The Weekend Update...

Not a whole lot happened this weekend that was out of the ordinary. Johanna and I went to San Marcos on Saturday to do some grocery shopping and get a few things. That night a couple from the church that we are good friends with came over and ate pizza and we all had a great time just talking about life and hanging out. It was a lot of fun. Sunday consisted of church and small groups. Sunday night we ended up over at some friends house with our Children's minister from the church and her husband. We hung out, ate some snacks, and the guys all played Xbox 360 or PS2 with the kids. Overall, it was a good, relaxing weekend spent with friends.

Also, my new tradition of quote of the weekend will continue, thanks to Tim, one of our friends from the church and the father to one of our 7th grade students. Tim was intensely involved in a game of Guitar Hero II (a game where you simulate playing a remote control guitar to famous rock songs) with one of our High School students on Sunday night and his wife kept asking him to come into the dining room because she wanted to ask him a question. Tim explained that he couldn't right then because a song was loading and about to start...Clara, his wife, told him to pause it and Tim's replied, "You can't pause Arena Rock!" One word: Hilarious! And thus the quote of the weekend....As the night went on and Clara tried to lure Tim away form the game later and his reply was simple..."I can't come over there right now...We're in the middle of a set." Great stuff...Hope you had a great weekend!

Reflections...

Last week I promised some reflections on growing older and while I thought I was going to get away without sitting down and typing this out, my friend David Brown reminded me that I still had not done it so here it goes. As some of you know, my birthday was last Monday. 29...and holding. It only goes downhill from here so I think Monday will probably be the last birthday I celebrate. Next year when I hit the big 3-0 (Ugh!) I think I will just refuse to celebrate my birthday and hold at 29. Like a game of blackjack, I'll pass and keep the numbers I'm holding...But anyway, I really am not that super depressed so here are some things that I've realized along the years about life and growing older. Hope you enjoy.

#1. Life really does go by faster the older you get. I used to think people were insane when they would say this, but it is so true. A semester of school took forever when I was in high school and now the entire school year is gone if I blink more than once. As you grow older, you begin to reflect on months and years, instead of days because the days go by so fast there is little reflection to do. While it still makes no sense to me how this one works, it is definitely true.

#2. Growing older really isn't all that bad. I used to dread turning that one year older each January 15th. I guess I have either realized it isn't that bad or just come to the realization that it's a battle I can't win. But with each year of age comes new experiences, new challenges, new life, and new growth. At each stage of life we are met with things that make us stronger than we were before, give us more wisdom than we previously had, and allow us to truly appreciate and TASTE life in a whole new way...In that light, growing older has it's benefits.

#3. My final thought is probably my most significant one and it is this: LIFE IS SHORT. DO SOMETHING. Life flies by. It seems that one minute we're in the theater of life watching the previews for the upcoming shows and then we glance down to our watches and realize we're 118 minutes into the movie and the screen credits are coming up soon and it's all over. And yet, in knowing this, so many of us WASTE our lives on trivial, meaningless crap. We spend all our time and treasure and talent on things that fade and have no real meaning. We work and live to store up things that rust and are destroyed. Life is short. Live it. Do something that lasts, that is real, that won't fade away as you do...Make a difference. You know, the longer I live the more I appreciate the time I get to spend with my family. I love the weekends where I actually have enough free time to just get away with my wife and breathe and just be us, whether that is a trip to the movies or a walk through the park. I cherish the time I get to spend with my grandparents, who are getting up there in age, and the time I share with my parents and my brother. I cherish that time because I realize those are the things that really matter. I cherish the time I get to spend outside of the walls of my office, really ministering to a student. I love the times I get to spend a week on a mission trip serving others and serving the kingdom of God...And I have come to realize that the reason I cherish these moments is because that is when I am truly ALIVE. It is in those moments, the ones that really matter, that I LIVE. So I don't know what your weekend consists of. I don't know what career choices you have made or what lies ahead in your life for the next month, year, decade...But I do know this: Life is short so do something with it. Go home and spend the evening just listening to your wife tell a funny story about her childhood you have never heard before. Email your parents and let them know how much you appreciate them. Call your grandparents and let them know that their grandchild idolizes them and loves them greatly. Go home from work and play a game of catch with your son or read a story to your little girl. Give your brother or sister a shout just to say hello. Spend some time reading the Word of God at the park allowing God to speak his love into your heart. Find something in your community or at your church or in your neighborhood worth doing...I mean really worth doing, something that will LAST...and get in on it. Life goes by too fast to spend time on meaningless, futile stuff. If we're not careful we get caught going through life without LIVING or BEING ALIVE. Life is short. Don't waste it. Do something. Live.

Last Week's Ice Storm

As some of you may know we spent the first part of last week iced in here in central Texas. While it may not be a blizzard you would see up north, the ice we got here and the snow that some places a little farther northwest of us received really slowed things down for Texans not used to this type of weather. These are few of the pictures I took while the weather permitted...

An icicle hanging off the Baker Theater in dowtown Lockhart. The picture doesn't do it justice because it was almost three feet long!


Our cars the second day of the ice...


The ice chipped off the side of my Blazer on Wednesday...


A Fire Hydrant (sideways view) at the City Park...


A tree at the city park as the ice begin to thaw...

A Slow Day at The Office...

The past couple days we have been iced in and their has not been a lot of people able to get to work or do anything once they got there...That has resulted in a lot of surfing the net time for me and I thought I would share some humor I've found with you...Hope ya' enjoy!





And here are some that ring a little to close to being true...

Keep Reading Mom...

What A Weekend....

This had to be one of the best weekends in the very recent history of things around here. On Friday, one of my old fraternity brothers and good friends, flew into the ATX from Cali. He was here to do a photo shoot (He is amazing...check him out at mnorwoodphotography.com) and spent the weekend in town. We met Friday afternoon and he did a mini-shoot with Johanna and I. Johanna loves taking pictures together and it really was a lot of fun. We took them at the Botanical Gardens at Zilker Park....really cool place, even when everything is not in bloom. Then later that night, another fraternity brother and good friend drove in from Dallas and met us in the ATX. We all went to eat together and spent the evening telling old stories and chatting about the "good ol' days." On Saturday, my brother and his wife drove in from Houston. We were all planning to go catch dinner with my two friends again that night when another old college friend called me up. Turns out he and his wife only live about 30 minutes away, so they joined us and we all went and got some Lockhart barbecue and hung out at our house for the night. It really was a great weekend. Sunday consisted of church in the morning and more friends that afternoon. My buddy from Dallas didn't have to be back at work until tomorrow so he crashed at the house last night. David and I used to play Trivial Pursuit all the time in college so we are always up for a good matchup. About a year ago we played and he beat both me and my wife, so I was out for revenge. He took the first matchup again this time, but we played one more, which turned out to be one of the most competitive games I've ever played of Trivial Pursuit, and in the end, I was the victor. However, that final game provided me with the quote of the weekend (which there were dozens, if not hundreds to pick from...) and here it is:

David, referring to the trivia card in his hand: "This is a GREAT card. This may be the best card from top to bottom I have ever seen. We should frame this card, its that good."

What a weekend! I had a blast and since today is my birthday (I will jot down some birthday reflections tomorrow...) I consider it all an early present. God has blessed me extremely with some of the best friends in the world. I cherish the time that my brother and I got to spend at HPU with Michael, David, Chance and the other ZX crew. These guys are lifelong friends and I truly thank God today for the chance to renew and continue these great friendships this weekend. I love you guys.

Glimpses of The Ones Who Get It....

Last night was our mid-week youth worship service/fellowship/rec time/Bible study...Yeah, we pile a lot into one night, but it's all good. Anyway, things went pretty good I guess. It was kind of your typical night with the students, but afterward I begin to think about these small glimpses I am starting to see of kids who "get it." A lot of the time, ministry in general, and especially youth ministry, can be draining. It takes a lot out of you. But it seems that every now and then there are these little signs that it is all worth it. As I laid on the couch last night catching up on some much needed Sportscenter, I caught a couple glimpses of it as I reviewed the night....I see it in Mark, who comes early to set up the sound system and stays after everyone else to tear down the sound system. I never have to worry about it and it is always done with detail and excellence. Why? Because he "gets it." He sees that he is serving God and others by what he does and that means he is beginning to "get it," to understand what life following after Jesus is all about. I also see it in Grant. Regardless of whether others join him in singing and worshipping or not, he is faithful, every week to be prepared to lead others in worship. He shares from his heart and he worships, whether others follow or not....He is "getting it." He understands that it is not about him, but rather about HIM. Then there are those 7 or 8 students who stay to help plan Disciple Now. They could go home like the rest of the youth, but they chose to stay late and they chose to serve on this ministry team. Why? Because they are starting to "get it." They see that their life can make an impact for the kingdom, glory, and fame of God by choosing to serve Him and serve others. These students are beginning to see that it is not all about them. They are beginning to understand that God has called them into something in following Christ that is far bigger than their personal satisfaction or comfort. They are learning that true followers don't just say they love Him, but they show it in how they serve...There are little signs all around...They're there...You sometimes just have to pause and really look to see them.

Random Hilarious Movie Lines...

My brother sent me an email with the following quote this morning just for laughs:

"Dear Lord Baby Jesus in your golden fleece diaper, just watching your little Einstein videos learnin' 'bout colors and shapes, thank you for my two boys.... Walker and Texas Ranger." - Ricky Bobby from Taladega Nights

That got me to thinking about my favorite movie lines that just crack me up every time I hear them. Two of my favorites would have to be these:

"I was just checking the specs on the endline for the rotary gurder....I'm retarded" - Chris Farley in Tommy Boy

"Rectum?!?! Dang near killed the man!" - Chris Farley in Black Sheep

Also who can forget, "I got dibs on top bunk!" also in Black Sheep. In fact, most of my hilarious movie quotes are found in Chris Farley movies....Anyway, what are some of your favorite movie quotes that make you laugh every time you hear 'em? Post away....

I Love Sinners...

That may not come as a shock to many of you (or to the two of you that actually read this...) but I really do love sinners. I love to be around people who do not know the gospel of Christ and have yet to be changed by his loving grace and forgiveness. Some of my closest friends are people who are either foreign to or hostile toward the gospel of Jesus. And that's okay. Because I believe that loving sinners in a way that places me right in the midst of their lives actually brings a smile to the face of Jesus. And I believe it places me right where he wants me to be.

Yesterday in our Sunday morning college Bible Study we talked about the story in John 4 where Jesus encounters the woman at the well. Here is this woman, living in sin and ashamed of where her life has taken her. She even goes out of her way to make her daily water runs at a time when she won't have to encounter anyone who might cause her more shame or bring more judgement into her life. And yet as she goes through her daily routine, she encounters the One who loves sinners so much that he came and lived in our world. Jesus begins to talk to the lady on her turf and in her language. He shows her, through his conversation, that he genuinely cares about her. And then he drops a couple bombs on this poor woman. First of all, He calls out her sin to her face. Imagine what that must have felt like. I know I wouldn't want to be in her place. And then, after that, he tells her that He is the Messiah. Can you imagine the thoughts that must have been crashing through this lady's head. She has just come face to face with God in the flesh and He knows it all. He knows her darkness, her shame, her sin. He knows her loose lifestyle and every poor choice that she has made. Yet here He sits, sharing conversation and water with her. He knows it all, yet here he sits telling her that she is welcome and invited to worship the Father in spirit and truth. Here is the One who knows everything about her, yet he loves her anyway. I hope you can imagine what thoughts rang in her mind, because the One whom she encountered at the well is the One who encounters each of us, inviting and welcoming us to come and follow Him and worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

Mark Driscoll says that our mission as believers is to be close to Jesus. He says that the gospel of Jesus and our freedom in Him is intended to allow us to dance as close to sinners as possible by crossing the lines that unnecessarily separate the people God has found from those he is still seeking. Driscoll says this actually protects us from sin, because the way to avoid sin is not to avoid sinners, but to stick close to Jesus.

I thank God that he has allowed me to live life in places where people do not know His love and grace. I love that my path in life sometimes takes me to places where I have to really struggle and strive to find where in the world God could possibly be working in a situation. I love sinners. And I love that the God who loves me loves sinners. It means that he loves me, because I'm one too. And it means that when I find myself close to those who do not yet know his love and whom He is still seeking, I find myself close to Him.

What I'm Reading These Days...

Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll

I just started this book and so far it has been very good. The author is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seatlle and founder of the Acts 29 Church planting network. A lot of my heart right now is in the church plant/emerging church movement. The subtitle of the book is "Reaching Out Without Selling Out." As I gather so far, it is about radically refomring the way we see our mission and understanding that we are called to take the gospel of Christ not just to the nations, but also across the street.

My Prison Without Bars by Pete Rose

I just finished reading this autobiography by Pete Rose. I really enjoyed it and it was nice to read something "light" and not filled with the spiritual or church related concepts that are in much of what I read. While I hate that Pete Rose tainted the game with his gambling addiction, I think his punishment has been a little harsh by baseball and that he should be in the Hall. This book hits a lot of baseball history even as far back as when Rose was growing up as a kid so its a good read for you baseball and sports fans.

Contemplative Youth Ministry by Mark Yaconelli

I have also just started reading this one a few weeks ago. While its good, I

think it will probably take a backseat to the Driscoll book. This one is all about how we need to form student ministries that practice the presence of Jesus. I am one of those youth ministers who believe that the "circus" that we have so often created to draw kids in has had a very negative impact on the gospel of Christ working in students' lives so I am interested to see Mark Yaconelli's take on this subject.

Christmas and The New Year

Well, it has been a while since I have posted. A big reason is because I have not had internet at our house since we moved and then we were at my parents during the week of Christmas, and while they do have the 'net, I just wasn't up to logging onto anything through dial-up. I guess that patience thing still isn't working...Anyway, my Christmas holdiay was absolutely incredible and I hope your's was as well. Here are some highlights of the last couple weeks.

I hit the Christmas gift jackpot this year. Really, it was incredible. Johanna got me a gift card for a new rifle. It was cool because I opened up my gift and there was a toy cap shot-gun in the box and I really didn't know what was going on. Then she told me to turn it over and the gift card was on the back. I am super excited about going to get it and going shooting with the guys. She also got me a sweet Homer Simpson clock (I am a huge Simpson's fan) and a scope for my gun. Then on Christmas day, Johanna teamed up with my parents and they all got me an XBOX 360. I am totally thrilled about that gift as well. My brother has one and we are looking forward to playing on XBOX live and talking a little trash like old times. Last weekend he and his wife were at our house and we got a head start on some of our rivalries, which ended in me crushing him in Madden 07 and then him turning around and returning the favor in NBA Live. He and Christie also gave me some great gifts. I got a Sony Vega flat screen TV from them and the Madden 07 game for the 360. As I said earlier, I hit the jackpot...

However, as incredible and cool as all those gifts are and as much fun as I will definitely have with them, that was not the greatest thing about my holiday. The greatest thing about the Christmas holiday was who I got to spend it with. From time to time you will hear me say that, while life is amazingly grand in and of itself, it's joys and experiences are just multiplied when you get to share them within the context of a wonderful marriage. I love the holidays now that I get to spend them with Johanna. It just makes them so much better. It makes the joy multiplied and the happiness increased. And we got to spend some time with our families, which is always great. I love being at home and I love just being at a place where I can be me...People from home know me as Nic, not Nic the youth minister, or Nic the guy who works at a church, or Nic, the guy who preaches and teaches the Bible...To them, I am just another kid who they've watched grow up. I'm just like everybody else and there are no preconceived notions and concepts that I have to live up to. And sometimes it is refreshing to know that the people you're around have seen you at your best and at your worst and they love you at both ends of the spectrum. The holiday season for me was great this year, as last, because of whom I shared it with. I hope that you can feel the same about yours...

On a totally new subject - Just a note about our New Year's - We spend New Year's Eve with our students and some youth workers from our church at Main Event in Austin. Main Event is a family fun center that has bowling, laser tag, putt-putt golf, rock climbing, arcade games, and a lot more. It was a great time to just have fun and fellowship together. New Year's day consisted of watching bowl games, which was great. I will try and post a couple Christmas pics later today or tomorrow, but until then, have a good one...

Good Times, Great Friends...

The last couple days have been great. Andy, Jaron, and Curry (all former students of mine) came to stay a couple days with us and just hang out starting on Tuesday. Kenny and Daniel (also former students of mine) also came down yesterday. We have had a blast. The past couple days (and late nights...till 4 AM) have consisted of lots of eating, playing poker, and an extremely unhealthy amount of NCAA 07 on the XBOX. It has been so awesome to have these guys here with us. They are some of my former youth group students, but they are also some of my closest friends in this world. I am heading back to the house at lunch (to wake them up) and then we are gonna' go grab one last plate of BBQ and they are headed home...The only bad thing about times like these is that they fly by and never last long enough...But it makes me thankful for the relationships and friendships that I have with these guys. I miss them. And this was fun. Way more than words could ever describe. It just does my heart and soul good to be around these guys...On another note, our Christmas travels begin tommorrow. Just in case I don't get a chance to post again before then, MERRY CHRISTMAS. I hope you and yours have a blessed holiday season and that you get the chance to spend it with family and friends that are as great as mine.

The Weekend Update...

Another busy weekend in our lives has come and gone. It was another weekend wedding that occupied our time these past few days. My wife's sister got married in Temple, TX this weekend. The rehearsal was Friday afternoon and the wedding was Saturday afternoon/evening. It was a nice wedding and Clay and Jackie really had a beautiful day. Seeing Johanna walk down the aisle as the matron of honor made me remember seeing her walk down the aisle as my bride and how beautiful and incredible she looked on our wedding day. Pictures and videos don't do the memories justice so many times and although they say that your wedding day is so emotional/hectic/crazy that most people don't even remember the ceremony or the day, I don't think I will ever forget seeing her walk through those back church doors and down that aisle. I am so blessed to be able to share my life with such an amazing woman....
While we were in Temple, I awoke to a "bad news" phone call on Saturday morning. One of my former students called me and said that his older brother (also a former student) was involved in a terrible car accident on Saturday morning and was being care flighted to Scott & White in Temple. I just "happened" to be there (there are no accidents with God, right?) so I went and waited with their parents while they awaited the care flight because the parents drove down from Dallas where they were on a business trip and beat the care flight to the hospital. I had to leave to go to the wedding, but Johanna and I got to see Cade after the wedding. He is still in ICU and is paralyzed from the waste down. Please pray for him and his family. His spirit is incredibly good and his attitude positive, but there is much that lies ahead for this young man. If you are a praying person, please keep him in your prayers. I was griping about being in Temple on Friday because I have so many "not so good" memories of that town because of the hospital and it seems like God just taught me this weekend that he has it all in control, even to the point where weddings happen in the exact town that he wants them to. How else does a girl from Kingsland and a guy from Milano who both live in Corpus Christi end up getting married at Taylor's Valley Church outside of Temple, TX so that I would just "happen" to be in that place in order to minister to a family and give them love and support? God is crazy like that.
Church was Sunday and we had a few college students over at the house last night until about 1:00...It was great fun and I'm looking forward to the time we get to spend with them over the Christmas break. Hope that in the hustle and bustle of your weekend, you had a chance to see God's love for you. Until next time...

Being Jesus....Like Granny Elaine

I can remember my first year in youth ministry very vividly. I started off as a summer intern for a church, and after a really rough first couple of weeks, I began to love this thing called Youth Ministry. I had only been at the church a little over a month and my commitment as the summer intern was already half-way over. That's when one of the staff members approached me about staying on year-round as a staff member at the church while I finished up at Howard Payne University. I thought it sounded like a great idea and jumped at the chance. What followed were some incredible years of student ministry that I'll never forget...But times weren't always easy, especially starting out. I didn't make squat at my job...Literally, I think the church paid me $80 a month, after taxes and I was driving 60 miles to the church to or three times a week...But it was good because of people like Granny Elaine, or Mrs. Laughlin to those who didn't know her well. Of course, that wasn't anybody that I knew because everyone knew her as Granny Elaine. She was the mother of our music minister at the church. The music minister had a son that was about six months younger than me and then a son a couple years younger than me and we were instantly great friends. Since I was the age of her grandsons, Granny Elaine took right up with me. There was never a weekend that I wasn't invited to her table to eat, both on Saturday night and on Sunday after church. I can honestly say that I have never seen the amount of food, nor the quality and taste of food that she could put on the table for one meal. As a POOR college students who lived on cafeteria food, pb & j, and macaroni, the weekends were a big welcome. I was hungry and I got real food to eat...every weekend, without fail. I can also remember those first couple of summers where Granny Elaine just insisted on doing my laundry for me when we would get back from camp or a mission trip...She would always say that I was too busy with all those kids to mess with that and that she could handle it. Her reasoning was always this: "I just feel like I never do anything for you." It would make me laugh everytime she would say it because she did more for me than the vast majority of people I knew. I know her grocery bill went up because of me but she never complained that I was at the table, even when I dropped in unexpectedly. She became friends with my grandparents and when my brother or parents were in town she insisted that we share a meal at her house after church. There was never a stranger that walked in her door and there was never a lack of another chair to pull up to the table for somebody knew or an unexpected guest, family member, or friend that just happened to "stop by" during meal time. She was famous for her cooking and her fried pies and that meant a lot of accidental "I just happened to be passing through at this time" would occur. She would make fried pies every time I had a youth bake sale or food auction and we would make a couple hundred dollars off of just a dozen of her delicious treats they were so good and so popular. For a young college student, spending a lot of time away from home, and living on a tight budget she was a welcome friend. She was one of my biggest fans. It didn't matter what I did, Granny backed me and supported me. I could do no wrong in her sight and it's really encouraging to have those kind of people in your life. Granny Elaine showed me what it meant to live like Jesus. She fed the hungry (and the full), shared a story, and never met someone who wasn't welcomed into her home. She washed the clothes of a busy youth minister as her way of contributing, serving, and helping out. She raised a fine family who absolutely loved and adored her. I got to see Granny Elaine in good times and in hard times and all the time, she was full of the love of Jesus. She gave whatever she could to whoever she could and I think that is what Jesus taught us all.
Granny Elaine passed away yesterday afternoon. She went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus, and her many loved ones in Christ that have gone on before her. I can see the smile on Joel's face (her grandson who passed away from cancer at 21) as Granny walks through heaven's gate and I know that smile is because he is expecting some fried pies pretty soon. I will miss the visits. I'll miss the fried pies. I'll defnitely miss the encouragement of one of my "biggest fans." But most of all I will miss the love and support of a genuine Christ follower who knew what it meant to be Jesus to others...And the world she lived in and touched will miss that too.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Christmas time is upon us...If you do not believe me try finding a parking spot at your local mall or finding a line in your hometown Wal-Mart that isn't at least 15 minutes long. As I have said in previous posts, I really have turned into a "Christmas lover" for lack of a better description. I don't know if it is from getting older or what, but I think it has a lot to do with being married because as Johanna and I have got to celebrate Christmas together the past couple years, that is when the transition has occurred. (Note: Not that I ever disliked getting presents, but some of the rest of the hoopla got old in a hurry.)
With Christmas in full swing I wanted to share a couple comical stories about our holiday experience so far. First of all, this year and last year I have become obsessed with decoratiing. However, we were waiting to move into a new house on Dec. 1st so I got a late start on the whole decorations thing this year. But finally in the middle of last week I finished getting my Christmas lights put up on the outside of the house. I had been working on them for several days and had tried everything to hang them. Certain staples from staple guns weren't strong enough to go through the wood and others were to thick for my gun. I couldn't find nails that wouldn't leave huge holes in the house, but after a few days I go it figured out. I had even went to Wal Mart and purchased these light hangers that were supposed to "stick" to the overhang of the house. I used them on the last strand and finished it up on Thursday. Last night when Johanna and I turned the lights on and were leaving the house to go eat with some friends I noticed that all my "sticky" light hangers had lost their stick in the humidity and drizzle and so that strand was hanging down. It just happens to be the strand on the tallest peak of the house so that will all have to be re-hung this week. Gotta' laugh about it because getting mad doesn't get the lights back up. Then on Saturday, Johanna and I spent all day looking for a certain Christmas present for my sister-in-law (my brother's wife). We went into 6 or 8 different stores all over the Austin area looking for this item and literally spent the entire day looking for that one gift. Yesterday my mom called me, laughing, and had some "great" news for me. She knew we had been shopping for the gift all over Austin, all day long and she had just got off the phone with my sister-in-law's mom, who informed my mom that they had already gotten Christie the same gift! I called my brother and after a threat to drive to Houston and strangle them I was ok. The also got the smae gift for my brother that we were getting, but I guess it's back to the gift drawing board - and back to the packed malls!
In the midst of this holiday season, I hope that you take time to stop. Just stop and relax and rest in the joy that Christmas brings. Stop and be still in the thought that this season is a celebration of the Savior. The one who stepped out of heaven and put on flesh and blood so that we would have a God who is like us in every way. He knows our hurts, pains, struggles, stresses, triumphs, and joys because he has lived where we lived and walked in our human shoes. And that is what it is all about. God loved us enough not to leave us alone, but to send us a Savior. And find some way this holiday season to share that love and message in a very practical way, be it big or small, with someone who doesn't know the One Who Is Love. Until next time...

Hilarious!

What's Goin' On?

Wow....It has been a busy past several days. We moved into a new house all the week after Thanksgiving. With Johanna and I both working during the day, most of the move was done at night and when I could slip away from the office during the day, making for a long, strenous week. Luckily we have some great friends and some great students who helped out and made the load lighter, literally. Also, I have been dealing with some conflict at work that has been really stressful and wearing on me. One of our leadership students has been having some big attitude problems and some repeated problems with language and we've had to deal with taking this student off of our worship team. It has really upset the parents and they can't get past the one thing about the language to see the bigger picture. They feel we are punishing her for struggling with cursing when it is a bigger issue than that with the attitude problems and repeated language/behavior and all. They also see me as a "dictator" and the only one making the decision when several people have been consulted and we all agree on the decision...I guess you just sometimes can't get people to see your side so they will misunderstand the process. My prayer in all this is that this student realizes that we do really love her and want God's best for her. I pray that she realizes that we are motivated out of the love, truth, and grace of Jesus to lead in this way and that she grows from this. But sometimes that is hard to see when you disagree with what is being done....
On another note, I had a great evening on Sunday. We went with two other couples from our church and one of the couples friend's from Austin to go to Burnet to Main Street Bethlehem. Main Street Bethlehem is an incredible "production" of First Baptist Church Burnett during the Christmas holiday season. Basically the church has an entire city block that they have built to replicate the town of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth. There is a stone wall around the town and it stays up year round. But on the first two weekend in December the church makes it come to life. The people of FBC all dress up as peasants, soldiers, rope makers, tax collectors, shepherds, jailers, basket weavers, and many other characters from the time of Jesus. You can go (after standing in line for a good while) take your own journey through the town, seeing people arrested for failing to pay their taxes, getting a look inside the tavern, smelling the hot bread being cooked (and the camels, donkeys, and sheep). You hear the sounds of that day in street vendors selling their goods, chickens clucking in the background, and the ruccus of the guards and prisoners in the town jail. It really is a production that involves all of the senses and it makes the story and atmosphere that existed at the time of the birth of Jesus come to life. It is a great Christmas present from the church for all who get to come through and experience it and it puts the birth of Jesus in a whole new light. You end your journey touring the inn that was full and going out back to see in the stable (cave), Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. I have been to this a couple times now and each time it really brings to life that fact that we serve a God who spared nothing to show his love for us. Our God is one who stepped out of the realm of heaven and took on the form of a human body, just like us, so he can identify with us. When we deal with stress, hurt, pain, loneliness, temptations, joy, sorrow, happiness, and life's struggles we can rest assured that we have a God who can say "I understand your hurt. I share your pain. I rejoice with you." Whatever the case may be, we have a God who knows....because He's been there. And in my opinion, that's what Christmas is all about.

My Silence in Blogdom...

After I made the decision to post the Thanksgiving posts all week, I realized that my parents only have dial-up internet, so that challenge died a quick death. This past week my silence has been effected by my recent move. Johanna and I moved into a new house this past week and we have spent every waking moment packing boxes and moving furniture...We also moved into a sub-division of town where DSL internet service is not available from the provider we have so we are trying to get a new internet set-up at the house. All of that combined to say that I have been relatively silent in the blog world as of late and for that I apologize (if anybody even reads this...). However, I have a meeting at the church in a little while and am hoping to have time to post an update when that is over or sometime tommorrow morning.

Thankful for Traffic

Okay, so I am a day behind posting the things that I'm thankful for during this week. But I have a good reason. We didn't get to my parents house until late last night and this is the first chance that I've had to be online (dial-up so I use the term online loosely). It usually takes about 3 to 3 1/2 hours to get from our house to my parents. We left Lockhart at 4:15 or so yesterday afternoon and had a stop to make in Austin. We got to my parents house at 10:30. Needless to say the traffic was thick, especially through Austin.

And that has me thinking about the "strange" and "weird" things that I am thankful for. I am trying to look at things a little different this week and see the little, overlooked, even sometimes irritating things that I am thankful for.

So I am thankful for traffic. Yep, you read right. I said I am thankful for traffic. I am thankful that to travel for a holiday weekend requires me to sit motionless on what should be a fast moving roadway. I am thankful for traffic...because it means that I have a family to go home to. Having to sit in traffic and go through the "stress" of holiday travel means I am going somewhere to spend time with a family that loves me. So I guess this post really is more about being thankful for an incredible family than anything. I have the best family in the world. I have an absolutely amazing wife, who is unbelievable in so many ways. I have parents who love and support me and have always been there for me, urging me to be my best and loving me when I wasn't. I have the great opportunity to still have two grandparents living that I get to learn life lessons from and I cherish every extra day I get with them. I have a brother who is not only blood, but my best friend in the world. And that doesn't even include my extended family and friends. Those friends in life who are as close as family, who share life and all it's ups and downs with you. I truly am blessed with a great number of people in my life and around this time of year, and really all year long, I am reminded to be thankful.

Traffic...that maddening, irritating, schedule ruining, anurism causing, enigma...I am thankful for traffic...because it means I'm on the way home.

Lebanese Assasination

Pierre Gemayel, an anti-Syrian political leader in Lebanon, was assasinated today. He was part of a prominent Christian family involved in the political affairs of Lebanon. It seems from most of the news reports that I have heard and read that the assasination was more politically motivated, than specifically religiously motivated. However, in much of the Middle East right now the line between politcal affiliation and religious affiliation is almost non-existent. Either way, the news of this tragic event has me thinking of a couple of things.

First of all, it reminds me of how easy and cush we have it as Christ followers in America. We have no fear of being persecuted, imprisoned, or otherwise harmed for our beliefs in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We don't have to secretly worship or be involved in any type of underground church movement. Most believers wear symbols of their faith openly in jewelry, car stickers, t-shirts, and more. In fact, Christianity has it's own little sub-culture hear in the USA, which has turned into a big money business. I think maybe that's why we miss the point of what Jesus has called us to so much these days. As I look at the New Testament I don't see a world that was friendly, welcoming, open, and even a good consumer of Jesus and what He called people to. I find a world that was against so much of what Jesus stood for and consistently misunderstood the love and grace that he taught and lived. In light of that, I think that the ease and popularity of Christianity and church in general in America has caused a lot of people who claim to be Christians to look a lot more like this "church sub-culure" that we have developed instead of the Jesus who calls us to leave everything behind and follow Him in reckless, radical, risky, rebellious faith. In fact, I think that when a person does try to follow Jesus in this way, many times the "Christian culture" that we have created works against him or her and is a big hindrance to what Jesus has called that person to be. In light of all this thought, it also reminds me of my own responsibility to pray for other Christ followers around the world who live in an environment so hostile to the ways and truth of Jesus that I cannot possibly begin to get my mind around it.

Secondly, this news makes me think of how muddy the waters have become between politics and religious beliefs these days. It seems that the idealogy of much of the religous Crusades where one's religious belief system was identical to one's country/kingdom/region has crept back into the mindset of many people when it comes to politics, power, and religion. This causes me concern for a number of reasons, the biggest one being this: Any time a political party/idealogy/country/policy is linked to or seen as identical to the beliefs of a certain religion, specifically Christianity, we do a disservice to our religious identity. The calling to follow Christ trancends any obligations toward a certain politcal viewpoint and even any loyalty to a country or political leader. As Christ followers we are called to be devoted and loyal to one entity and that is the person of Jesus. Any time we mix politcal ideas in with this calling we muddy the waters for ourselves and for anyone who we would try to reach with the gospel that cannot make a logical connection between what our politics say and what our faith says.

With all that rambling said, let me encourage you to pray if you are a person of faith for those followers of Jesus that live in places where loyalty to following Christ may cause them pain, punishment, imprisonment, and even death. And pray for yourself too, that you might know the kind of passion and devotion to Christ that those who live in these places exhibit.