The Prodigal Son...

The past couple weeks in our Sunday services our pastor has taught out of Luke 15 on the story of the Prodigal Son. If you're not familiar with that one, it is about a man who had two sons. One demands his inheritance and leaves the family, basically lives it up with hookers and in the party life, and ends up coming back to his father, begging to be a slave. In the story, Jesus paints the picture of a Father longing to see his son return, not caring at all about his mistakes or failures, but just wanting to reconcile his relationship with a son he thought was dead and gone. The other son in the story is quite the opposite of the one who left. He has stayed with his father his entire life, working for the family and doing all that is required of a son in that day and in that society...Our pastor talked Sunday about the second son. He talked about how this was a picture of the selfish, self-righteous, legalistic people that we can become when we go from living as sons of the Father and think that we have become slaves of our Father instead.

And as he was speaking about this, something hit me...It wasn't an audible voice kinda thing, but God spoke to me through the text something of a spiritual truth: Often we confuse being in the vicinity of the Father with being in the presence of the Father. Too many times we work for God, do tons of things to serve God, and constantly try to impress Him with our actions and our work...And we miss His presence. We miss the fact that our Father loves us regardless of what we do. We cannot do anything that is so bad that we would lose the love of God. And we also cannot do anything so good that we earn the love of God...And too many times, we as Christians, confuse doing stuff for being. We think that we are called to do...But we are called to be. To be in the presence of the Father who loves us more than life itself. Literally. And out of that "being" should come our doing.

Let me challenge you (and mainly myself!) to not settle for being in the vicinity of the Father...Push forward into His presence.

Simpsonize Me and My Meez...

Found this website called www.meez.com off of one of my students websites and had time to kill...Pretty cool site, but this is definitely the skinny version of me...couldn't figure out how to change body type...Anyway, its a good way to waste some time on the net...Here is also a copy of my Simpson's avatar that I made yesterday right before i went to watch the Simpson's move...I am a huge Simpson's fan and thought the movie was great! Full of great, classic humor you would expect from a Simpson's episode...anyway, check these out...

Camp 7*8...

We got back yesterday afternoon from our Junior High Summer Camp. We spent the week at Hi-Line Lake Resort in Tow, TX on Lake Buchanon. It was a absolutely great place to get away and have camp and the owners were incredible to work with. I highly recommend the camp/resort for anything from church retreats, to family gatherings, to just a great place to get away. Check it out at www.hilinelakeresort.com...As far as the camp itself went, it was really good...Our students were challenged and some of them really are catching on to what it means to be a Christ follower...It was also a great week to continue to build relationships with students that we already have grown to love...Overall, it was a fantastic week at an incredibly beautiful, peaceful location...All that being said, it was still youth camp and that always leaves me drained and tired...I've got the weekend to "rest up" and then we start our "at home mission trip" called Mission LTX next week...I am really looking forward to working alongside our students to show our community the love of Christ...It should be a great week...But I am also ready for summer to be done...Now, I'm off to just relax and watch some tv...

Worship...

This summer I have had several opportunities to talk about worship. I spoke at a camp, at our church, and to our students at our midweek gathering. At each occassion I have used at least one of the speaking opportunities in front of these audiences to talk about worship...Worship is a hot topic these days...Churches split over it. People join churches because of it. New services are started with a new type of it. Some churches and leaders are constantly experimenting and changing it, while others are holding tight to the traditions and practices of days gone by...But what is worship, really? Is it just a style of music, like praise songs or hymns. Does it revolve around who and what provides the leadership, such as a rock band or an organ? Does it have to do with just the music or is it also found in experiential elements of our religious practices and gatherings as well? All seem to be valid questions at various places in the discussion among church-goers these days.

But as I read the Word and as I examine what God meant for worship to be, I think we've mostly missed the boat...Now, I do agree that is it easier for me to experience worship in some settings than in others...And I readily admit that I have preferences when it comes to musical style and other various elements of worship...But isn't worship more than whether we are singing praise songs or hymns? Isn't it about more than what type of music our church plays? I think so...

Do me a favor...Pick up your Bible and before you open it imagine the perfect worship service in your eyes...Go ahead...Do it. Maybe it includes a guitar and drums or maybe it is accapella or just with a piano...Imagine every detail, from your favorite songs, down to the lighting and mood.

Now open up your Bible and read Isaih 1:10-20...Wow. You see, the Israelites, the supposed people of God were in the middle of worship when God reacted this way. The same thing happens to them again in Amos 5:18+. The people are in the middle of their religious services, offering sacrifices and praises to God, performing their worship acts, and God bursts on to the scene and basically says, "Your worship makes me vomit. It is detestable to me and it makes me want to throw up." Why in the world would God respond this way? Well, the Israelites had misunderstood what God desired worship to be. They thought that worship was about their religious acts as they gathered as a group of people and "had church." But they missed the boat..And I think that many of our churches and the people in them are missing the boat today...God was infuriated by their worship because it was simply nothing more than religious ritual. They gathered together and did tricks for God. They thought that going through the motions was what pleased Him...And he responds by calling them out and challenging them to LIVE WORSHIP. You see, worship that God delights in has little to do with the discussion of whether it is led by a band or a choir. Worship that pleases God has nothing to do with whether it is accompanied by an organ or some drums. Worship that glorifies God and brings joy to Him is worship that is a lifestyle. The act of worship that God desires from us is to live a life that is in line with who He has called us to be. Our true acts of worship come from our daily obedience in following Christ, not in what happens at our church buildings on Sunday mornings...Worship is not about style or meeting places or even religion...Worship is about life. A life lived for His kingdom, in the big and small...Paul says it best in Romans 12, when he says offer your bodies to God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Him, this is your spiritual act of worship...May we daily be as devoted to God - in the way we spend our talent, time, money, and complete, daily lives - as we claim to be in the songs we sing on Sundays...

It Is Here...

It is finally here! After spending all day at Schlitterbahn with our High School students and then coming home to spend what was left of the evening at a 16th Birthday party for one of our students, I made my way to our Wal-Mart about 9:30 last night to pick up my copy of NCAA Football 08 for my Xbox 360...Tuesday was the release day and this is the one (and only) game that I will spend "release day money" on...Most games, I just wait and buy when the price drops or when someone sells a used copy...But not this one. This is my favorite. So I headed to our local Wal-Mart (not a Super Wal-Mart, I might add) to get my copy and much to my dismay they didn't have any. Not one single copy was sent to the store on the opening release day...I guess that tells you about the quality and selection of our local store...However, I have heard that Jaron's girlfriend might be picking us up a copy in San Marcos on her way here tonight...That would definitely move her up in my "coolness" book...I'll keep ya' posted...

Mission Arlington Mission Trip Video....

Thanks JMob!

The Weekend Update...

It's been a while since I've posted a Weekend Update...Summer has really taken it's toll, I guess. But I had some time tonight so I thought I'd post some of the highlights of the weekend...
This weekend was Johanna's birthday, so I surprised her with a trip to San Antonio for her brithday present. We left at lunch on Friday and headed to the Marriott, where we had reservations for Friday night. We swam at the hotel and went and chilled at the mall for a while before we went back to the hotel to get ready for supper. I had made reservations at the Tower of Americas restaurant, which is this incredible tower in downtown San Antonio with a restaurant at the top. You overlook the entire city and the restaurant slowly spins, so you actually are rotating in a 360 degree circle while you are there. It was AMAZING...Landry's owns the restuarant and they are the same people who own places like Landry's Seafood Restaurants, Rainforest Cafe, The Aquarium, The Cadillac Bar, Harlows, etc...So the food was incredible...We had a Shrimp and Crab fondue to start with which was awesome. Then Johanna had the Shrimp Fresa pasta and I had a Seafood plate of fish and shrimp...We finished it off with the famous Tower Chocolate Souffle which was incredible...After dinner we spent a little time on the observation deck and then headed back to the hotel.
We planned on sleeping in, but unfortunately that didn't go exactly as planned. We were awakened by the fire alarm of the hotel at 6:30 in the morning on Saturday...Seemed like someone thought it would be funny to pull the fire alarm button and cause the hotel to be evacuated...It wasn't really that fun at all, actually. We got back into our room around 7:30 and crashed again to get some more sleep. Saturday involved lunch at my favorite San Antonio spot, Mi Tierra Cafe and Bakery...Absolutely incredible. Then we hit the Missions Trial and took in the sights and happenings of a couple of San Antonio's famous missions other than the Alamo. We spent the afternoon at Mission Concepcion and Mission San Jose, taking pics and seeing sights...Then it was back home to get ready for church today.
Today included church this morning and tonight we had a Youth Talent Show to raise money for one of our upcoming local mission projects. Our students played, sang, and performed and all did an incredible job...We have some very talented students so it was really good...
That about wraps up the weekend...We are sitting here waiting on one of the guys to bring some chicken to the house for supper and that'll be it...Below are some pics of the weekend trip that you can check out. Enjoy...

The Tower Chocolate Souffle...YUMMY!

Johanna & I on the Observation Deck

Mission Concepcion

The Inside of the Church at Mission San Jose...still used as a chapel!

A pic I took at Mission San Jose to use as a powerpoint background

Birthday Week and The Boys...

This week has been a busy, full week. Johanna's birthday is coming up later this week and we have a tradition of celebrating for a full week...Her first birthday which we were married on, we didn't get to spend together. I was on a mission trip in Germany with students that had been planned several months before we were engaged and then married. She was at home in Texas and so I had bought her a gift and card for every day of the week to make up for it...Thus, the tradition of Birthday Week started...So far this week she has received a personalized coupon book full of stuff like getting to choose the movie we watch and getting the house cleaned up by me, she got a Sonic gift card, and the movies In Her Shoes and The Devil Wears Prada...I have a couple more gifts/suprises later in the week so it should be fun...We have also had three of my former students from Goldthwaite spending the week with us this week...They are all great guys and have been a blast to get to hang out with and spend time with this week...Unfortunately, they have to head home tomorrow so we have been really making the most of the time we get to hang out together...Other than that, it has also been a week of getting back into a routine at the office after being gone for a couple weeks...I'll get back into the routine and then be gone again, so I am questioning even attempting to get into the routine...Anyway, that's all for now...Until next time...

But It's A Good Exhaustion...

I am finally home...and I am EXHAUSTED. I am not even sure that it is a healthy exhaustion, but it is a good exhaustion...So far this is how my summer has went: First weekend - Trip to Chicago with one of my students...First full week I had Vacation Bible School at our church...The 2nd week was High School Youth Camp at South Padre...Followed that with our Junior High trips to Schlitterbahn the next week, followed by spending a week speaking at a Missions Camp the last week of June...Got home on Saturday and then left on Sunday for our mission trip that we were on this week with our students...It was a great week. We got to see God work in the lives of children and in our own lives. We got to see God use our students in big ways and see them grow through it...But I am tired and glad to be at home. This month is as crazy as June, so it ought to be interesting...My primary focus right now though is spending time with my wife (whom it seems I have barely seen the past two weeks...oh wait! I have barely seen her in two weeks...) and getting some sleep. I think I actually remember what sleep feels like...we'll see...Until next time, enjoy a few more pics from our Mission Arlington trip this week...

Showing the kids some magic tricks

Playing Simon Says

Singing songs and doing the motions

Ready to watch some fireworks from the hotel parking lot

Fireworks from the Ballpark in Arlington

The Fourth and Freedom from a Mission Arlington View...

Today was a great day to celebrate the fourth. We started off the day early at the MA building with our morning devotional. Then we had about an hour to watch some of the Arlington July 4th Parade before heading off to our morning Rainbow Express sites...The parade runs about 3 hours long and apparently their are NO criteria to enter, so we saw some pretty "interesting" stuff...But we also got to see a couple veterans groups go by and that was worth it to pay tribute and applaud them...We spent the rest of the day doing Rainbow Expresses and today was the salvation story...So on July 4th, the day our country has set aside to celebrate freedom and sacrifice, we got to share the story of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus and the freedom that only comes in a relationship with Him...Pretty cool way to spend the day if you ask me...Here are some pics of the day...I'm off to watch the fireworks at the Ballpark in Arlington from our hotel parking lot...

Making necklaces that explain the salvation story

Eating some Krispy Kreme & waiting on the Parade to start

Chillin' at the parade

Everybody needs a partner to sing "My God Is So Big"

Leading songs - Let's do the "Itty Bitty" version

Mission Arlington Day Two...Long Days and Short Nights...

It is after 11:00 PM and I am not yet in bed...We had a full day serving today, playing with kids, singing songs, knocking on doors, telling Bible stories, sharing with people the love of Jesus...It was a LONG day, but it was good. Our students did a good job today and continue to show the love of God to those they meet...One of our students prayed last night that this week we would "talk to these kids we meet about You (GOD) and talk to You about the kids we meet." I think that is a good summary of what we are called to do: talk to God about the people in our lives and talk to the people in our lives about our God...Anyway, I have a pretty low connection from the wi-fi in my room and the hotel lobby, where the wi-fi is the best, is a good walk away so you'll have to wait for more pics until tomorrow...And we have to be up and ready to go about an hour earlier in the morning because of the July 4th parade that will be going through town and blocking off streets...Like the title says, long days and short nights...Unfortunately, Johanna has to leave tomorrow to go back home to work on Thursday and Friday. I was so glad to have her with me this week for the few days she got to be here but I wish she could stay longer...Summer ministry really strains us and we don't get much time together at all...I really cherish the time we have, and while I am thankful that we got to spend some time together this week and that we got to serve alongside one another, I really wish she wasn't leaving to go home already...That is really gonna make me want Friday to get here so that I can be back home with my incredible wife...But I digress...Until tomorrow, have a blessed fourth of July and if you know a U.S. military service person or a veteran, be sure and tell them THANK YOU...They fight to defend what we celebrate...Thanks Papa, Rodney T., and Gibby...You sacrifices for me are not forgotten...

Mission Arlington Day One...Let It Rain...

Day one of our Mission Arlington mission trip with our students saw us get off to a great start. We begin each morning as one big group and they placed us in a smaller apartment complex. This can sometimes be a recipe for chaos because you have all 20 something of our students and only a few little kids for them to minister to. Also, we have a lot of students who are here for the first time and really didn't know what to expect so it could have been crazy...But our students did a fantastic job and jumped right in loving students...After lunch we had a worship service with the other groups here...One of our students and my wife got to lead worship and they did an INCREDIBLE job! It was really, really good stuff...After that we headed out to two different apartment complexes, dividing our group in half...And both complexes we went to were bigger than the morning one...So we had more apartment doors to knock on, more kids to love, and less of us to do it because we were divided in two...And as we started off the afternoon it came a downpour, hence the "let it rain" title...it looked like we were literally driving in a river insted of a street...But we prayed about the weather and God gave us sunshine and no rain for an hour and a half...just long enough to do an hour and a half rainbow express...Coincidence? I doubt it...The afternoon was great as well and now we are resting at the hotel...Hopefully I will be able to blog and post a couple pics each night...Stay tuned for the rest of the week...