What I'm Reading These Days...

From time to time I try to update my readers (all two of them...) about what books I'm reading these days...Here ya' go along with a short review...

Understanding God's Will by Kyle Lake
Kyle was a pastor at UBC in Waco, TX before a tragic accident took his life. He was electricuted when a microphone fell in the church baptistry as he was preparing to baptize a woman. Just before his death, Kyle had written two books for Relevant and this is one of them...It is absolutely incredible. Kyle throws away the "there must be a right equation to finding God's perfect will for every decision in my life" mentality. Instead he takes a fresh look at understanding God's will through the concepts of fatherhood, discipleship, and kingdom. I highly recommend this book to anyone!

Church Marketing 101 by Richard Reising
I just started this book a couple of days ago and it is amazing...I am a super slow reader and it usually takes me weeks, if not months to finish a book, but I will probably have this one done by the weekend...It is that good. A great read for anyone who deals with communicating a perception of your church to the unchurched in your community. Great read so far!

The Coffeehouse Gospel by Matthew Paul Turner
I plan on starting this one this weekend. It's a short read about, as the tagline states, "sharing your faith in everyday conversations." It's published by the great people at Relevant, so I safely assume that it will be a good read and challenging as well.

What are you reading these days? Any good stuff you'd like to recommend or share? If so, comment away...

Get Out Of The Boat...

There is a passage of Scripture in the book of Matthew that many people who've been attending church for any amount of time are probably very familiar with. It's found in the 14th chapter and it's the story of Jesus walking on water...The disciples are out in the boat in the midst of a storm and all of the sudden they see this figure walking toward them...It's Jesus. And just as quickly as they realize who He is, Peter yells out to Him, "Hey Jesus! If that's really is you, tell me to come out to you and I will be able to." And Jesus calls to Peter and Peter begins to walk toward Him...And for a moment Peter walks on water to Jesus...Now, if you know the story, you know that Peter gets distracted by the wind and the waves (as any ADD disciple would) and begins to sink, clinging out to Jesus for rescue at the last minute...

Here's my deal with this passage...Every time I have heard someone in the church teach on this Scripture they talk about how Peter should've just kept his focus on Jesus and he wouldn't have begun to sink...and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...I agree. Peter should've kept his focus on Jesus. I agree that Jesus' ultimate desire would not have been for Peter to get half way there and begin sinking...But I don't buy that interpretation as the only reason for God incorporating that story in his Word...

To me, Peter is the one disciple in the story that should be seen as heroic, brave, courageous, and inspiring...You see, while everyone else looked at the storm, Peter looked at Jesus. While everyone else saw Jesus walking on the water and was impressed by his power, Peter saw Jesus walking on water and trusted in his power. While the other disciples saw Jesus in the flesh out on the water, they looked at the storm that raged and chose the safety of the boat...Not Peter. He knew that the safety of the boat was nothing compared the being in the presence of Jesus...So he jumped out the the boat while the others stayed behind...And he chose to take a risk. Peter knew in his heart, from experiencing the character, abilitiy, strength, and power of Jesus first hand, that the storm had no danger that Jesus couldn't handle...And he knew that the boat offered no security that Jesus didn't surpass.

I think that Jesus wants more Peters in our world today. I believe with all my heart that he searches for people who are willing to say, "Forget the safety of the boat...I want to live my life risking it all to be where Jesus is." And every now and then you get a glimpse of a person who isn't afraid to get out of the boat and follow Christ, regardless of the storms in life and regardless of the risk involved...It's just a shame that we see it "every now and then" and not everyday...So let's join Peter and get out of the boat...Whatever storms surround you in life, realize that Jesus is bigger than any of them...And whatever you face in your journey realize that the live is not fully lived in the safety of the boat, but rather on the water with the Master...

Back To School Blog...

So I know I've been posting a lot of pics and videos lately...I'm gonna try to get back to a more normal writing routine now that the crazy life of summer youth ministry is over...But I saw this pic on one of my student's myspace pages today and just had to share it...Take a close look at it...Notice the student's answer to the problem...I can't believe he got a zero...He should've at least passed on sheer creativity...In honor of all you students who are going back to school this week, here's some Back To School humor...

Time with Family and Friends...

Johanna and I left town on Wednesday night after our youth service and have had the opportunity to spend a few days at the end of this week with family. We stayed with her sister on Wednesday night and then spend last night and tonight with my brother and his wife...We have had a blast hangin' out, playin' with nieces and nephews, and being around our loved ones...I really cherish the time I get to spend with my brother...We're not just blood...We're best friends and because of the distance between where we live we don't get to hang out alot anymore so I always have a blast when we get to see each other...Tomorrow we are leaving the Houston area and heading to Bridge City, TX...It is almost in Lousiana, only about 35 miles from Lake Charles...I am speaking at Commonground Community Church in Bridge City on Sunday where a friend of mine serves on staff...We haven't seen each other in a long time, so it will be good to reconnect with Brandon and see how God is using him these days...Speaking of friends, I have had the privilege of having some great friends over the years whom God has used and is using in great ways in His kingdom...I could list them all but I would surely leave someone out so I won't even begin to start...But I was on myspace earlier and had a bulletin from a friend who lives in California...His name is Coffey Anderson and he and I went to college together and were fraternity brothers...Coffey is an great guy and an incredible singer and songwriter...His myspace bulletin just happened to be about some videos of him on Godtube (which I really don't use very often, unlike my last couple posts would suggest...) Anyway, he was the featured video for a little while...Check out the videos below and you can see more of him on that sight too...Its always great to spend time with family and its always good to see how God is using friends...

Fantasy Football...

It's one of my favorite times of the year....Football Season! I really like watching High School football and college footbal and am an avid fan of both...And I am also obsessed with Fantasy Football...I have a league I play in with some college fraternity buddies, a league with some close friends and former students, a league with some youth ministry friends, and a league with our church...Like I said, I am obsessed...Watching HS and college football and playing fantasy football are some of my favorite pasttimes/hobbies/interests....Anyway, it is after 1 AM and I just finished an online draft in my league on Yahoo with some friends/former students...It's gonna be fun, but now it's late, I'm tired, and I'm headed to bed...

Great Quote...

Found this incredible quote on a website today...What if Christ followers, church leaders, and churches actually lived like they believed this...The possibilities are literally endless...Anyway, here it is:

"What God orders, He pays for" - Norman Barnes

Cool Video...

The video below is from a Steve Harvey comedy bit...Some of it is kinda funny, but it is overall just a pretty sweet clip...He was doing a comedy show for an African-American Church conference that actually aired on Comedy Central a few months ago...I think it is pretty old, but this clip is his closing of his comedy routine that night...He is talking about if he were the one to get to do the introduction of Jesus at the second coming...Pretty cool stuff...

My BFFs (Adjusted)...

So earlier this week I posted about what a great job Andy & Jaron did serving our students this summer. You can read the post below. And I talked about how much I appreciated their friendship...Then I got a HILARIOUS email from a friend to all of us, Matt Hart. Matt works for Mission Arlington and we have all known each other for about 10 years or so now...It is awesome how God brings incredible, like-minded people into our lives through the ministry and work we do for his kingdom. Matt and a few others at Mission Arlington are those people for me...I truly consider them friends and absolutely love getting to go serve alongside them where God has planted them for His kingdom...Without a doubt, the highlight of my year is always going to serve at Mission Arlington...If you've never been to help out and you are within driving distance, GO. It will literally change your life...Not that Mission Arlington has any magical powers...It's just a group of people loving God and loving others the best they know how...And the cool thing about it is that they convince you and show you that the same things can be done where you live...There's no magic to it...Just Christ followers being the hands and feet of Jesus to the world around them...And it is incredible...So if you live anywhere near Arlington, go be involved...They can always use the help regardless of what day of the week or how long you can stay...And I guarantee that you will be far more blessed than you could ever imgaine...That being said, the main purpose for this post is to share this picture that Matt sent...It is GREAT! I totally expect it to be hanging on the wall behind his desk the next time we get there! I am so thankful for the friends that God has given Johanna and I over our years of serving Him...especially the ones who are creative and have a great sense of humor! Thanks for making us all laugh Matt...And you know we're serious about seeing this when we come up ;)...Until next time...

My BFFs...

So its been a few days since my last post...I guess I'll catch ya' up on what's new with us...As most of you know, Jaron and Andy have been living with us this summer. Both these guys grew up in my student ministry in Goldthwaite and are really close to Johanna and I...They are not just former students...They are friends. And incredible friends at that. Earlier in the spring of this year I asked these guys to come and spend the summer working with our students as my interns. The only problem was that I had no money in the budget to give them a salary for the summer...Their response: No Problem! They both decided to come and serve this summer, finding part-time jobs that would work around all our youth stuff so they could minister alongside Johanna and I and help make an impact for the kingdom of God in the community of Lockhart. And they did just that...What an incredible summer it has been. It was great to deepen our friendship...These guys are like brothers to me and I was so thrilled to have them in our lives this summer...And they were fantastic interns...I gave them a lot of crap during the summer about being lazy and not doing things right, but most of the time I was just giving them a hard time...They did an incredible job and really made an impact in our students' lives and in their community of faith...Thanks fellas...You guys are my BFFs and Jo & I love ya! The kingdom of God and the community of Lockhart will look different because of your sacrifice and serive! For those of you who read this, be sure you thank the people in your life who help you along the way...They deserve it...Until next time...

History Being Made...Wow...

I just watched Barry Bonds break the Major League Baseball Career Home Run Record. And by "just watched" I mean literally just watched it...like 45 seconds ago...I wanted to be one of the first to blog about it ;)...Jaron, Andy, and I are watching Willie Mays and Bonds hug right now and they are just starting the formal announcement that he is the MLB Homerun Leader...Now the Hank Aaron video is playing at the ballpark...I really don't know how I feel about it with the whole steroid issue and everything, but regardless, we just got to see history...I'd love to hear what those of you who read this (both of you...) think about Bonds breaking the record and what affect this has on baseball, if any...Let the debate begin...

The Weekend Update...

This weekend was pretty uneventful. I spent Saturday just lounging around the house and hanging out with Andy. Johanna got to help a friend of ours teach a cooking class in Austin and then they went to eat and catch a showing of Hairspray, so I was batchin' it and just loungin' around all day. On Sunday, I preached our morning service...I started a sermon series called Transformers: Transforming Our Lives to Transform Our World...I'll be preaching at our church all month so it is pretty exciting to get enough "pulpit time" on Sundays to do a series...I am really excited about it...I spoke on our need to be servants to the people of our community and how if Christ has transformed us with His love, we ought to be showing that love in a way that transforms our community and convinces them of the love of God...Then on Sunday night we went door to door collecting canned goods and other food for our county food pantry that has been running on empty lately...After that, Amy and Johanna convinced us to head to Austin to try out a new restaurant they found called Canoli Joe's...I was skeptical about an all-u-can-eat Italian place, but it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I left completely stuffed (actually it was probably over stuffed...). That about wrapped up the weekend for us...Tomorrow I am off on another trip, but this one is small...Headin' to the river to hang out with some of our Jr. High guys with the interns tomorrow...Should be a lot of fun...