South Padre was rocking too and we loved Hi-Line Lake Resort so much that we headed back for two fall retreats there! Good times...

5. Preaching/Teaching The Transformers Series & at Commonground Community Church - In August, our pastor gave me the entire month to teach a series on Sunday mornings. I taught a series that I wrote based off of the Transformers movies, entitled "Transformers: Transforming Our Lives To Transform Our World." I loved the chance to do that. Then at the end of August and again in December a friend whose on staff at a church plant, Commonground, in Bridge City asked me to come and speak at their church. I loved being in that setting, seeing unchurched people beginning to get excited about what Christ can do in their lives...Great stuff!

4. Mission Arlington - I absolutely love this place. And I mean that with every ounce of the word love. I took students to MA to serve on Spring Break and during the summer. I've been to Mission Arlington on Mission trips almost 20 times now. The great thing about this year is that I have another group of students addicted to serving their - and to the model of taking church to the people that MA uses. We started our own Mission LTX (for Lockhart, TX) and it has been a great method for us to minister to people these past two years.

3. Pojo Rehab Missions Camp - During June I spent a week in Springtown, TX speaking at a Missions Camp where students worked on rehabbing local homes during the day and attended worship services in the evenings. It was a great week and we got to see God do some incredible things. Definitely one of the highlights of the year in my ministry.

2. Baptizing Students - This year our ministry had the opportunity to see several students take the step of committing their lives to following Christ. That is AWESOME in every sense of the word! We baptized several students and are now getting to walk them through the first baby steps of being a Christ follower. That's what its all about.

1. Serving alongside Johanna - I did ministry for a long time as a single Student Minister. There were some great times in that part of my life and God did some absolutely amazing things during that time of my ministry. But I LOVE sharing ministry with my wife. I love that she feels called to serve alongside me and has the same passion to see real life-change in people as I do. It is simply incredible to serve alongside her and I love every minute of the craziness we live!